YEAR 7 RE

Topic 3
What does it mean to be Jewish?

Homework

Name: ___________________________________
Form: __________
RE Teacher: ________________________

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 Religious Education Curriculum Intent
In RE, students will become religiously literate through three types of knowledge:

1) Substantive knowledge – students will learn about the richness, complexity and
transitional nature of religious and non-religious concepts, traditions, worldviews and
values

2) Ways of knowing – students will develop scholarly thinking and an understanding of

how claims about truth, knowledge and belief can be reached and justified

3) Personal knowledge – students will grow in character, self-understanding and

awareness of their own worldview, experiences and assumptions in order to contribute
as citizens in a multi-faith and multi-secular modern society

Students will progress in their learning through a clearly sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum

They will articulate their

that focuses on depth over breadth.

knowledge, understanding and evaluation through

high quality verbal and written communication
utilising a wide range of subject-specific vocabulary.

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What do I have to do?
Each week you will practise using the new subject-specific vocabulary to
review the learning you have done in class.
You should spend twenty minutes each week on this homework.
You will write a number of sentences, or a paragraph, to show your
understanding.
Aim to write a paragraph, if you can, as this will ensure you link ideas together,
rather than seeing them as separate ideas.
You must aim for accurate correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.
This is useful because:
 It increases your familiarity with subject-specific vocabulary
 It helps you to remember what we have learned
 You will practise your writing

Remember to look up the meaning of the word using the glossary on page 4.
The booklet is available in student share>subjects>RE>Year 7
For this first week, the sentences have been done for you. You just need to fill
the gaps using the words in the table.

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Abraham The father of Judaism. God made a covenant with him.

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Anti-Semitism Prejudice and discrimination targeting Jews.
aron hakodesh Cupboard in which the Torah is kept in the Synagogue.
Bar/ Bat Mitzvah Ceremony: becoming old enough to keep the
commandments.
bimah Reading platform in the synagogue.
circumcision Removal of foreskin as a sign of the covenant made
between Abraham and God.
covenant Agreement or contract between two people
eternal No beginning and no end.
Exodus Book in the Torah: tells story of the Israelites’ escape.
G-d A Jewish way of writing God, to show that he is holy.
Holocaust Persecution and mass-killing of the Jews by the Nazis.
Liberal/ Reform A form of Judaism that believes the religion can change.
menorah A seven-branched candlestick.
Messiah/ Mashiah A person sent by God to save others.
minyan The 10 men required for a service in the synagogue.
mitzvot Commandments in Judaism. There are 613 of them.
monotheist A person who believes there is only one God.
Moses The greatest of the prophets in Judaism.
ner tamid The light in the synagogue that never goes out.
omnipresence The quality of being present in all places and times.
omniscient The quality of being all-knowing (knowing everything)
Orthodox A form of Judaism that follows traditions.
Passover Jewish festival remembering the Exodus.
Pharaoh The ruler of Egypt in the time of Moses.
Pikuach Nefesh Idea that religious laws can be broken to save a life.
polytheist A person who believes there are many gods.
Promised Land Lan God promised to Abraham. Known today as Israel.
rabbi A Jewish leader (of the synagogue)
reverence Sincere respect for something or someone.
secular Not religious or doesn’t practice religion.
Shabbat The Jewish day of rest.
Shul Another word for synagogue.
Siddur Jewish prayer book.
Synagogue The Jewish place of worship.
Talmud Teachings from rabbis explaining the Torah.
Tanakh Main Jewish scriptures including the Torah.
Temple The first place of worship for Jews, in Jerusalem.
Ten Commandments Ten rules given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.
Torah The most important holy text for Jews.
Transcendent Goes beyond normal human experience.
Week 1: Who was Abraham?
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Recap
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all considered Abrahamic religions. This
means they all see Abraham as a father and worship the ‘one God’ that
Abraham worshipped.
Which words do I need to use? (tick when done)
Key vocabulary to use Tick when done
Abraham
circumcised
covenant
monotheist
polytheists
Torah

My sentences or paragraph:
1. The word _______________________ means agreement such as a
contract between two people or more.
2. ______________________ is known as the first patriarch or father of
Judaism and lived around 4000 years ago.
3. The Jews believe that Abraham was the first one to say that there is only
one God, and that he believes in one God. This means he was the first
_____________________________.
4. At the time Abraham lived most people were ___________________,
meaning they believed in more than one God.
5. The ____________________ states that God tested Abraham in
different ways to see how strong his faith was.
6. As a sign of the covenant God told Abraham that all males in his family
must be _____________________________. Jews still carry this out on
baby boys on the eight day after their birth.

