Jewish neighbors

• Do Christians, Jews and Muslims worship the same God? All three faiths say there is one God, the God of Abraham. 2 min read
• How do I explain other religions to my kids? Straightforwardly and early. Kids are naturally curious and don’t have the anxiety adults bring to these conversations. 3 min read
• I’m going to an interfaith wedding. What should I expect? Expect the unexpected, and be delighted by it. 3 min read
• Is it OK to be angry at God? In most traditions that believe in God, yes, and the scriptures say so more directly than many preachers do. 3 min read
• Is religion the cause of most wars? No, and scholars who study this say the answer is more complicated than either side usually admits. 3 min read
• Should I bring food when someone dies? Almost always, yes, but check first. Most traditions welcome it. 3 min read
• What do Jews believe? Jews believe in one God. God made a covenant, a lasting promise, with Abraham and his family, and gave the Torah, God’s teaching, at Mount Sinai. 2 min read
• What does “love your neighbor as yourself” mean? It means caring about other people’s good as much as your own. 2 min read
• What happens when we die? What do different faiths teach? Every major tradition has a teaching about death, and no two are quite the same, though many share a shape. 4 min read
• What if my child leaves our faith? It’s one of the most painful things a religious parent can face. 3 min read
• What is a rabbi, an imam, and a pastor? All three lead faith communities, but in different ways. 3 min read
• What is Hanukkah? Is it “Jewish Christmas”? Hanukkah is an eight-night Jewish festival of lights. 2 min read
• What is kosher? Kosher is a Hebrew word meaning ‘fit’ or ‘proper.’ In food, it describes what Jewish religious law (halakha) permits. 3 min read
• What is Shabbat? Why won’t my neighbor drive on Saturday? Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest. It runs every week from sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday. 2 min read
• Who is Abraham in Judaism, Christianity and Islam? Abraham is the shared father of faith for all three. 2 min read
• Why do people change religions? For every reason you can think of, and then some. 3 min read
• Why does my neighbor’s synagogue or mosque have security guards? Because houses of worship have been targeted. 2 min read
• Why don’t some families celebrate Halloween? Usually it’s about faith. Some Christians feel Halloween’s focus on death, spirits and fear clashes with what they believe. 2 min read

1. About 2000 BCAbraham answers God's call. Jews remember Abraham as the first patriarch, who left his homeland to follow the one God.
2. About 1450 BCThe Exodus and the Torah at Sinai. Jews remember God freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and giving the Torah at Mount Sinai.
3. About 1010 BCDavid becomes king. David becomes king of Israel; Jewish tradition looks for a future Messiah from his family line.
4. 586 BCThe First Temple is destroyed. Babylon destroys Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple and takes many Jews into exile; Jews still mourn this on Tisha B'Av.
5. AD 70The Second Temple is destroyed. Roman armies destroy the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, and Jewish life turns toward prayer, study and the synagogue.
6. About AD 200The Mishnah is written down. Rabbi Judah the Prince gathers Jewish oral teachings into the Mishnah, a guide to living out the Torah.
7. About AD 500The Babylonian Talmud is completed. Rabbis in Babylonia finish the Talmud, a huge record of discussion that Jews still study together today.
8. 1654Jews arrive in New Amsterdam. Twenty-three Jewish refugees from Brazil land in New Amsterdam, today's New York, and start a lasting Jewish community.
9. 1790Washington writes to Newport's Jews. George Washington tells Newport's Jewish congregation the U.S. "gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance."

Every faith on one timeline →

• 02
  Abraham, three ways Same Story, Different BookA pastor, a rabbi and an imam Recording soon · about 11 min