Jewish History

Jewish History

Throughout the history of the world, the Jewish people have been persecuted and oppressed because of their religious beliefs and faith. Many groups of people have made Jews their scapegoat. Jews have suffered from years of intolerance because people have not understood what the religion really means. They do not understand where and why the religion began, nor the customs of it's people. For one to understand the great hardships, triumphs, and history of the Jewish people one must open-mindedly peruse a greater knowledge of the Jewish people and faith.

In the beginning, Judaism was founded by Abraham when he began to worship a figure called "Elohim." There were twelve original tribes that were enslaved for several generations in Egypt. In Egypt the Jews were persecuted and sold into slavery. It was not until Moses, a Hebrew adopted by the pharaoh, realized his duty to release his people from their oppression. He eventually led the people from Egypt into the desert where they wandered for 40 years (Encyclopedia Britannica 6).

Israel began as a confederation of tribes, then as a kingdom and celebrated as its formative experiences the redemption from Egyptian bondage. The notion of an independent Jewish confederation of tribes started as a kingdom that was to celebrate its freedom from Egyptian bondage. The settlement of the land Cannon, the future sight of the land Israel, is a perfect example portraying such a redemption. According to the Exodus tradition in the torah and the conquest tradition in the bible this coarse of events appears to have taken place during the late 13th century BCE and perhaps to the beginning of the 12th century (Microsoft Encarta 3).

The exile of the Judeans to Babylonia ...

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...m (B'nei Shaare Zion Congregation 2).

Competing philosophies, outside political forces, and geographic isolation are among the most obvious of the dividing forces. Every religion has many pieces, but as long as there are a few constants (such as the birthplace, the language, and the literature) it is possible to view the whole as a single force and still acknowledge variations that will inevitably spring-up.

The Jews have suffered great adversity and this adversity continues to plague them today. The fight for freedom against religious persecution and the ability to practice their beliefs are three factors that have been incredibly apparent as hardships to the Jews since the core of their existence. Comprehension of the Jewish faith will never be reached, unless people take into account the blatantly obvious: understanding the past is understanding the future.