Special Places
What is the Hebrew name for the Promised Land?
What is a synagogue?
A Jewish house of worship.
What festival celebrates the Jewish New Year?
Rosh Hashanah.
At what age do Jewish boys celebrate a Bar Mitzvah?
13
What is the Jewish holy book called?
The Torah.
What country today has the largest Jewish population in the world?
Israel.
What is the central object inside a synagogue that holds the Torah scrolls?
The Ark (Aron Kodesh)
What festival remembers the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt?
Passover (Pesach).
At what age do Jewish girls celebrate a Bat Mitzvah?
12
What do Jews call the day of rest each week?
Shabbat (Sabbath).
What is the most sacred site in Jerusalem where Jews go to pray?
The Western (Wailing) Wall
What is the raised platform where the Torah is read called?
The Bimah.
What festival includes fasting, prayer, and asking for forgiveness of sins?
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
What does “Bar/Bat Mitzvah” mean?
"Son/Daughter of the Commandment.”
What is the horn blown on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
The Shofar.
What is the synagogue sometimes called in Hebrew?
Beit Knesset, meaning “house of assembly.”
What symbol is often displayed in a synagogue to remind people of God’s presence?
The Eternal Light (Ner Tamid).
What is the eight-day festival that celebrates the miracle of the oil in the Temple?
Hanukkah
What special responsibility does a child gain after their Bar/Bat Mitzvah?
They are responsible for following Jewish law (mitzvot).
What do the fringes on a tallit (prayer shawl) remind Jews of?
God’s commandments.
Why is Jerusalem especially important in Jewish history?
It was the location of the ancient Temple
What direction do Jews face when praying in the synagogue?
Toward Jerusalem.
What festival celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai?
Shavuot.
What is one key ritual during a Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony?
Reading from the Torah in Hebrew.
How does a Bar/Bat Mitzvah mark the transition in a young Jew’s life?
It marks their passage into religious adulthood with responsibility for their own faith.