Judaism

Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion in the world, having originated in the Middle East more than 3,000 years ago with patriarch Abraham.

As the first Abrahamic religion, Judaism has played a major role in shaping the history of the world, having greatly influenced the development of Christianity and Islam, despite having always had a relatively small amount of adherents by comparison.

The religion itself is built off of the "written Torah" of the Bible, known in Judaism as the Tanach, and the "oral Torah" of the Mishna, Talmud and other great works of leading rabbis throughout history.

Judaism itself has no single leading figure, and is divided into multiple streams, such as the ultra-Orthodox (haredi), Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. Further differences also exist along the lines of historic Diasporic communities, such as Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewry.

Today, the largest concentration of adherents of Judaism can be found in Israel, with the US having the second-largest.

Parashat Bo: The world is catching up, again

'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion' was a crude forgery that peddled the myth of a clandestine Jewish cabal manipulating institutions under the guise of doing good.

JANUARY 23, 2026|ByMOSHE TARAGIN

Gold.

Promises.

Parashat Bo: Promises must be kept

Keeping promises is the foundation of trust between people, of educating children, and of building a moral future.

JANUARY 23, 2026|ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ

Shabbat candles

Shabbat candle lighting times for Israel and US

See Shabbat times for your area.

JANUARY 23, 2026|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

People gather at a OneTable Shabbat dinner.

OneTable reimagines Shabbat dinner program amid layoffs and funding downturn

Abramson said the company was also shifting away from its recent focus on older Jewish adults to center its programming on younger Jews.

JANUARY 23, 2026|ByGRACE GILSON/JTA

For 250 years, American Jews have answered prejudice with defiance - opinion

The Charlestown “true-hearted Israelite” offers an enduring lesson for the 250th: when prejudice is spoken, and you have the power to answer, you answer.

JANUARY 13, 2026ByAUSTIN REID ALBANESE/JTA

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue in Charleston, South Carolina, March 1938.

From the Nuremberg Laws to BDS: The return of antisemitic exclusion - opinion

BDS is not a protest movement but a revival of historic antisemitic boycotts, targeting Jewish identity, culture, and ultimately Israel’s right to exist.

JANUARY 13, 2026ByZALMAN SHOVAL

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators carry a banner during a protest against the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship in the port of Piraeus near Athens, Greece, June 12, 2025.

Women at the threshold of Redemption: From Pharaoh's Egypt to the post-October 7 reality - opinion

The message is unmistakable: Moral courage, not submission, is what sustains holiness.

JANUARY 12, 2026ByZEHAVIT GROSS

A woman shouts at a protest ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Rome, Italy, last year.

'Persia will fall': Rabbis cite ancient texts as Iran’s crisis deepens

A senior Israeli rabbi published a biblical-style prayer calling for the downfall of Iran’s clerical regime.

JANUARY 11, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

People take part in a rally in solidarity with protesters in Iran, on January 11, 2026 in London, England.

The return of the lost Jews - and the ‘great shofar’

'On that day, a great shofar shall be sounded, and those lost in the land of Assyria and those who were cast off in the land of Egypt shall come, and they shall bow to the Lord in Jerusalem.'

JANUARY 11, 2026ByMICHAEL FREUND

Shofarim. Illustrative.

'Why Am I a Jew?' A sincere attempt at addressing big questions about Judaism - book review

Rosner’s book was written primarily for non-practicing Jews perplexed by Judaism in general and by apparent contradictions between Jewish and Western values in particular.

JANUARY 11, 2026ByABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN

Statue of Spinoza by Nicolas Dings in Zwanenburgwal, Amsterdam, with the inscription ‘The objective of the state is freedom,’ quoted from his ‘Tractatus Theologico-Politicus.’

Why I can’t live without Shabbat

The beautiful chaos of our crew around a table covered with challah, wine, and probably too much food... Our table almost always holds more. Friends stop by. Guests join.

JANUARY 11, 2026ByJAMIE GELLER

Shabbat, a day for 'unplugging.'

Rebranding Zionism, unifying Jews: Rabbi Doron Perez on his plans as WZO president - interview

JEWISH WORLD AFFAIRS: Rabbi Doron Perez, in his role as WZO president, aims to unify Jews and rebrand Zionism as a force for good

JANUARY 10, 2026ByMICHAEL STARR

‘THE WORLD Zionist Organization is an ideal platform to play a unifying role.’ WZO President Rabbi Doron Perez holds a picture of his son Daniel, a tank commander who fell in battle on October 7, and whose body had been abducted into Gaza until finally being returned in a ceasefire deal in October.

Somaliland’s lost and forgotten Jews: Inside Horn of Africa's Jewish past - opinion

Beyond the politics, Israel’s recognition of Somaliland reveals a hidden Jewish past, from ancient cemeteries to the origins of the Yibir tribe.

JANUARY 10, 2026ByMICHAEL FREUND

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel’s recognition of the breakaway Somaliland region, during a gathering calling for Somalia’s territorial unity, in Mogadishu, Dec. 30.

Dr. Irene Aue-Ben-David: Preserving the history of German Jewry - interview

Jerusalemite of the Week: A conversation with Leo Baeck Institute director Dr. Irene Aue-Ben-David on preserving German Jewish history.

JANUARY 10, 2026ByAARON REICH

Irene Aue-Ben-David