Jews are one of the oldest peoples in the world. The history of this people can be read both in the Bible and in extra-biblical sources. In addition, it is represented by many archaeological sites. We know much more about the Jewish people than about any other people on earth. In the following, we will briefly summarize the events of their history based on the information we have. Let's use the chronological axis to track the main milestones in the formation of the Israeli state (the Old Testament name for the Jews).

Abraham - the founder of the Jewish people

The events of Israeli history begin with. God gives him - numerous descendants will come from him. Abraham had a special encounter with God that ended with . This sacrifice became a sign pointing to Jesus Christ - Isaac was sacrificed in the very place where Jesus was crucified many centuries later. in green the chronological axis indicates the period during which the descendants of Isaac were in Egyptian slavery. The period of slavery began after Joseph, the grandson of Isaac, settled the Israelites in Egypt. For some time they were free, and then they became slaves.

The period of Egyptian slavery under the rule of the pharaoh

Moses: The Israelites Become a Nation by the Will of God

Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt after the tenth plague. Egypt was defeated, and the Israelites got the opportunity to go to the promised land. Before dying, Moses proclaimed ( yellow on the chronological line). If the Israelites obey God, they will be blessed by him, otherwise they will be cursed. Since then, blessings and curses have continued to be fulfilled in the history of the Jewish people.

For several centuries, the Israelites lived on their land

For several centuries the Israelites lived in their land without a king. At that time, Jerusalem was not yet the capital - this city belonged to another people. But with the coming of King David, around 1000 BC, everything changed.

Rule of the House of David in Jerusalem

David - the founder of a new royal dynasty in Jerusalem

Having conquered Jerusalem, David made it his capital. David was given, and since then the Jewish people have lived in expectation of the Messiah. David's son Solomon succeeded his father's throne and erected the first temple in Jerusalem. The descendants of King David ruled Israel for 400 years; on the chronological axis, this period is highlighted in blue (1000-600 BC). It was a time of prosperity for the people of Israel—the fulfillment of God's promised blessings. Israel was a strong nation, with its own culture, religion and temple. And yet, in the Old Testament, this time is described as a period of decline in morality and the birth of idolatry. Many prophets of that time warned the Israelites of the inevitable curses of Moses that would come upon their heads if they did not change. However, no one heeded the warnings.

The first expulsion of the Jews from the earth; Babylonian captivity

Finally, around 600 BC, the curses began to come true. Israel was attacked by Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty king of Babylon, just as Moses had predicted 900 years earlier. Here is the text of one of them:

The Lord will send a people against you from afar, from the ends of the earth… an impudent people who will not respect the old man and will not spare the young man… and will oppress you in all your dwellings, in all your land. (Deuteronomy 28:49-52)

Nebuchadnezzar burned Jerusalem to the ground and destroyed Solomon's temple. The Israelites themselves were transferred to Babylon and became captives there. Only the poor and needy remained in the city. Thus the prophecy of Moses was fulfilled:

…and you will be cast out of the land where you are going to possess it. And the Lord [your God] will scatter you among all nations, from the end of the earth to the end of the earth. (Deuteronomy 28:63-64)

Conquest and Babylonian captivity

For 70 years (this period is marked in red), the Israelites lived in Babylonian captivity, outside the earth,.

Return from captivity under the rule of the Persians

After some time, Babylon was conquered by the Persian king Cyrus, who became the most powerful ruler on earth. The Israelites returned to their land with his permission.

Israel within the Persian Empire

But Israel did not independent state; it remained a province within the Persian Empire. This period of history lasted 200 years; marked on the chronological line pink. Within two centuries, the Jerusalem temple (known as the second temple) and the city of Jerusalem itself were rebuilt.

Greece

When Alexander the Great conquered the Persians, Israel became a Greek province for the next 200 years. This period is marked in blue.

Israel under Greek rule

Rome

The Greek Empire fell at the hands of the Romans, who became the new rulers of the world. Israel became a province again great empire(this period is marked in pale yellow). During this period, the earthly life of Jesus falls. In the Gospel, as you remember, Roman soldiers are constantly mentioned - at that time, the Romans ruled Israel.

Israel within the Roman Empire

The second captivity of the Jews; power of Rome

Since the Babylonian captivity (600 BC), Israel (modern name - Jews) has never had territorial independence, in contrast to the period of the reign of David and his descendants. They have always been under the rule of other peoples. The Jews, of course, fiercely resisted and rebelled against Roman oppression. And, eventually, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem (70 AD), burned the second temple, and settled the locals throughout the Roman Empire as slaves. This is how it started second captivity of the Jews. The size of the Roman Empire was so great that the Jews were scattered throughout the world.

Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. AD Jews were settled throughout the empire

This is how the Jewish people lived for almost 2,000 years; they were scattered, lived in a foreign land and endured persecution. All this time they were brutally oppressed and persecuted. The persecution of the Jews was especially strong in Christian Europe. From Spain in Western Europe to Russia, the Jews had a very hard time, although they lived in Christian states. Curses of Moses recorded in 1500 BC, accurately describe their life in captivity:

But even among these nations you will not rest, and there will be no resting place for your foot, and the Lord will give you there a trembling heart, melting eyes and languishing soul (Deuteronomy 28:65)

They attacked the Israelites so that other nations would also ask the question:

And all the nations will say: why did the Lord do this to this land? what a great fury of His wrath!

“…and the Lord spewed them out of their land…and threw them into another land…” (Deuteronomy 29:24-25)

On the timeline, this period of 1900 years is shown in red.

Chronology including two periods of captivity

So, we see that in their history the Jewish people were twice in captivity, and the second captivity lasted much longer than the first.

20th century Holocaust

The apogee of the persecution of the Jews was the Holocaust under Hitler; with the support of Nazi Germany, he tried to exterminate all the Jews in Europe. And he almost succeeded. The Jews partly survived only because Hitler was defeated in the war.

The Restoration of Israel Today

The very fact that after so many wanderings there is still a people on earth who define themselves as Jews is truly amazing. But this is exactly what the last words of Moses, written about 3,500 years ago, foreshadow. In 1948, with the assistance of the UN, Israel was restored to its former territory, as Moses had predicted several millennia ago:

...then the Lord your God will bring back your captives and have mercy on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples among whom the Lord your God will scatter you. Even if you are scattered [from the end of the sky] to the end of the sky, and from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. (Deuteronomy 30:3-4)

It is noteworthy that the new state was created in spite of the fierce resistance of neighboring peoples. Israel was attacked in 1948, and in 1956, and in 1967, and in 1973. Often a tiny state had to fight simultaneously with five countries. But, be that as it may, Israel not only survived in this struggle, but also expanded its borders. In the 1967 war, the Jews took back Jerusalem, their historic capital founded by David 3,000 years ago. The creation of the State of Israel, as well as numerous wars around its independence, have caused a number of acute problems of our time.

The Jews are one of the most ancient peoples of the world, having known freedom and slavery, prosperity and poverty, national unity and dispersion throughout the world over 4 thousand years of their history. It is unlikely that we will find a country on the map where the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would never have lived. At all times, Jews protected their national shrines, kept the memory of the Promise and the Testament, and found a source of spiritual strength in their sacred books - the “portable homeland” of the Jews, in the words of Heinrich Heine.

History of the House of Israel

... Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will tell you. (Deuteronomy 32:7)

The Age of the Patriarchs

The ancestors of the Semitic peoples led a nomadic lifestyle. Not having their own, they wandered along with their families, property and herds through the territories of the Ancient East and from time to time camped near cities. Sometimes nomads settled for a long time and then, having enlisted the patronage of local kings, they acquired plots of land in the city suburbs. Probably Terah, the father of Abraham, the legendary Jewish patriarch, led such a semi-sedentary life.

In the second half of the II millennium BC. e. Semitic tribes were ousted from Upper Mesopotamia and joined the struggle for Canaan (Palestine). In the Bible, Palestine is called a country "flowing with milk and honey." There were fertile valleys and mountains with snowy peaks, abundance and generous vegetation. The eighth chapter of Deuteronomy lists some of the grains and fruits that grew in the Holy Land: wheat, barley, grapes, fig trees, pomegranates, and olives. But Palestine was not only a "paradise" - the most important trade routes passed through it, connecting the civilizations of antiquity. The desire to possess Canaan in order to be able to control the trade of a vast region, for several centuries, brought together the powers of the Ancient East and warlike nomads on the battlefields.

According to the biblical tradition, Terah left Mesopotamian Ur “to go to the land of Canaan”, however, before reaching it, he stopped in Haran and soon died. Abraham, led by his patron God Yahweh, continued the path of his father and reached Palestine, where he established several altars to the Lord. Then a drought broke out, and the wanderer of Ur for some time "descended" to Egypt, from where he returned a very wealthy man, the owner of herds and treasures.

God does not leave his chosen one; convinced of Abraham's devotion, he enters into a sacred alliance with him - the Covenant (brit). Yahweh promises to make Abraham "the father of many nations" and to give his descendants Canaan "for an everlasting possession"; in exchange, he demands: “Cut off foreskin yours: and this will be a sign of the covenant between me and you.”

Thus, the cult of Yahweh, the tribal God of the aliens, was established in Canaan, and the active son of Terah, who rejected the “other gods”, became the ancestor of the Jews (through Isaac, the son of Sarah), Arabs (through the sons of Hagar and Keturah) and Edomites (through his grandson of Esau). The origin of the Moabites and Ammonites is also associated with him. In later Jewish literature, the image of the “first monotheist” is supplemented by the features of a cultural hero - the first teacher of astronomy and mathematics, the inventor of the alphabet, etc.

