History of Israel

Abraham Abraham is known as the father of the Jews Around 1700 B.C. he was born in Ur in Mesopotamia (Along the Euphrates in modern day Iraq). According to the Torah he made a covenant with God that he and the Hebrew people to worship only one God (Yahweh). He left Mesopotamia and settled in Canaan because he believed God promised the Hebrews that land.

First Temple Somewhere are 1000-900 BC King Saul built a temple and dedicated to the Jewish people. Later the Babylonians took control of the area and in 586 B.C. they destroyed the Jewish temple. Many Jews were forced to leave this area and this would become known as the 1st Diaspora. The Hebrews later gained control back around 167 B.C.

2nd Diaspora When the Hebrews gained back control of the land they rebuilt the temple. The Romans would come in and take control over the land. Around 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed the 2nd temple. Many Jews were forced to flee and wound up in different parts of the world. This became known as the 2nd Diaspora. A small piece of the temple remained it would continue to be a place of significance for the Jews even today.

Anti-Semitism Many Jews had found their way into Europe. During the 1800’s Anti-Semitism (hostility or prejudice against Jews) started to take hold throughout Europe. Because Germans seemed the most tolerant of the Jews many would settle in Germany in the 1800’s.

Zionism During the 1800’s a political movement began called Zionism. A man named Theodore Herzl called for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine (Zionism). Jews figured that having a homeland would give them a way to avoid persecution. Theodore Herzl

The Holocaust After WWI Germany was suffering economically. A man named Adolf Hitler rose to power and blamed the Jews for what was going wrong with Germany. Hitler began rounding up Jews throughout Europe and placing them in concentration camps. At the end of the war it was discovered that 12 million people were killed in these concentration camps and 6 million of them were Jews.

The Creation of Israel During the Holocaust people starting settling in Palestine to escape persecution. Palestine is the modern day country of Israel At the time Great Britain controlled Palestine and tried to partition Palestine into 2 countries; one part of Jews and one for the Palestinian Muslims that lived there. The Muslims rejected the idea. The British then handed over Palestine to the U.N to oversee. On May 15, 1948 Israel was declared a country and the U.N. formally recognized their right to exist.