The History and Hardships of the Jewish People

Since the beginning of the Judaism, the Jewish people have been subject to hardships and discrimination. They have not been allowed to have a stabile place of worship and have also faced persecution and atrocities that most of us can not even imagine. Three events that have had a big impact on the Jewish faith were the building and destruction of the First Great Temple, the Second Great Temple and the events of the Holocaust. In this paper, I will discuss these three events and also explain and give examples as to why I feel that the Jewish people have always been discriminated against and not allowed the freedom of worship.

King David secured the beginnings of a prosperous Israelite empire; he made Jerusalem its capital and brought the Ark of the Covenant there with the hopes of building the First Great Temple for his people. However, it would be his son, King Solomon who would be the one to accomplish this. The Great Temple housed the Ark of the Covenant and also had places to make offerings. Having been nomadic, this temple finally gave the Israelites a stabile place to worship. In fact, the text World Religions by Mary Pat Fisher says that the Israelites looked at this Great Temple as “a central stationary place where God would be most present to them” (Fisher 250). This Temple was a beacon of hope and a place to go where they knew that they would be closer to God.

However, this place of worship was not meant to last for the Israelites. In 586 BCE, the Babylonians led by King Nebuchadnezzar II, captured Jerusalem and set fire to the Great Temple. The Temple wasn’t the only thing destroyed. According to the article, Babylonian Exile written by Jeffrey Spitzer, “the palace and all of the houses of Jerusalem were burnt, the w...

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...ve no more hard times and will be able to worship how and where they want.

References

Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2011.

Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial. "Introduction to the Holocaust." 6 January 2011. United Sates Holocaust Memorial Museum. 19 February 2011 .

Ryback, Timothy. "Forensic evidence of the Holocaust must be preserved." 7 July 2004. Wall Street Journal. 20 February 2011 .

Sourcebook, Discovery Seminar. "Mystical Secret of the Western Wall." 3 November 2002. aish.com. 19 February 2011 .

Spitzer, Jeffrey. "Babylonian Exile." My Jewish Learning. 18 February 2011 .

Weber, Mark. "Is the Holocaust a Hoax." Bible Believers. 19 February 2011 .