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What did you think of this pop quiz about Judiasm and Jews?

How did you do on my multiple choice quiz?

From the lens Quiz: Judaism facts and Jewish religion trivia.

This quiz takes into account all kinds of Jews: religious ones, go to Sjul only once a year ones, and even non-religious ones. The questions are based on that social reality.

If you wish to discuss the answers - which you're welcome to do - you can do so below.

This is not a quiz for experts, so on some questions the answers do NOT take into account distinctions between the Abrahamic Faith and Judaism, for instance.

And yes, one or two questions are subjective. I hope you had fun anyhow!

  • Tipi May 26, 2012 @ 11:34 am | delete
    Your balanced approach reveals more hours of study than I can imagine and I love how your careful respect is so evident as you honor Judaism here so very well. 60%, I always walk away with something learned from you and you teach out of an excellent spirit.
  • compugraphd May 23, 2012 @ 11:39 am | delete
    B"H

    I have returned -- even better than before :-)
    Thanks!
  • siobhanryan Apr 24, 2012 @ 7:37 pm | delete
    Average
  • Aquavel Mar 1, 2012 @ 7:28 am | delete
    Great lens! Missed #4. I always figured that if a person was born Jewish and later rejected God, that they would be an Atheist and I wouldn't consider them Jewish any longer, though i may say they had "Jewish roots." ~ Ram Dass, whose original name was Richard Alpert, was born Jewish but I consider to him Buddhist. Then again I'm not very traditional.
  • spirituality Mar 1, 2012 @ 9:35 am | delete
    Whoever said you can't be a Buddhist and a Jew at the same time? Personally I figured Ram Dass as more of a western Hindu if there is such a thing...
  • Aquavel Mar 1, 2012 @ 10:05 am | delete
    "A western Hindu" is a good descriptive name. :)
  • WilliamPower Feb 29, 2012 @ 12:06 am | delete
    I had fun but didn't do too well.
  • Joie Nov 26, 2011 @ 2:04 pm | delete
    Excellent. You got me busy doing my research!
  • Odelya Nov 24, 2011 @ 6:24 pm | delete
    Great lens, very interesting tp see how you look at things from another point of view.
  • food_monkey Oct 30, 2011 @ 9:54 pm | delete
    fun lens! I only got a 5/10 but learned something :)
  • Shadrosky Oct 18, 2011 @ 8:50 pm | delete
    I got a 6/10, but I think I could have done better :/
  • SaintFrantic Oct 16, 2011 @ 5:19 am | delete
    Great religious quiz.We need to know more about history of the religions.
  • goo2eyes Oct 13, 2011 @ 2:51 pm | delete
    purim was when the jews fought against the persians and won
  • compugraphd Sep 7, 2011 @ 8:57 am | delete
    ב"ה

    One more thing, the destruction of the Temple (at least the more recent time) was in 70 of the common era (CE) NOT before the common era (BCE) as you state in the poll. (And, it's the Holocaust per se, not WWII. :-)
  • spirituality Sep 7, 2011 @ 11:43 am | delete
    I stand corrected :)
  • jc91583 Aug 25, 2011 @ 11:01 am | delete
    I enjoyed the quiz. I did not do so well but I learned which is even better! Thanks.
  • compugraphd Aug 1, 2011 @ 7:08 pm | delete
    ב"ה

    I guess there're a few things I disagree with on your quiz -- most important is subjective (a case could be made for just about all the holidays.... this time through I chose Passover, it's the holiday that commemorates our becoming a nation. People who have separate kitchens usually do because they are extra strict, not because they have more money (I know plenty of people with lots of money who don't have milchig (dairy) and fleishig (meat) kitchens. So it's both money and strictness (or laziness, I suppose). And a semantic note, most means more than 50%. I don't think there's any one country where more than 50% of Jews live. But there is a plurality, as of 2010, in Israel (42.5% -- almost 1/2 a million more than the US)..... I'm not surprised -- a lot of my friends are moving to Israel.....
  • spirituality Aug 2, 2011 @ 4:14 am | delete
    Most according to an online dictionary is: "in the greatest quantity, amount, measure, degree, or number: to win the most votes.
    2. in the majority of instances: Most operations are successful.
    3. greatest, as in size or extent: the most talent."

