What is Judaism?
Judaism is the religious practise of the Jewish people. Judaism is a monotheistic religion and one of the three Abrahamic faiths (along with Christianity and Islam). Judaism is a way of life, and Jewish law requires the observance of the 10 commandments plus 613 mitzvot (commandments). These include the laws of Kashrut (dietary requirements), the sanctity of Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) and other Jewish festivals, the obligation to respect one’s parents, and the obligation to teach one’s children.
The practise of Judaism takes a number of forms. These include ultra-Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, Conservative and Progressive practises. Some argue that these are equivalent to denominations, and that Judaism can accommodate a wide variety of religious practises. Others argue that Judaism has a specific immutable content and that there is only one legitimate way to practise Judaism.
What is taken to be normative Judaism is the position taken by Modern Orthodox Jews. Normative Judaism believes in the revelation at Mount Sinai and the sacred nature of both the ‘written law’ and the ‘oral law’. Modern Orthodox Jews follow the laws of the Torah, known as Halachah (literally, ‘the way’). Halachah contains laws of practise and ritual and a detailed ethical framework governing all aspects of daily living.
Progressive Judaism takes a different view of Revelation and of the centrality of Jewish law. Some who practise Progressive Judaism consider Jewish law to be no more than a guideline for living a moral life. Others accept the obligatory nature of the written law, but do not believe that the oral law is binding. A percentage of Progressive Jews reject Jewish ritual and focus on the ethical values within Judaism.
Not all Jews practise Judaism. It is possible to be a totally secular Jew. This explains why Jews are described not only as a religious minority, but also are considered to be a “race” or an ethnic group. This poses another problem, because Jews come from all corners of the world – Europe, North America, India, Africa, Morocco and Spain, amongst other places. Jews adopt and identify with the language and cultural practices of their host culture, and are racially and ethnically diverse.
Because Jews live as a minority group everywhere in the world (except for Israel), the experience and practise of Judaism is diverse and always adapts to its local setting. Jews are required by Jewish law to obey the law of the land in which they live (Derech Eretz) except in the extremely unlikely situation that the law of the land is fundamentally in conflict with Jewish law. | 
Antisemitism 