I learned a lot of facts about Judaism that I didn't know before. I didn't know that we (Christians and Jews) maintain the same Bible (the Old Testament) but interpret certain events differently, like Adam and Eve. “In Judaism, every human being is free to choose good or evil because everyone stands before God in the same relationship as Adam and Eve” (Esposito 77). I didn't know that Judaism didn't believe in "original sin." I didn't know that the Jews didn't believe that Christ rose from the dead. I found it interesting how Jews have divided into distinct groups – Reform Jews, who believe that Judaism is a cultural heritage and that neither laws nor beliefs are necessary. Conservative Jews, who believe in strict obedience to most laws, but this belief in God is not the issue. Orthodox Jews, who believe in reading the Torah literally and strictly obeying the laws. Finally, there are ultra-Orthodox Jews, a radical group, who have attempted to separate themselves from the non-Jewish, secular world because they refuse to compromise with modernity. “In the eyes of the ultra-Orthodox, their secular, Reform, and Conservative brethren are not really Jewish, and Orthodox Jews are not orthodox enough” (Esposito 80). I found it amazing how the world was trying to get rid of the Jews, but in doing so it was helping them survive by keeping them united. “Jews were forced to live in segregated neighborhoods called ghettos” (Esposito 106). I was also unaware of the horrible past that the Jews had endured. I knew about the Holocaust but was unaware of other atrocious historical events that blighted their lives, such as the Crusades where Jews were forced to...... middle of paper ...... striking reminder of the early hostility of Christianity towards Islam” (Esposito 256-257). I found it even more distressing that the story of Christian deception has not ended. Muslims remember hearing about freedom and independence, but in reality, “…it was an independence of artificial creations” (Esposito 266). No one was really concerned about their independence as much as control of their oil. Muslims are also unable to forget “…the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, now often called the Six Day War” where “the Arabs experienced a massive loss of territory…” (Esposito 267). The history of these events amazes me. three religions and how completely ignorant most people are about the three religions. How can we be expected to be tolerant of each other and our differences if we do not fully understand and appreciate each other's stories??