Week 2: How might Jews relate to God? (Part 1)

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Recap
Judaism is monotheistic. Most Jews today still believe in one creator God who
is eternal. They believe God is powerful and loving and should be revered.
Many Jews worship God by going to the synagogue and relate to Him through
prayer.
Which words do I need to use? (tick when done)
Key vocabulary to use Tick when done
G-d
mitzvot
omnipresence
reverence
synagogue
Talmud
Tanakh
Torah

My sentences or paragraph
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Week 3: How might Jews relate to God? (Part 2 – worship and prayer)
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Recap
Judaism is monotheistic. Most Jews today still believe in one creator God who
is eternal. They believe God is powerful and loving and should be revered.
Many Jews worship God by going to the synagogue and relate to Him through
prayer.
Which words do I need to use? (tick when done)
Key vocabulary to use Tick when done
aron hakodesh
bimah
menorah
minyan
ner tamid
rabbi
Shema
shul
Siddur

My sentences or paragraph
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Week 4: What do Jews believe?
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Recap
Judaism has thirteen principle of faith. Judaism teaches that human life is
created by God and of sacred value. It is more valuable than the life of other
living creatures. The Tanakh contains very little about what happens after
death, although most Jews believe death is not the end and that we will be
judged when we die according to whether we have followed God’s commands
(mitzvot).
Which words do I need to use? (tick when done)
Key vocabulary to use Tick when done
eternal
Messiah
omniscient
Orthodox
Pikuach Nefesh
Reform
Torah
transcendent

My sentences or paragraph
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Week 5: Why was Moses a great leader?
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Recap
Moses is considered the greatest of the Prophets in Judaism. He is believed to
have led his people to freedom from slavery in Egypt. Moses was chosen by
God, although he was a reluctant leader. After escaping from Egypt Moses
received the Ten Commandments and the other writings in the Torah. The
story of Moses is told in the book of Exodus which is found in the Torah and
the Bible. Christians and Muslims also recognise Moses as a great prophet.
Jews today remember the story of Moses by celebrating a festival called
Passover.
Which words do I need to use? (tick when done)
Key vocabulary to use Tick when done
Exodus
Moses
Passover
Pharaoh
Promised Land

My sentences or paragraph
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Week 6: What commandments do Jews keep?
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Recap
Living as a Jew means following certain laws called mitzvot. There are 613 in
total. These commands include having a day of rest (Shabbat). Keeping
Shabbat holy is one of the Ten Commandments. Jews are considered old
enough to take responsibility for following God’s commandments when they
come of age. This is thirteen for boys, who have a ceremony called Bar Mitzvah
(Son of the Commandments) and twelve for girls who have a ceremony called
Bat Mitzvah (Daughter of the Commandments).
Which words do I need to use? (tick when done)
Key vocabulary to use Tick when done
Bar Mitzvah
Bat Mitzvah
mitzvot
Shabbat
synagogue
Ten Commandments

My sentences or paragraph
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Week 7: How have Jews responded to suffering and persecution?
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Recap
The Jewish people have a very long history. Throughout that history they have
had to endure and survive periods of suffering. The most significant of these is
known as the Holocaust and took place during the second world war. In the
contemporary world some Jews still suffer racist abuse and persecution based
on their faith. This is known as anti-Semitism.

Which words do I need to use? (tick when done)

Key vocabulary to use Tick when done
Anti-Semitism
Holocaust
Stretch words: use the words below if you can
Auschwitz
ghetto
persecution

My sentences or paragraph
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Week 8: What are the different meanings of being Jewish today?

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Recap
Being Jewish in today’s world can take many different forms. Some Jews are
called ‘Orthodox’, which means they keep to traditional beliefs and practices.
In the UK this is the largest proportion of Jews. Other Jews might be referred to
as ‘Liberal’ or ‘Reform’ which means they believe that Judaism can modernise
and change as society changes. Other Jews might see themselves as ‘secular’
which means they have been born into the faith of Judaism and may follow
some of the cultural practices but they do not believe in God.

Which words do I need to use? (tick when done)

Key vocabulary to use Tick when done
Jewish
Liberal
Orthodox
Reform
Secular

My sentences or paragraph
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