Nevets and ChabadRabbi would be your best bets here. they are both Jewish and very knowledgeable about historical and modern Judaism. Basically, Judaism is the religion revealed to Abraham (c 2000BC). The story begins, however, with the Creation of the world, and a Covenant (Treaty/Promise/Testament ) between Adam and Eve, as the first representatives of humanity. They rebelled against God, however, and so God put in a rescue plan for humans, that would be progressively revealed throughout the Old Testament. The next most important step was then when God told Abraham to leave his home in modern Iraq and go to the land of Canaan (Israel), with the promises of descendants, a land, fame and all the earth being blessed through him. This is what is called The ABrahamic Covenant. The descendants of Abraham went into slavery in Egypt for 400 years before returning under Moses and founding Israel. God gave them the 10 commandments (Exodus 20) to tell them what he expected of them as his people, having saved them from Egypt. This is called the Mosaic Covenant, which is an extension of the ABrahamic one. The rest of the Old Testament deals with the outplaying of the covenant between Israel and God, how Israel constantly rebelled, but God was gracious and forgave them, promising, in the end, to send the Messiah or Anointed One, to restore the relationship between the whole of humankind and its Creator. That is the theological background of Judaism. I will let those much more qualified talk of the ceremonial life of the Jewish people.

When you say "Hyperlinks permitted but not wanted." you make my job much more difficult. You see, Judaism is complicated - I am not sure where to start. I am going to provide you with some core information (with sources), please leave me a comment and I will add to my answer accordingly. :-) ----- Unlike Christianity and Islam, Judaism has no official creed or universal doctrinal requirements for membership. In general, a person can be considered "Jewish" whether he adheres to a complete system of beliefs about God and the afterlife, holds only a few simple beliefs that give meaning to ritual, or even (at least in liberal Judaism) does not believe in God at all. This diversity in Jewish belief arises in part because actions (good deeds and the mitzvot), not beliefs, are the most important aspect of Jewish religious life. In addition, the term "Jewish" can be used to describe a ethnicity and a culture rather than a religion, so some who identify themselves as Jewish may have little interest in the beliefs and practices associated with the religion of Judaism. Nevertheless, the Torah and Talmud have a great deal to say about God, humanity, and the meaning of life, and Jewish history has seen significant theological and mystical inquiry into religious concepts. These beliefs are of great significance not only for Judaism itself, but also for their strong influence on Christianity and Islam, the two largest religions in the world. # http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/beliefs.htm The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rambam's thirteen principles of faith. Rambam's thirteen principles of faith, which he thought were the minimum requirements of Jewish belief, are: 1. G-d exists 2. G-d is one and unique 3. G-d is incorporeal 4. G-d is eternal 5. Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other 6. The words of the prophets are true 7. Moses's prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets 8. The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses 9. There will be no other Torah 10. G-d knows the thoughts and deeds of men 11. G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked 12. The Messiah will come 13. The dead will be resurrected (The afterlife.) # http://www.jewfaq.org/beliefs.htm If you would like a detailed answer I can provide you with a range of resources to help you explore Judaism and gain an understanding for what Judaism is in practise.