Throughout his long life (175 years), Abraham does not come close to or become related to any of the local pagan tribes. When the time comes to marry his son Isaac, he sends a matchmaker to Harran to find a bride from among his relatives.

Ishmael, the son of Abraham from the slave Hagar, behaves differently. He marries an Egyptian and forever separates his descendants from the Holy People. Esau, the eldest son of Isaac, also departed from the Covenant. In his youth, he exchanged the gift of birthright for lentil stew, and later brought into the house the pagans, who "were a burden" to his parents - Isaac and Rebekah.

Abraham's work was continued by his other grandson, Jacob, the youngest son of Isaac and Rebekah's favorite. He married his cousins ​​- Leah and Rachel, as well as their maids - Balla and Zelfa, and produced from them 12 sons - the ancestors of 12 tribes (tribal associations) of Israel. Joseph, the son of Jacob from the beautiful Rachel, enjoyed the special disposition of his father. The brothers, prompted by a feeling of envy, sold Joseph into slavery to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver, and they took the young man to Egypt.

Betrayed by his brothers and separated from his loving father, Joseph could only rely on his own. And he managed not only to survive in a foreign country, but also to make such a dizzying career that even a well-born Egyptian would envy. Thanks to the natural mind, administrative talent and a special gift of foresight, Joseph became the right hand of the pharaoh and the first official of Egypt. The exaltation of a Jew was a deed unheard of in this country, but this Jew was worth the exaltation. He carried out large-scale transformations in the administration of Egypt, enriched the treasury, carried out agrarian reform and ensured the food security of the state for many years.

Having become a faithful servant of a pagan ruler and having married, according to his will, the daughter of a pagan priest, Abraham's great-grandson lost his main asset - participation in the Covenant. But the apostate never forgot his God or his people. Remembering the betrayal of the brothers, he did not hide evil against them. After all, they were only tools in the hands of Yahweh. When the brothers came to Egypt to ask for bread (“for there was a famine in the land of Canaan”), Joseph explained to them the plan of the Almighty: “... God sent me before you to save your life.” Thanks to Joseph, the entire House of Israel was saved and found refuge in the Egyptian land of Goshem, in the Nile Delta.

Historians perceive the version of the 400-year stay of the Jews in Egypt with skepticism: at present there is no convincing evidence in its favor. However, this is hardly essential for understanding what is said in the Book of Genesis. The sacred history of any nation is always based on myth, that is, on a reality of a higher order than historical fact.

The period of prosperity of the Jews in Egypt was short-lived. The descendants of Jacob, who remained faithful to Yahweh, remained outsiders in the eyes of the Egyptians. The authorities did not trust foreigners, seeing them as a threat to the country's security: "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more numerous and stronger than us ... when a war happens, they will unite with our enemies." The Jews were enslaved and humiliated by the Egyptians for several centuries.

So it was until Yahweh heard the groans of His people and remembered "His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." In order to restore Canaan to Israel, He called Moses and made him the leader of the Jewish people and the agent of His will. In Judaism, Moses is revered as the greatest of the prophets, who is called Rabbeinu ("our teacher"). Ahead were 40 years of wandering in the desert, during which all former slaves had to die so that only free people could set foot on the Holy Land.

7 weeks after the exodus from Egypt, the wanderers approached Mount Sinai. There a central event in the sacred history of Judaism took place: Yahweh called Moses and through him gave Israel the Ten Commandments and the Torah. The Sinai Revelation is considered the moment of the emergence of Judaism as a national religion. In the desert, the people of Yahweh built the first tabernacle, or mishkan, a portable prayer tent, which became the prototype of the future Temple and synagogues. The most sacred object in the tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant, the place of the earthly stay of Yahweh - a chest in which two stone tablets (slabs) with the Commandments carved on them were kept.

Moses was not destined to enter Canaan. He died when the Promised Land was already visible in the distance. The conquest of the Holy Land was led by the successor of Moses, the prophet Yehoshua (Joshua).

Age of Judges

It took several centuries to develop a new territory, the right to which had to be defended in battles against warlike neighbors (the Hittites and Egyptians), as well as against the indigenous Canaanite population. The Israelites were surrounded by peoples close to him in origin (Moabites, Ammonites, Arameans), and the ancient Amorite states of Geshur and Maaha. Each of the 12 tribes of Israel received its allotment in Canaan, and these territorial and tribal frameworks were fixed for many centuries.

This period is called the "age of the Judges". The commander of one of the tribal associations (“tribes”) or large clans, who proved his right to power by feats of arms and the ability to mobilize the population to fight back, became the judge (supreme ruler) external enemy. The generals and ordinary Israelis were inspired by the prophets - religious ideologists who had outstanding oratorical abilities and the gift of foresight. Among the famous personalities of that era, tradition includes the prophet Samuel and the prophetess Deborah, Ehud of Benjamin, who stabbed the Moabite king-enslaver with a sword, and the hero Samson, the hero of folk tales, who managed to beat the army of the Philistines with a donkey's jaw.

