judaism Judaism, from the word “Jew”, meaning “of Hebrew origin”, is the oldest and smallest monotheistic religion in the world. Followers of Judaism believe that God, who revealed himself through ancient prophets, created the universe and continues to govern it. Today, there are about 12 million Jews worldwide. Most of them live in the United States and Israel. At the beginning of the last century, the Holocaust exterminated lots of devotes. Judaism originated in Palestine, a region at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Jews settled in Canaan, which lays between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Bible, Canaan was the land that God had promised to Jews. God came to the prophet Moses at Mount Sinai about 3,500 years ago and spoke with him giving him two stone tablets on which he had written the “Ten Commandments”. These commandments became the basis for the civil and religious laws of Judaism. The Jews believed that these laws formed a new covenant between God and Jewish people, a special contract where Jews promised to obey to God's laws and in return God, called Yahweh, promised to protect the Jews as the “chosen people”. Jews gather in holy places known as Synagogues to pray their God and the leader of community is the Rabbi, who isn't a priest. They believe that one day “Messiah” will come and bring an era of peace to world.