    I am using 'most' in the first meaning, I guess you use it in the second. Since there is no answer that fits the second, using the first is definitely good English, IMO.
  • compugraphd Sep 7, 2011 @ 8:54 am | delete
    ב"ה

    And, as of the 2010 numbers, Israel has supplanted the US as the place where more Jews live (than any other one country). So, I think you should update your answer. :-)
  • spirituality Sep 7, 2011 @ 11:43 am | delete
    Thanks. I just did.
  • Tolovaj Jul 27, 2011 @ 11:56 am | delete
    I like quizzes because they warm brains up. Thanks!
  • pimbels Jun 14, 2011 @ 8:07 am | delete
    I enjoyed this quiz very much and learned new things.Great lens, thank you.
  • ben186422 May 29, 2011 @ 2:02 pm | delete
    Didn't do good on the quiz. Only 2 right.
  • AMan4AllSaisons May 18, 2011 @ 10:26 pm | delete
    Great lens, 9 out of 10 on the quiz, you tripped me up on the most important holiday, but I do see your reasoning.
  • karitina May 15, 2011 @ 6:46 pm | delete
    Congratulations this is the best lens I've seen, Shalom
  • resabi Feb 21, 2011 @ 3:54 am | delete
    You did a nice job on this quiz and the questions have given rise to some discussion and debate -- which is the essence of Judaism, after all. Endless discussion... Angels on the head of a pin (but Squid Angels need a little more room!)
  • Lemming13 Feb 15, 2011 @ 1:56 pm | delete
    Very interesting
  • compugraphd Jan 14, 2011 @ 3:22 pm | delete
    ב"ה

    Holland actually was a colony of Spain's in the 15th or 16th century. Many of Converso (Jews forced to convert to Christianity who maintained their Judaism in private/underground -- literally underground) families had relatives living openly as Jews in Holland.
  • spirituality Jan 15, 2011 @ 1:09 am | delete
    :) I knew that, but my readers probably don't, so thanks.
  • rwoman Dec 15, 2010 @ 7:37 am | delete
    My head already hurts this morning and I just can't face a quiz but I'll come back later when I feel better!
  • Margo_Arrowsmith Dec 15, 2010 @ 5:59 am | delete
    Nice lens. Am I confused or isn't the Netherlands when the Nazis made the Jews where yellow Stars of David, the royal family and then most citizens who weren't Jewish did it also?
  • spirituality Dec 15, 2010 @ 2:00 pm | delete
    I think that was Sweden. In the Netherlands unfortunately the people were so law abiding that the Dutch government officials helped the Germans ship Jews off to the camps. Quite a few Jews met their end without ever meeting a German on the way to the gas chambers.

    Culturally speaking the Dutch are almost German. We're a bit more rebellious, but combine it with such a respect for laws that we make agreements on how to break them (which is why we have laws about abortion, squatting, soft drugs etc.). Even our economies are interwoven: when the Germans are on the up, so are we (like right now). When the Germans are down, so are we. And of course our tax policies and how government funding is defined is also very similar.

    Now - didn't that take me far from Judaism? Anyhow, of course there were Dutch people who stood up to the Germans by resisting them. However, it was done underground, not in their faces.

    There is a reason the Anne Frank story ends in her death.
  • Senora_M Nov 28, 2010 @ 10:26 pm | delete
    did not do so well. do not know much about jewish people.
  • tssfacts Oct 29, 2010 @ 8:55 am | delete
    I did fair and I disagree with some of the answers too. But I am not Jewish but have several Jewish friends. Oh well it was a fun quiz.
  • MarkUpshaw Oct 18, 2010 @ 9:42 pm | delete
    I always thought that the Sabbath was the most important holiday for Jews. The day was so sacred that it had to be observed once a week. The precedent of the most common observance being the most sacred. Good lens, I like it.
  • Stazjia Oct 16, 2010 @ 8:20 am | delete
    I thought it was a good quiz and I enjoyed doing it.
  • PaulHassing Oct 16, 2010 @ 1:14 am | delete
    Fail! If jews can get away with not believing in god, what chance have I got of getting this right?! Many thanks for another fascinating quiz. :)
  • Swisstoons Oct 13, 2010 @ 2:28 pm | delete
    I got 70%. I would disagree with a couple of answers, too. But since I am not Jewish, I would have to defer to those who are. Thumbs up for all the great links you've provided!
  • Robbert_Veen Oct 9, 2010 @ 7:10 pm | delete
    Nice quizz. But judaism - originating in the return out of the Babylonian exile under Ezra - is not the same as "Abrahamic faith" that you could see as the origin of "Israel", the question about Judaism originating in Mesopotamia is therefore simply wrong. But nice overall anyway!
  • spirituality Oct 15, 2010 @ 11:22 pm | delete
    The questions here aren't meant for theologians or experts of Jewish history. Even (religious) Jews would not accept a difference between the 'Abrahamic Faith' and Judaism, so I'm certainly not using that sort of terminology here.
  • The_Afrikan Oct 6, 2010 @ 4:17 pm | delete
    oh wow- i only got 5/10 :O
    thought i'd do better (i got most of the historical ones right though).
  • Jew Oct 3, 2010 @ 8:37 pm | delete
    This quiz is no good. Reasons:

    1. The answer isn't Saturday, it's Shabbat.
    3. Most implies a majority. There is no country where the majority of Jews live.
    5. Show me where it says that's the most important event.
    9. Show me where it says that about Yom Kippur. It could be considered Purim, after all Yom Hakippurim is only "like Purim"
  • spirituality Oct 4, 2010 @ 2:36 am | delete
    This multiple choice quiz isn't just for Jews, so I can't use Jewish words in the answers.
    1) Shabbat is not a day of the week. Shabbat is (mostly) Friday, so that's why that's the correct answer.