Historian Martin Noth suggested that the judges belonged to a permanent tribal leadership, and called their form of government amphictyonic, by analogy with Ancient Greece, where there was a special kind of "sacred unions" - Amphictyons. They formed around the religious center and united 12 cities or tribes. In Canaan, the main religious center arose at Shiloh.

The sources do not indicate what the duties of individual tribes were in relation to the religious center. He was probably supported by gifts and offerings. Here was the residence of the family of the high priest and the seat of the Ark of the Covenant. In Shilo, all-Jewish meetings of the tribal nobility were convened to elect a leader or decide on declaring a "holy war". Apparently, this was how the war of all Israelite tribes against the tribe of Benjamin was declared, the rulers of which grossly violated generally accepted moral norms (Book of Judges 19:21). A military campaign against the Philistines, the most formidable enemy of the Jewish tribes, was also organized in Shilo, starting from the 13th century. BC e.

The fate of Samuel, a judge and a prophet, is connected with this center, during which royal power was first established in Israel. The family of the future prophet annually made a pilgrimage to the Shilo temple, and Samuel himself was brought up and lived in the temple from childhood.

As a rule, the judges mobilized only those tribes that were directly under threat. By the end of the XI century. to i. e. the Philistines, having established themselves on the fertile coastal strip of Canaan, were ready to completely conquer the country. The danger rallied the Jewish tribes and accelerated the process of turning the union of the tribes into a single state.

The people turned to Samuel, who had reached advanced years, with a request to appoint a worthy king over Israel. The choice fell on the brave Saul, who became the first Israeli monarch (about 1030 BC), united the military forces of all the tribes and opposed the Philistines.

So at the end of the XI century. BC e. The Hebrew State of Israel was established. At first, Saul had military success, but in one of the battles he suffered a crushing defeat and, in order not to become a prisoner of the pagans, stabbed himself with a sword. The strength of the Philistines was still too great.

David

Saul's son-in-law David (1004-965 BC), who ruled Israel for more than 40 years, was able to put an end to the external threat. Almost all this time the legendary warrior king spent in battles and by the end of his life he owned a small empire. Galilee and the cities of the Saron and Ezdrelone valleys were annexed to the Israeli state. Of particular importance was the conquest of the fortress of Zion, the citadel of the city of Jerusalem, inhabited by one of the ancient Canaanite peoples. David fully appreciated the strategic advantages of Jerusalem, located in the geographical center of the country, at the crossroads of trade routes (and not far from the allotment of Judah, from the tribe of which the monarch himself came). This city was in all respects the most suitable capital of the united state.

During the reign of David, all civil and military administration is concentrated in Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant is transferred here, accompanied by priests and Levites serving it, after which the new capital becomes not only a political, but also a religious and judicial center of the country. Now David controlled all trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Syrian kingdom became a tributary of Israel. David also conquered Idumea, thus bringing the southern borders of Israel to the Red Sea.

The strengthening of the monarchical system was accompanied by the emergence of a new ideology about the sanctity of royal power. In Psalm 110, apparently written by one of the court poets, Yahweh tells the monarch: “You are a priest forever…”

The historiography of the last years of David's reign attributes all the disasters that befell his house (fratricide, rebellion against David by his son Absalom) to the unforgivable sin committed by the king. Once, in order to take possession of the beautiful Bathsheba, he sent her husband, his military leader, to certain death. Moral condemnation of a powerful ruler - unique phenomenon in historical literature, not only ancient world but also later eras.

Solomon

After the death of David (965 BC), his youngest son Solomon (965-928 BC), having killed his brother and his supporters, became the new king. Under him, the Hebrew state reached power and prosperity. The monarch entered into an alliance with Egypt and Phoenicia, established control over the Gulf of Akoba in the Red Sea, built a harbor there and engaged in maritime trade. Revenues from domestic and foreign economic activities poured into the royal treasury like a river. Hundreds of stone buildings were erected in the cities with the help of Phoenician architects and artisans. Against the background of the new urban landscape, modest prayer tents did not make the proper impression, and Solomon decided to build a stone Temple - in the center of Jerusalem, on Mount Zion.

The creation of the new shrine of Israel was completed by 958. Over the next 1000 plus years, the Jerusalem Temple was the center of the spiritual life of the Israelites and a symbol of the national unity of all Jewish tribes.

The highest category of clergy was the priests (kohanim), who had the exclusive right to perform temple services. Only the Aaronids, the descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses, could be priests. They were served by the Levites - people from the tribe of Levi. The priests of the Jerusalem Temple constituted the highest stratum of Hebrew society. Their descendants still perform special ritual functions and observe additional prohibitions. For example, cohanim should not be under the same roof with a dead body, marry a widow or divorcee, etc.

The beginning of "scattering"

During the life of Solomon, his native tribe of Judah received significant privileges, which caused discontent of other tribes. After the death of the king, his son Rehoboam was rejected by many of the tribes of Israel. The northern tribes rebelled against Rehoboam and founded their own kingdom, which retained the name Israel. The two southern tribes formed the state of Judah.

In 722, the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the mighty Assyria and forever disappeared from the historical scene, and its inhabitants, taken into captivity, disappeared among the population of the Assyrian state. After 100 years, the tiny kingdom of Judah was in the grip of a conflict between Babylon and Egypt. In 586, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed the Jerusalem Temple, and most of the Jews were forcibly relocated to the Babylonian lands.

Jewish settlements that arose outside the Holy Land from the end of the 8th century. BC e., received the general name "diaspora", that is, "scattering". After 586, most of the settlers were concentrated in Babylon. At this time, the main spiritual leader of the Jewish people is the prophet Ezekiel, who preaches the idea of ​​the coming of the Messiah, who will return the Holy Land and the Jerusalem Temple to the Jews.

In 538 B.C. e. Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenid king of Persia, conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. Jerusalem remained part of the Persian Empire, but received the status of a self-governing city (VI-V centuries BC).

However, many did not want to leave the thriving communities established in Babylon during the years of exile. Those who returned to Judea set about rebuilding the Temple. But even here, in the homeland of the Promise and the Covenant, there was no former unity among the Jews. The leaders of the new religious community, Ezra and Nehemiah, agreed to recognize as Jews only those Jews who had gone through the Babylonian captivity (where they continued to observe Jewish customs and remained faithful to the One God). Others were considered apostates, defiled by intermarriage and worship of pagan gods.

The rejected part of the Israelites created their own special community of Samaritans, which has survived in Israel to our time. Since the time of Ezra, the idea of ​​God's chosen people of the Jewish people has been of paramount importance in the teachings of Judaism.

Fall of Judea

By 323 B.C. e. The Iranian state, which included Judea, was conquered by Alexander the Great. Hellenistic forms of art, literature, philosophy, and government spread throughout the subject territories. When the Greco-Syrian king Antiochus IV (175-163 BC) under the threat of death forbade the worship of Yahweh to all the Jews of his empire, the opponents of Hellenization rebelled, and the long Maccabean War (142-76 BC) began. ), which ended in victory and the establishment of the Jewish monarchy, which lasted until the invasion of the Romans.

In 63 BC. e. over Israel is established Roman domination - much more severe than the Greek. By the beginning of our era, several religious and political groups had developed in Jewish society, whose representatives - Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots and Essenes - were in intense discussions about what forms resistance to cruel pagans should take. It was not possible to work out a common program of action, and there was no single ideology corresponding to the historical moment.

In 66 a.d. e. there was an armed clash between the defenders of the Covenant and the Hellenized Jews, supported by Rome. The Roman garrison was slaughtered by warlike Zealots, after which the uprising swept all of Judea. Many of the Pharisees initially joined the rebels, but then went over to the side of Caesar. Among them was the commander Joseph Flavius ​​- a representative of a noble Jewish family who belonged to the Jerusalem priesthood. The author of the famous "History of the Jewish War" not only went over to the side of the Romans, but also helped them in the conquest of Judea.

During the Jewish War, the Jerusalem Temple was again destroyed (70). In 132 a.d. e. under the leadership of Bar Kokhba (“son of the star”), a new wave of resistance broke out, the impetus for which was the decision of the Roman authorities to create a pagan sanctuary on the site of the destroyed Temple. The rebels managed to expel the Romans from Jerusalem and establish their power there for three years.

In 135, the resistance of the Jews was broken, they were forced to leave Judea, and they settled throughout the territory of the Roman Empire and in the countries of Asia, forming a vast diaspora.

Almost 2,000 years passed before the Jews were able to regain a sovereign state on their land.

Diaspora

With the formation of the Diaspora, a new stage in the history of Judaism begins. Traditional temple services were replaced by collective prayers in synagogues. The synagogue was not only a prayer house, but also a venue for public meetings, where important political and civil law issues were resolved.

At this time, the priestly class loses its dominant position. The leadership of synagogues and Jewish communities as a whole passes to rabbis - teachers of the Torah (rabbis in Hebrew - "my teacher"), the rabbis were experts in the religious tradition and spiritual mentors of the Jews. They ruled the court, taught religious disciplines, and also took part in the development of halacha, a system of religious and customary law that governs the life of Jewish communities around the world. From the very beginning, the institution of the rabbinate had no hierarchy; the acquisition of the title of rabbi depended on personal abilities, knowledge of the Torah and the ability to interpret it. Only men could become rabbis (today, some areas of Judaism recognize this right for women as well).

