alright. let's back up a lil scootch.
the laws her friend was referring to are specific about a Temple cult from a few thousand years ago. one of the biggest precepts of the religion was an emphasis on separation between things, which still holds true in Judaism today. For example, observant Jews light candles before and sometimes after holidays to signify a separation, separate meat and dairy dishes (let's not even get into that one
), and behave differently on certain days due to holiday customs. Some also refrain from wearing clothing made of multiple fabrics and a few other things. We're an old religion and have had a lot of time to make rules.
an important thing to watch for in this discussion is the use of they. We have a saying;
"two Jews three opinions." Besides the increasing number of religious sects, there is an incredible number of viewpoints. We are not a they. We can barely stand each other sometimes, though we all ostensibly worship the same deity. Added on to that is the fact that we all follow different rabbis who spend a lot of time thinking about how we can live potentially fuller lives. I'm sorry to say that I doubt there are any texts at present on the legality of snake interbreeding.
As to Jews having conservative views on integration and homosexuality, doesn't every religious community have such members among its ranks? Though I dislike and cannot find it in myself to respect such opinions, I can't deny that they exist.
A note on language of houses of worship. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews will often refer to their houses of worship as temples, while the more religious will say synagogue, beit knesset (house of gathering), or shul/shtebl. This is not the same as the Temple, which was the center of Jewish religious/cultural life until it was destroyed twice.
hope that clears some things up and doesn't ruffle any feathers/scales.