holidays/events
why are jewish holidays on different dates for us every year?
jewish holidays are based off of the hebrew calendar.
right now, we are in the year 5784 according to the hebrew calendar!
what is the jewish bread called?
challah.
this bread is braided and is typically eaten on shabbat.
what is the jewish book of worship called?
the torah which is made up of 5 books.
true or false: is drake jewish?
true!
what is the name of the jewish coming of age celebration?
a bar/bat mitzvah.
usually around the age 13, jewish teens will have their bar/bat mitzvah. this usually entails a morning service where the individual reads from the torah and an afternoon/night party. this day marks religious acceptance of the individual into pursuing a jewish adulthood.
fun fact: delancey and penny had the same torah portion to read as well as the same original bat mitzvah date.
true or false: bagels are jewish
true!
bagels were created by polish jews and are now loved by all.
what is a menorah?
a candelabra used on chanukah.
fun fact: getting gifts on chanukah isn't a traditional jewish thing. it was developed in western culture to mimic christmas presents.
what is the jewish place of worship called?
a temple/synagogue.
when does shabbat start?
friday evening.
shabbat is a time of worship and rest for jewish people. depending on how religious you are, you can choose to celebrate it in different ways.
what is matzah?
unrisen bread.
matzah is eaten on passover along with other foods that don't contain chametz. (any food that has gluten or ingredients that aren't kosher for passover)
what is a talis?
a prayer shawl traditionally given to an individual on their bar/bat mitzvah.
fun fact: delancey and penny have the same color talis.
what city has the biggest jewish population?
NYC!
new york city is home to around 1.6 million jews, with around half living in brooklyn.
what jewish holiday just passed, and is known as the birthday of the trees?
tu bishvat.
occurring this year from wednesday january 24th to thursday janiuary 25th, tu bishvat is a holiday surrounding nature. many people celebrate this by planting trees or other plants.
what does it mean to keep a kosher diet?
to keep a kosher diet, as some jewish people decide to do, you must not eat meat and dairy products in the same meal. in addition to this, you must restrain from eating any meat from certain animals such as pigs.
what is a yad?
a pointer stick used to read from the torah.
since the torah is so sacred, people reading from it use decorated pointer sticks to keep their place rather than touching it.
how do you become jewish?
your mom has to be jewish, or you can go through a long dedicated conversion process with a rabbi.
what is the name of the jewish new year?
rosh hashanah.
people celebrate rosh hashanah by reflecting on their year, and eating foods such as apples dipped in honey as a symbol of bringing sweetness into the new year.
what are hamentaschen?
traingle shaped cookies filled traditionally with jam but can also be filled with things like chocolate.
hamentaschen are eaten on purim and symbolize hamens hat.
what is a mezuzah?
a tiny scroll containing the shemah blessing.
a mezuzah is hung outside jewish households on the doorframe.
what percent of the population is jewish?
only 0.2% of the population is made up of jews.
this is about 15.7 million people, just a little more than the population of buenos aires.