Jews in Babylon (586 BC - 1040 AD)

The largest Jewish settlement was in Babylon. The descendants of the Jews expelled from Judea by Nebuchadnezzar lived here in abundance. In some areas, they founded independent principalities and even helped local rulers in wars with Rome. In Babylon, Torah study reached the highest level. Here the Masoretic Code of the Tanakh and the Talmud were compiled; Babylonian gaons (heads of Jewish academies) advised Jews around the world on issues of halachic legislation. The last Gaon was killed in 1040 CE. - at a time when Jewish life in Babylonia had already begun to decline.

At the beginning of the 8th century Judaism spread among part of the Turkic tribes that were part of Khazar Khaganate. Their descendants - the Karaites - formed a separate branch of Judaism. The Karaites recognized only the books of the Tanakh and rejected the Talmud.

Judaism in the Middle Ages

In medieval Europe, many treated the Jews as deicides who crucified Christ. Periodically, laws were passed that humiliated Jews or restricted their freedom. Sometimes they were forced to live in ghettos (separate quarters surrounded by a wall with gates locked at night), ordered to wear special clothes, go into the sewer, giving way to Christians. Jews rarely managed to get high positions. In a number of cases, the governments of cities, and sometimes entire countries, simply got rid of the Jewish population. For example, in the XII century. Jews were expelled from Kievan Rus late XIII in. - from England, at the end of the 15th century. - from Spain.

Despite all this, the study of the Torah in the Middle Ages reached new heights, both in Europe and in the Arab world. Medieval studies of the Talmud formed the basis of modern Talmudic scholarship.

At the same time, already in the early Middle Ages, many Talmud prescriptions ceased to be fulfilled - either because of their archaism (such as the law on sacrifices), or because they were supplanted by the legal norms of those countries where the Jews lived. Starting from this period and up to the present day, most Jews observe only the main rites of the life cycle (primarily circumcision), as well as that section of Talmudic law that is associated with traditional holidays.

Islam was more tolerant of other religions than Christianity, and the Jews of the East were generally better off than their brethren in Europe. Jews were allowed professional activity up to work in the government. At the same time, the Muslims never forgave the Jews for not recognizing Mohammed and periodically “reminded” them of this. For example, in one Iraqi city, Jews were not allowed to wear shoes, touch fruits and vegetables, or build balconies overlooking the street so as not to look down on Muslim passers-by. These restrictions persisted until the 20th century. The rulers of the Almohad dynasty, which conquered North Africa and Spain in the 12th century, imposed special clothing on the Jews and imposed restrictions on the right to trade.

As in Europe, prominent Jewish sages lived in the East at that time, such as Maimonides, the author of the most important legislative code and philosophical works.

Sephardim and Ashkenazim

Over time, various ethnic communities formed in the diaspora, with their own linguistic, everyday and ritual characteristics. A significant ethnic group of Sephardic Jews developed in medieval Spain during the period of Arab domination (Sephardic is the Jewish name for Spain in the Middle Ages). After the expulsion of the Sephardim from Spain in 1492, they settled in the countries of the Middle East, in Turkey and the Balkans, where they retained the way of life that had developed in Spain, as well as the Ladino language, which was formed on the basis of Old Spanish. Later, all Jews of Asian origin began to be called Sephardi, as opposed to European Jews.

Beginning with late Middle Ages the formation of the Ashkenazi community takes place, the ethnocultural center of which arose in Germany in the 9th-12th centuries. (Ashkenaz is the Hebrew name for Germany in the Middle Ages). Among the Ashkenazim, the colloquial Jewish language Yiddish arose, which developed on the basis of a mixed German-Slavic lexical and grammatical base and Hebrew writing.

Today, the largest ethnic community the Jewish people are Ashkenazim, who live in most countries of Europe, in the USA, Latin America and South Africa.

Age of change

The development of European culture of the XVII-XVIII centuries. takes place under the sign of secularism - separation from religion and the church. The central character of the European Enlightenment becomes a free-thinking personality, subjecting to a critical revision the previously dominant views on society, the state, and religion. Lawyers put forward the concepts of natural law and social contract, prove the need for legal equality of people before the law, regardless of their nationality and religion.

Under these conditions, many representatives of the Jewish intelligentsia joined the struggle for the emancipation of the Jews and the abolition of discriminatory restrictions on ethnic or religious grounds. In the middle of the XVIII century. one of the leaders of this movement is Moses Mendelssohn, whose bright philosophical works aroused interest not only in the Jewish environment, but also in enlightened German society.

Mendelssohn and his followers urged Jews to change their traditional way of life, to study European languages ​​and secular disciplines along with the Torah and the Talmud, to master agriculture and crafts, and to abandon Hebrew when keeping business records. The idea of ​​a compromise between Jews and the non-Jewish world formed the conceptual basis of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment); its adherents were called maskilim. Among the maskilim there was no unanimity on the question of how much the Jewish way of life should change in order to reach a compromise. Some believed that change should be worn purely external character without affecting the foundations of Jewish life. Others considered it necessary to reform Judaism, making it more consonant with the spirit of the times. The latter laid the foundation for the reformist movement that spread in Germany in early XIX in.

