The Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple - 1328 Words

On October 29, 2016, I visited the Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple which offers services regarding the religion of Judaism. Although I don’t identify as religious, I was originally raised as Roman Catholic, even going to a private catholic elementary school. I’ve always had somewhat of an interest in Judaism as it’s believed to be among one of the oldest existing religions in the world along with Hinduism. The service I visited is referred to as the â€Å"Shabbat Morning Service†, which took place from 11:00 AM-12:15 PM. The word â€Å"Shabbat† is Hebrew which is one of the primary languages associated with Judaism. In English, it translates to â€Å"Sabbath† which is primarily a day of religious observance and rest which is kept by those that practice Judaism, also known as Jews, from Friday evening to Saturday evening. Jews believe that God is the creator of all that exists and he alone is to be worshipped. They also believe that Jesus did no t fulfill messianic prophecies that establish the criteria for the coming of the messiah. The congregation is led by a rabbi who is a Jewish teacher or scholar and usually they are joined by a cantor who sings liturgical music and sometimes leads in prayer. Attendants read and sing from a prayer book throughout the service at the prompting of the rabbi and cantor. Male attendants are prompted to wear kippahs at services although they are technically optional. Generally, at Shabbat services, there is a partition between men and women in that men sit on