what do jewish people believe about the afterlife?

Answer 1

Judaism is about what we DO in this life, not about what we believe. Because Jews have total intellectual freedom, there is no common belief about the afterlife. You can read some opinions here.
http://www.jewfaq.org/olamhaba.htm#Resurrection

BTW, it's okay to call us Jews.
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Answer 2

The majority of rabbinic thought maintains that
people are not tortured in hell forever; the longest that one can be there is said to be 12 months. It is a spiritual forge where the soul is purified for its eventual ascent to Gan Eden [Heaven], and where all imperfections are purged.

Gehenna (or gehenom or gehinom (גהינום)) is the Jewish hell or purgatory. In Judaism hell is a place of purification and fire for the wicked, most being punished there up to a year but some for eternity.

Gehinom (Gehenna), according to rabbinic literature, is a place or state where the wicked are temporarily punished after death. “Gehenna” is sometimes translated as "hell", but the Christian view of hell differs from the Jewish view of Gehenna. Most sinners are said to suffer in Gehenna no longer than twelve months. Those who are too wicked to reach paradise are sometimes said to be punished forever. Other accounts reject the idea that a merciful God would punish anyone forever, in which case those too wicked for purification are destroyed.

Answer 3

The spiritual afterlife is referred to in Hebrew as Olam Ha-Ba (oh-LAHM hah-BAH), the World to Come, although this term is also used to refer to the messianic age. The Olam Ha-Ba is another, higher state of being.

In the Mishnah, one rabbi says, "This world is like a lobby before the Olam Ha-Ba. Prepare yourself in the lobby so that you may enter the banquet hall." Similarly, the Talmud says, "This world is like the eve of Shabbat, and the Olam Ha-Ba is like Shabbat. He who prepares on the eve of Shabbat will have food to eat on Shabbat." We prepare ourselves for the Olam Ha-Ba through Torah study and good deeds.

The Talmud states that all Israel has a share in the Olam Ha-Ba. However, not all "shares" are equal. A particularly righteous person will have a greater share in the Olam Ha-Ba than the average person. In addition, a person can lose his share through wicked actions. There are many statements in the Talmud that a particular mitzvah will guarantee a person a place in the Olam Ha-Ba, or that a particular sin will lose a person's share in the Olam Ha-Ba, but these are generally regarded as hyperbole, excessive expressions of approval or disapproval.

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Here are some reading sources

http://members.tripod.com/lastdayscalendar/annihilation_or_torment_.htm
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/web/handbook/s_faq.html
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/06-Jewish-Thought/section-9.html

Answer 4

my in laws are jewish but we don't really discuss religion. it seems like i heard something like they believe we sort of go to sleep or don't feel anything, and when the messiah comes all the dead will be raised up, or something. i could be confusing some of it with christian beliefs because my family is mostly christian.

Answer 5

that's pretty complex and discussed at length in jewish rabbinic literature. bets bet would be to send you a link to a proper website

http://www.jewfaq.org/olamhaba.htm

Answer 6

The same as Christians; a Heaven and a Hell.