A number of governments European countries were ready to recognize the Jews as full members of society, but on the condition that they renounce some of their religion. So, in 1789, she proclaimed "freedom, equality, fraternity" for all inhabitants of France, including Jews, but in exchange she demanded that the latter consider themselves French. Napoleon shortly after coming to power declared that "in ten years there will be no difference between a Jew and a Frenchman." In 1807, he founded the Sanhedrin (the highest Jewish council), from which, among other things, he demanded the approval of a law allowing mixed marriages.

From the end of the nineteenth to the beginning of the twentieth century. Zionism begins to gain strength - the national-political movement for the re-establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine, in the historical homeland of the Jewish people. The founder of Zionism is the outstanding Jewish publicist from Austria Theodor Herzel (1860-1904), the author of the book The Jewish State. The result of the vigorous activity of the Zionist organizations was the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the return of a large number of Jews from Europe and the USA to it, and the revival of religious life associated with this process both in Israel itself and in the Diaspora.

Where do Jews live? The country - the modern homeland of this people - is called Israel. Its appearance on the political map of the world happened relatively recently - on May 14, 1948. The creation of a new Jewish state in the Middle East did not please the Muslim world, as it upset the balance of power in the region. Israel from the first days of its appearance was drawn into numerous Arab-Israeli conflicts. The young state survived almost half a century of bloody battles and constant terrorist attacks before finally establishing itself in the Middle East. Where did Jews live before 1948? Why was the place for the new state chosen precisely in the Middle East, next to the warlike Arab States? In the article we will try to understand this.

origin theory

Where did Jews live in ancient times? Where do they start from? This debatable question haunts many. Undoubtedly, the Jews are one of the most ancient peoples of mankind who have managed to preserve their national identity to this day, although this seems paradoxical: throughout their history they have been subjected to various persecutions, deportations, genocides. They were in subjection and slavery to the Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Greeks, etc.

Where did Jews live in ancient times? There are no sources that would reliably indicate the place of their origin. Some researchers believe that the first representatives of the Jews appeared on the Indian Peninsula. From there they were forced out by the tribes of the Aryans, and they settled in the territory of Mesopotamia. One indirect confirmation of this is the fact that they receive their national identity from their Jewish mother. In other words, the Jewish society did not consider a person to be a member of his tribe if only his father was a Jew.

This tradition was also traced among some of the Celts, who, presumably, also originate from the Indian Peninsula.

The formation of the Jewish people

The beginning of the history of the people is connected with the name of Abraham. There are no historical sources that would objectively reflect this era. The Bible is the only source by which the first representatives can be studied, therefore initial period their history has been called the "Biblical Age".

It is believed that the Jewish nation was formed in the 2nd millennium BC. e. in ancient Canaan. Geographically, this place was located at the "busy crossroads" of the Ancient World, connecting the developed civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Asia Minor, Arabia and Africa. Around the same time, writing appeared and the historical era of human history began - before that it was considered prehistoric.

Where did Jews live in ancient times? The descendants of Abraham left the fertile Mesopotamia and captured the Canaanite lands. Did they do it of their own free will? There is no answer to this question. There may have been a peaceful integration of the Semitic-speaking pastoralists and farmers of Canaan.

Egyptian History of the Jews

According to Jewish tradition recorded in the Torah, their national identity was formed after the Exodus from Egypt. But how did they get there? Abraham's grandson, Jacob, brought his nomadic shepherds to the lands of Ancient Egypt. The local civilization was so developed that the appearance of a small new tribe of shepherds did not cause any alarm. Perhaps the Jews understood the favorable situation for themselves, since one of the greatest civilizations of Egypt during this period was captured by the same nomadic shepherds - the Hyksos. These two circumstances led to the development of a nomadic backward nation. The reign of the "nasty Hyksos" - such a name can be traced in Egyptian sources of a later period - is a "black page" in the history of highly cultured Egypt. The nomads showed frank savagery and barbarism. They destroyed the centuries-old ways of life of Egyptian society, destroyed religion, culture, etc. Jews became their faithful allies, who completely made their way into all spheres of public life in Egypt, received the best lands. An ideal environment was created for the "God's chosen people": rich soil, developed civilization, merging with ruling elite etc. However, everything ended when a liberation movement began from Thebes, which overthrew the Hyksos (1550 BC).

This is reflected in the Bible with the story of Joseph, who "gave them possession in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land." I would like to note that Joseph himself achieved the fact that he actually became the formal pharaoh of Egypt: he bought the lands of ordinary Egyptians using “seven lean” years, and taxed all the inhabitants with a 20% tax on their own land, which the pharaohs themselves could not come up with over a thousand years of history.

