Judaism
Category: Other
Updated: 2 Oct 2017
done by Noel
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Created byNoel Avendanio
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Events
(c. 1813 BCE)
Abraham is born.
Abraham is born around 1813 BCE. According to
the first five books of the Bible, God chooses
Abraham to be the father of Isaac, the founder
of the Jewish people. This people will be special
to God, as well as an example of holiness to
others around the world.(c. 1713 BCE)
Abraham forms the first covenant with God.
Around 1713 BCE, Abraham circumcises himself,
and this act symbolizes the covenant between
God and all his descendants. Under this
covenant, God promises to make Abraham the
father of a great nation, and to give his
descendants the land that later becomes Israel.
This is the basis for male circumcision in the
Jewish faith.(c. 1280 BCE)
Moses leads the Jews on an exodus from Egypt.
For several hundred years, the Jews are
enslaved in Egypt. Moses, a Jewish man raised
as an Egyptian prince, is appointed God's
prophet. Around 1280 BCE he leads his people
out of enslavement on a journey to Canaan
known as the Exodus. During this time, Moses
presents the Israelites with the Ten
Commandments and forms a new covenant
with God, which lays the foundation for the
Jewish religion.(c. 970 BCE)
King Solomon constructs the First Temple.
King Solomon of Israel builds his crowning
achievement, the First Temple, on Mount
Moriah around 970 BCE. This temple houses the
Ark of the Covenant, a holy relic that contains
the Ten Commandments. Several hundred years
later, the temple is destroyed by the
Babylonians.(c. 920 BCE)
Israel splits into two kingdoms.
When King Solomon dies around 920 BCE,
northern tribes revolt, and the land of the
Hebrews splits into two kingdoms: the kingdom
of Israel in the north, and the kingdom of Judah
in the south. They remain separate for over two
hundred years, and the Hebrews begin to
splinter into smaller groups.(c. 722 BCE)
The Assyrians conquer Israel and launch the Jewish diaspora.
Around 722 BCE, the Assyrians conquer the
kingdom of Israel and force the ten tribes to
resettle in other parts of the empire, according
to Assyrian custom. The scattering of the tribes
is the beginning of the Jewish diaspora, or living
away from Israel, which characterizes much of
Jewish history. Later the Babylonians relocate
the Judeans, as well.(164 BCE)
The Maccabees regain control of Jerusalem and purify the Temple.
Alexander the Great's successors launch a
campaign of Hellenization in Israel, and they
erect a statue of Zeus in the second Temple of
Jerusalem and outlaw Jewish observances. The
Jews revolt, led by a group known as the
Maccabees, and in 164 BCE they regain control
of Jerusalem and purify the Temple. This event
forms the basis of the celebration of Hannukah.(66 CE)
The Jews revolt against Roman rule.
In 66 CE the Jews launch the Great Revolt
against their Roman rulers. The Jews rebel in
response to years of cruelty by Roman rulers,
and the revolt culminates in a siege of
Jerusalem. In 70 the Romans breach the walls of
Jerusalem and kill an estimated one million Jews
as they reassert authority.(c. 200)
The Mishna is compiled and codified.
Because of these tragedies, Jewish academics
focus on compiling and codifying the teachings
of the Rabbis. Around 200, the Mishna, or a
collection of rabbinic teachings, sayings, and
interpretations, is compiled. Soon after the
Talmud, an expansion of the Mishna teachings,
is compiled in Palestine and later updated in
Babylon.(1096)
Europeans massacre Jews in the First Crusade.
After enjoying a golden age in European cities,
the Jews' fortune reverses. In 1096 members of
the First Crusade, which attempts to purge
Christian landmarks of heathens, massacre
Jewish citizens of European cities. This launches
centuries of pogroms against Jews in Europe.(1698)
Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov is born.
In 1698 Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov is born, and
he goes on to found Hasidism, perhaps the
single most important religious movement in
Jewish history. Hasidism emphasizes that by
paying close attention to the religious aspects of
everything a person does, anyone can grow
closer to God. However, it leads to divisions
within Judaism.(1839)
Abraham Geiger promotes Reform Judaism in Europe.
Reform Judaism begins to emerge in Europe in
the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as a
response to the major social and political
changes happening in Europe. In 1839 Abraham
Geiger joins a Breslau Jewish community and
eventually becomes one of Reform Judaism's
most staunch defenders. The movement
attempts to help Jews find a balance between
Jewish tradition and modern developments in
wider society.(August 29, 1897)
The First Zionist Congress convenes.
Theodore Herzl convenes the First Zionist
Congress on August 29, 1897, the first major
interterritorial gathering of Jews to discuss the
nascent Zionist movement. This movement
seeks to establish a Jewish nation in Palestine,
after centuries of Jews living away from Israel.(September 15, 1935)
The Nuremberg Laws begin to rescind Jewish rights in Germany.
Germany enacts the Nuremberg Laws on
September 15, 1935, the first of many anti-
Jewish statutes aiming to rescind Jewish rights.
This marks the beginning of a longer period of
Jewish persecution in Germany, culminating in
the Holocaust of the 1930s and 1940s. During
this period, over six million Jews are murdered
systematically by the Nazis.(May 14, 1948)
The state of Israel is created.
Partially in response to the tragedies of the
Holocaust, the state of Israel is created on May
14, 1948, when the United Nations partitions
land between the Jews and the Arabs. The
United States recognizes the new nation
immediately, and unrestricted Jewish
immigration is permitted to the new land.
Between 1948 and 1951, almost 700,000 Jews
immigrate to Israel.
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