day is spent in the synagogue. Jewish people also fast and are not permitted to work on this day (http://www.us-israel.org). Jewish Life Cycle RitualsThe first ritual to take place in Jewish life is the circumcision of a baby boy. This is observed as a universal procedure and is traditionally done when the baby is eight days old. The parents may have a traditional ceremony or sometimes just a small party to celebrate the childs birth and circumcision (Rosen, Weltman, 626). When a child is thirteen years old, they are called upon to make their bar or bat mitzvah which is held at a regular synagogue service. The child recites blessings over the Torah and establishes themselves as an adult worshiper. It is only more recently that girls have taken place in the ceremony, but they are still not given the same status as males (Rosen, Weltman, 627). Jewish tradition sees death as the ending of this life, not the beginning of another. The dead are buried within twenty-four hours and mourning does not begin until after the burial. A memorial prayer called kaddish is said daily for a year after burial of a parent or a spouse and on the anniversary of the death. The mourning period is marked by the unveiling or dedication of the tombstone. This occurs eleven months after death and the family meets at the cemetery to pay respect (Rosen, Weltman, 628). Jewish FoodKosher describes food, which is fit for traditional Jews to eat under their law of kashrut. There is a strict observation of these laws in the Torah (http://www.us-israel.org). The Fundamental RulesAlthough the details of kashrut are extensive, the laws all derive from a few fairly simple, straightforward rules: 1. Certain animals may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs and milk of the forbidden animals. Forbidden animals include anything that does not have cloven hooves and does not chew its cud: i.e. a camel, a pig, and a hare are all forbidden...
