The four most important stages in Jewish life are birth, reaching adulthood, marriage and death. Each stage is marked by a religious ceremony, such as a naming ceremony for a baby. These ceremonies are an opportunity for people to share their happiness or sorrow. They help Jews to feel part of a wider, caring community. Some of the ceremonies are still carried out exactly the same way as when they were first described in the Torah, the holy book of Jews.

Circumcision and Naming: Boys are circumcised when they are eight days old. This is a reminder of the convenant Abraham made with the God. Boys are also given their Jewish names at this time. A girl may be named at birth by her father in the synagouge, or at a baby-naming ceremony.

Jewish names: Jews have a first name and a surname but they also have a Jewish name. This is made up of their own first name, followed by ‘ben’( which means ’son of’) or ‘bat’( which means ‘daughter of’), and then their parent’s first name. So a boy called David whose father is Aaron and mother is Ruth might be called David ben Aaron or David ben Ruth or David ben Aoron and Ruth.

Bar Mitzvah: Boys become Bar Mitzvah at the age of thirteen. This means that they take on the duties of a Jewish adult. One of these duties is to wear tefillin- small boxed containing the shema prayer and words from the Torah. Many Jews celebrate Bar Mitzvah by calling the boys up to read from the Torah on Shabbat morning for the first time.

Bat Mitzvah: Girls become Bat Mitzvah when they are 12 or 13. Progressive Jews may celebrate by allowing the girl to rad from the Torah.

Marriage: The marriages take place in synagogue. The bride and groom stand under a canopy- the Chuppah-which is a symbol for their new home. Later the groom breaks the glass. This symbolizes the destruction of the two temples in Jerusalem.

Death and Mourning: The bodies of Orthodox Jews are always buried. Some progressive Jewish communities allow cremation. The family of the dead person spends seven days in the mourning, and people visit to comfort them. A candle is lit and prayers are said on the anniversary of the death, every year.