Judaism

 There is a certain amount of truth in the claims that Judaism is a religion, a culture, and an ethnic group, none of these descriptions however is entirely adequate to describe what connects Jews to other Jews. Almost all Jews feel a sense of connectedness to each other that many find hard to explain, define, or even understand. The best explanation is the traditional one given in the Torah: that the Jews are a nation. Anyone who feels any sense of Jewish identity shares that sense of Jewish peoplehood. Jews refer to that nation as "the Jewish people" or "the Children of Israel". As a nation or people, Jews share common ideas, ancestry, and culture, but there is also room for diversity in each of these areas. The most important part of being a nation is that sense of interconnectedness. Judaism as a religion is very communally-oriented. For example, prayers are normally stated in the plural, and Jews are supposed to pray in communal groups. Many of the Jewish holiday observances are family or community-oriented; yet, even people who are not religious at all feel that sense of Jewish community. When Jews suffer or are persecuted, all Jews feel their pain. When a Jew does something illegal, immoral or shameful, all Jews feel the shame, and all Jews feel that it reflects on all Jews. And when a Jew accomplishes something significant, all Jews feel proud.

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To learn more about Judaism - Please check out these websites:
http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm         
http://www.chabad.org/
Judaism and Jewish Resources http://www.shamash.org/trb/judaism.html#yid
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Death and Dying Related Links for Judaism

Orthodox perspective on death and dying  
http://www.mazornet.com/mazornet/deathandmourning/OrthodoxFinal.html

Jewish views on and practices regarding death
http://endoflife.northwestern.edu/religion_spirituality/judaism.htm

Encyclopedia on Death and Dying
http://www.deathreference.com/Ho-Ka/Judaism.html

Judaism, euthanasia and suicide
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/jewishethics/euthanasia.shtml

Death and Mourning in Judaism
http://www.mazornet.com/mazornet/deathandmourning/reading.html

Establishment of International Jewish Burial Society
http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/burial/index.htm

Celebrating the Jewish culture in song and dance