    3) No, the question does not mention majorities - if it did, the answer would be Israel. The question is where, in absolute numbers, is there the largest number of Jews.

    5) The destruction of the Temple is the most important event, because before that it was the center of Judaism.

    9) Any question about 'what's most important' can be contested. However one source on the most important holiday being Yom Kippur is this one: http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday4.htm
    It's most important in the sense that the largest percentage of Jews celebrate it.
  • dk Oct 4, 2010 @ 3:24 am | delete
    1. shabbat is mostly [all day] saturday, and friday night.
    5. as i mentioned in another post, the most significant event in jewish history would be the destruction of the temple for religious jews, the foundation of the state of israel for most israelis, and the holocaust for most secular jews.
    9. yom kippur is simply not the most important holiday in judaism. your quiz is wholly incorrect. yom kippur gets the most synagogue turn out in the states and the most PR but religiously it does not come close in significance to the three pilgrimage festivals in judaism: pesach, shavuot, and sukkot.
    i'd suggest that you review your research and rewrite this quiz because it's simply offensive in its inaccuracy.
  • spirituality Oct 17, 2010 @ 2:51 am | delete
    I'm not going to either rewrite or delete this quiz. However, you don't have to worry about people not realizing there are possibly differences of opinion about some of the questions, as your comment here will stay on the page. Also, if people want to learn more, they always can.
  • Robbert_Veen Oct 9, 2010 @ 7:13 pm | delete
    No it isn't! Shabbat starts Friday evening at sunset, but it is mostly Saturday. let's say this week it starts at 7.30, that's 4,5 hours till saturday begins - and then it's Saturday up to 7.30 PM = 19,5 hours. Therefore Shabbat = Saturday, not Friday!
  • dk Sep 23, 2010 @ 2:36 am | delete
    overall a very poorly written quiz.

    the question about the most important jewish holiday is simply incorrect. the most correct answer would be passover. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalosh_regalim

    and if your quiz considers the reality of cultural jews, jews that do not believe in god, then the question of the most important historical event for jews would also be subjective. israelis might consider it to be the establishment of israel, religious jews would vote for the destruction of the temple, and many diaspora jews consider it to be the holocaust.
  • Pukeko Sep 11, 2010 @ 5:22 am | delete
    Great quiz on Judaism. I would have thought I would have done better than 6 out of 10. Funny thing is my dad just told me that he bought me that book last week.
  • laura larson May 21, 2010 @ 6:04 pm | delete
    I got a 9 out of 10!!! I love quizzes, and as a Jew, it was neat...I was looking for Jewish Trivia for a game for my Religious School class....food for though!!! I missed the question about how many Jews there are in the world...uuuuggghhhh...
  • eddiespotty Mar 7, 2010 @ 6:28 am | delete
    hullo that question about Jews not always believing in God ..... The question is wrong cause they always believe in God
  • spirituality Mar 9, 2010 @ 2:33 am | delete
    That's precisely why the question is there - because many people believe that. The fact is: what makes a religious Jew is Jewish ritual practice. What makes an ethnic Jew is having a Jewish mother.

    Sure, many Jews believe in God, probably the majority. But there are certainly people who are Jewish who do NOT believe in God.
  • jessicasimko May 5, 2010 @ 10:09 am | delete
    I only got half of them right and I am Jewish. OY. lol About that question about believing in God... that's a tricky one because one can "be" Jewish and not believe in God but the question was "people who consider themselves Jewish" and I would say if you consider yourself Jewish you believe in God. If you did not believe in God, why would you consider yourself Jewish? 'Being' Jewish and 'considering' yourself Jewish are two different things (in my opinion). I am Jewish and I believe in God, if I didn't I would still 'be' Jewish by the fact that my mother is Jewish but I would consider myself an atheist.

    Great quiz!
  • spirituality May 6, 2010 @ 2:44 am | delete
    Maybe you wouldn't, but when I was studying Judaism as part of my general World Religions studies, I met a lady who was an atheist and DID consider herself a Jew too.
  • spirituality Oct 16, 2010 @ 6:54 am | delete
    Traditionally Jewish scholars who did all the Jewish rituals, but did not believe in God, were considered perfectly Jewish by their peers.

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