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Judaism in the Philippines

Star of David, modern emblem of Judaism

Judaism is the religion of the Jews. It is the oldest of the world's four great monotheistic religions

(religions with only one god). It's also the smallest, with only about 12 million followers around the world.

Philippine Jews are Jews who possess Philippine citizenship which comprises Judaism in the

Philippines.

Contents

 [hide]

• 1 History

• 2 Beliefs and

Practices

• 3 Symbols and

Garbs

• 4 Reference

• 5 External Link 

[edit] History

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Temple Emil Synagogue

A total of eight Jews were recorded to have lived in Manila from 1593 to 1677 including Jorge and

Domingo Rodriguez. They were persecuted and convicted of Judaizantes (practicing Jews). When Suez

Canal was opened in 1896, opportunities for trade paved way between Europe and the Far East as well

as trade in the Philippines. There were about 50 Jews living in the islands at the end of the Spanish

Colonial Era. Successful businesses was established like the trading company of the Levy brothers -

Charles, Adolf and Rafael. Their office was located in Iloilo City in 1870 and soon transferred to Escolta.

The American Period brought forth further success in business by the Jewish servicemen who went to the

Philippines. Some of these establishments were Beck's American Bazaar and Bachrach Motors by Emil

Bachrach. Emil Bachrach is one of the most ardent supporter of the Jewish community. He funded the

first ever synagogue in Manila, the Temple Emil Synagogue with the Bachrach Memorial Hall. The Jewish

practices and services are held in the synagogue. They eventually established a Jewish cemetery,

acquired the services of a cantor, organized a Sunday School and provided welfare services to needy

members.

In 1937, a Jewish Refugee Committee was created by the Jewish American cigar manufacturer, the

Frieder brothers Alex, Philip, Morris and Herbert after seeing Jewish refugees stranded at Philippine ports

after having escaped on ships from escalating persecution in Europe. The last group of refugees arrived

in 1939 bringing the total to about 1,200 refugees. The synagogue was expanded to accommodate the

growing community. Unfortunately, during the World War II, the Japanese took over Temple Emil and

used the synagogue and the Bachrach Memorial Hall for storage and ammunition dumps. During

the Battle of Manila, these structures were destroyed by the Japanese.

After the war, the Jewish community gradually recovered and the Jewish servicemen helped rebuild and

Bachrach Hall. A large number of Jewish families started to migrate to the United States, Australia and

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Israel but some still remained in the Philippines. In 1974, the Jewish Community of the Philippnes was

reconstructed and given the name, Jewish Association of the Philippines.

The current synagogue, Beth Yaakov Synagogue which was built in 1983 in the heart of  Makati City.

Regular services, ritual circumcisions, and koshner meat are available in the community. However, as the

business climate faltered and traditional Jewish trades such as textiles have moved to other locales, the

Jewish community in Manila has dwindled to fewer than 50 families. There are, of course, other Jews

living in the Philippines, but most live anonymously, non-practicing and never attending synagogue. There

are few Jewish, Hasidic, and Kabbalah groups that exists in the Philippines. In the Metro Manila, the

Kabbalah Centre [1] established its first Kabbalah Study Group, [2]with a total of +50 members, as is the

Ang Ilaw Kabbalah Study Group, which follows Hasidic tradition (Breslover ) [3] houses its chapter in

Antipolo City, Rizal.

[edit] Beliefs and Practices

Beth Yaakov Synagogue

Jews believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe, but with whom every Jew can

have an individual and personal relationship. They do not believe in original sin. They believe that

humans have the capacity to do both good and evil, and were not born sinful. Judaism affirms that people

are born with a yetzer ha-tov , a tendency to do good, and with a yetzer hara, a tendency to do evil. Jews

worship inSynagogues. Men and women usually sit separately in the synagogues. Men are required to

cover their heads. The Jewish spiritual leaders are called Rabbis. Unlike leaders in many other faiths, a

rabbi is not a priest and has no special religious status. The most holy Jewish book are the Torah (the

first five books of the Hebrew Bible). The most important day of the week is the Sabbath (Shabbat),

which is a day made holy by refraining from weekday work.

Two of the most important holidays of the Jews are The Passover or Pesach and Yom Kippur . The

Passover is a week-long holiday beginning on the evening of the 14th day of Nisan (the first month in the

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Hebrew calendar), that commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. A highlight is the Seder meal held in each

family's home where unleavened bread (Matzah) are eaten including Haggadah (the Telling, the Story)

where they recount their deliverance from Egypt. The Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement is the final day of 

the ten days of repentance. It is the holiest day in the Jewish religion (Sabbath of Sabbaths).

Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah are special Jewish ceremonies where Jewish boys (aged 13) and girls (aged

12) can become adults in the eyes of the Jewish religion. Bar Mitzvah is for boys and means Son of the

Commandment while Bat Mitzvah is for girls and means Daughter of the Commandments.

Jews call marriage Kiddushin. This is a Hebrew word which means made holy or special.

[edit] Symbols and Garbs

Menorah

Magen David (Shield of David) - also known as the Star of David. Legend has it that the emblem

was used by the Biblical King David (hence the name 'Magen David,' or shield of David). It is now the

most common and universally recognized sign of Judaism and Jewish identity, both within and

outside of the Jewish community,

Menorah - is one of the oldest symbols of the Jewish faith. It is a candelabrum with seven candle

holders displayed in Jewish synagogues. It symbolises the burning bush as seen by Moses on Mount

Sinai.

Kippah and Tallit

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Mezuzah - in english doorpost is actually the scroll inside the Case found in every entrance car 

and door on every Jewish home.

Kippah (a skull cap or yarmulke) - is usually a cloth, hemispherical or platter-shaped skullcap

traditionally worn at all times by observant Jewish men, and sometimes by both men and women in

Conservative and Reform communities.

Tallit (a prayer shawl) - A tallit (Hebrew: תילִּ ַט ) (taleth or talet in Sephardic Hebrew and Ladino)

(tallis, in Ashkenazic Hebrew and Yiddish) pl. tallitot (talleisim, tallism, or tallithim in Ashkenazic

Hebrew and Yiddish) is a Jewish prayer shawl. A tallit is worn during the morning prayers (Shacharit)

on weekdays, Shabbat and holidays. The tallit has special twined and knotted fringes known as tzitzit

attached to its four corners. The tallit can be made of any materials except a mixture of wool and linen

( shatnez ) interwoven which is strictly prohibited by the Torah. Most traditional tallitot are made of 

wool.

Tefillin (2 leather box with long leather straps attached) - sometimes transliterated as tefilin),

(Hebrew: ןיליפת), pronounced / tf ˈ ɪlɨn/ in Askhenazic Hebrew and English, [tfi lin] in Israeli Hebrew, alsoˈ  

called phylacteries (pronounced /f ɪ læktəriz/, from Ancient Greek phylacterion, form of phylássein,ˈ  

φυλάσσειν meaning "to guard, protect"), are a set of small cubic leather boxes painted black,

containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah, with leather straps dyed black

on one side, and worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers.