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.

Israel must welcome all Jews, not only those who fit a narrow mold - opinion

Calls for aliyah must inspire all Jews, not just select groups, and reflect a broad, inclusive Zionist vision rooted in dignity and shared purpose.

APRIL 23, 2026|BySETH FARBER

A group makes aliyah

The turbulence of the past year fuelled by the Iranian regime’s war on Israel has fashioned Israel’s 78th birthday as a critical moment for self reflection.

Israel at 78: An appropriate birthday gift - opinion

Nations, like individuals, are not defined by how they celebrate their birthdays, but by how they respond to the clarity those moments provide.

APRIL 21, 2026|ByJEFFREY KAHN

Small stickers on lampposts and bus stops, petrol stations and kitchen fridges, plastered on the walls of army bases and in bus depots.

The Torah our children wrote - opinion

On the stickers lining our lampposts, our fallen soldiers left something ancient. A new Mishnah, written not in ink but in lives.

APRIL 21, 2026|ByJACOB SCHIMMEL

People watch the military airshow as part of Israel's 75th Independence Day celebrations, in Saker Park, Jerusalem, April 26, 2023.

Israel must be more than just the nation-state of the Jewish people - opinion

Beyond security, Israel must serve as an anchor for Jewish identity, culture, and global engagement.

APRIL 19, 2026|ByBEN MOLLOV, SHMUEL SANDLER

Yakov Schacht: How a Ninjutsu coach navigates life in Israel’s war zone

Yakov Schacht finds the mentality behind ninjutsu – which also forms the basis of his Shinobi Leadership Coaching business – invaluable and instructive in these scary times.

APRIL 18, 2026ByABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN

YAKOV SCHACHT, business leadership coach.

This month in Jewish history: History, memory, destiny

A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars.

APRIL 18, 2026BySTEVEN DRUCKER

AS AN astronomer, Ralbag influenced Copernicus. Pictured: Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in his hometown of Torun, Poland.

Shabbat Rosh Hodesh: At the threshold of renewal

Shabbat Rosh Hodesh is an invitation to renew not only the month but also ourselves.

APRIL 17, 2026ByMICHAEL FREUND

‘Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her, all who love her.’

Parashat Tazria-Metzora: Turning lemons into lemonade

These parashot deal at length with a unique phenomenon described in the Torah – tzara’at, which are marks or changes that appear on the walls of a house, on clothing, or on the body.

APRIL 17, 2026ByRABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ

'Spirituality can grow without diminishing anyone,' says the writer.

Shabbat candle lighting times for Israel and US

See Shabbat candle lighting times for your area.

APRIL 17, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Shabbat candles

Families protest after four Border Police soldiers disciplined for having barbecue on Shabbat

“My daughter feels she was treated like she was nothing,” one of the soldiers' fathers said. “Even if there was a breach of orders, where is the proportionality?"

APRIL 17, 2026ByEFRAT FORSHER

A Border Police officer conducting operations, May 2025.

Israel’s shift from seeking approval to shaping global narrative - opinion

It took the international responses to the October 7 massacre and the vicious antisemitism, the horrors, and the deaths for Israel to mature.

APRIL 16, 2026ByMICAH HALPERN

PLO chairman Yasser Arafat (L) waves with prime minister Yitzhak Rabin (R) and US president Bill Clinton after the signing of the Israeli-PLO peace accord, at the White House in Washington, in 1993. Israel was forced into Oslo to reduce international isolation, and it backfired, the author notes.

As Ohio again tries to block Hebrew Union College’s restructuring, a new rabbinical school emerges

Ohio Attorney-General Dave Yost takes legal action to prevent the closure of Hebrew Union College’s Cincinnati campus, citing donor intent and history.

APRIL 16, 2026ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA

The campus of Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, January 21, 2019.

From rain to dew: Prayer and the meaning of uncertainty - opinion

The shift from rain to dew in prayer reveals a deeper message about resilience, fear, and spiritual growth.

APRIL 15, 2026ByZACHARY PAIKIN

Rain falls in mid-August in the upper Galilee

How a Norwegian pastor helped Jews pray in secret during the Holocaust

A remarkable bond between a pastor and the rabbi of the Jewish community of Trondheim helped Jews through the

APRIL 14, 2026ByYOAV ETIEL

Rabbi Jacobson stands next to the monument in Trondheim, 1947.