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.