Slavery and exodus

The national liberation movement formed new features of the Egyptian nation: a militant spirit, suspicion of all non-believers, a pathological hatred of everything shepherd, etc. The situation was aggravated by the fact that favorable conditions and the absence of taxes for the Jews themselves significantly increased their numbers. This begins to threaten the native population: "The sons of Israel were fruitful and multiplied, and increased, and became exceedingly strong, and the land was filled with them." From a privileged people, they began to turn into slaves. Although the Bible itself makes it clear that they were simply forced to work physically, like everyone else: "they made their lives bitter from hard work on clay and bricks and from all work in the field." They were not accustomed to this, and they did not want to get used to it even after two centuries. This went on for 210 years, until they fled again to another territory. The Exodus from Egypt took place in the 14th century BC. e. and is associated with the name of Moses. According to one version, he was the son of Ramses the Great, according to another - his grandson, and the Jewish tradition even attributes him to "his own", who was miraculously saved by a court maid and settled in the palace.

If we analyze the only source that exists - the Bible, and compare the facts, we can conclude that the exodus was more likely an escape with looted wealth. “When you go, you will not go empty-handed: every woman will beg from her neighbor and from her woman who lives in her house silver things and gold things, and clothes, and you will dress your sons and your daughters with them, and wrap the Egyptians.” Perhaps that is why the authorities went in pursuit of the "unfortunate" not in order to return them, but to take the stolen jewelry, since the Egyptians realized late that they had been massively deceived.

Strange wandering

After Egypt, Moses led his people through the wilderness for 40 years. Why so long? Crossing the Sinai takes no more than one month. Many researchers and publicists believe that Moses purposefully did this: 40 years is a sufficient period for a complete change of generation. The shepherd simply needed his people to completely forget their slave roots. In parallel, the cult of usury and money was inculcated. According to the Bible, Moses brutally dealt with those who participated in the burning of the golden calf, erected from the looted Egyptian gold. The following is also unclear here: why did the gold burn to ashes and not melt? Most likely, the shepherds thus decided to rob the people themselves, who had previously robbed the Egyptians. If so, this is the first time in history that an entire country's wealth has been embezzled by a small group of elites. Perhaps, with this money, “manna from heaven” appears - a perishable product that “God took away from the greedy”.

Where did Jews live after Egypt?

It is possible that Moses himself considered himself a slave race, so he fell victim to his ideology. He dies right before the walls of Canaan - a country stretching west and northwest from the northwestern bend of the Euphrates and from Joradan to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Authority is transferred to Joshua. Here the Jews again conquer the principalities of Canaan, as before, before the entry into Egypt of their distant ancestors. Israel is formed on this earth. The era of kingdoms begins. In this era, there are such famous people like Saul, David, Solomon, etc. It is here, in the Middle East, that Jews settle for a long time.

Constant struggle

The promised land is constantly under attack. From the 8th century BC e. it is under the rule of Assyria, then Babylon (586-539 BC), which destroys the famous temple of Solomon, then the Persian state of the Achaemenids (539-331 BC), Macedonia (332-312 years . BC.). After the collapse of the empire of Alexander the Great, the Jews enter the Ptolemaic and Seleucid states. And all this time the Jews were constantly trying to fight the invaders. For example, as a result of the Maccabean uprising, the Hasmonean Jewish dynasty ruled for some time in Judea.

Then this land became a vassal of Rome. But the Romans could not cope with the recalcitrant Jews. It was decided to completely expel them from this territory, and to rename Judea itself into Palestinian Syria in order to erase all memory of them. This happened in 135.

Resettlement of the Jews

Where do Jews live in the world? After the Romans again sent the "God's chosen people" to wander, they settled almost throughout the world. There was not a single country where they did not live. Their appearance was accompanied by constant anti-Semitic sentiments. The reason is that many Jews began to engage in their usual business - usury. In pursuit of profit, some of them used the most vile methods: profiteering on hunger, artificially creating a deficit, inflation, buying up stolen goods, etc. In the Commonwealth, they bought everything Orthodox churches at the suggestion of the Catholic authorities and began to charge for the rites. For the vile deeds of some of its representatives, innocent Jews had to suffer.

Where did the Jews live in Russia

The Russian autocracy strictly controlled the Jewish people. In "backward" Russia, capitalism did not advance, so they were not attracted to us. Their appearance happened by chance: during the division of the Commonwealth, our country took away not only Polish lands, but also a huge number of representatives of the sons of Israel. The autocracy encouraged the assimilation of the Jews: it gave them benefits, gave them land, but the bulk of them were kept outside the Pale of Settlement and did not allow them to spread throughout the empire. This was the case before the revolution of 1917.

Stalin and Jews

Where do Jews live in Russia? Thanks to I. Stalin, they were sent away from the rest of Russia: to the north of the Far East, to the desert lands. Today it is the Jewish Autonomous Okrug with the center in the city of Birobidzhan. Stalin fought Trotsky's party, in which the Jews firmly fortified their positions. There was neither the strength nor the desire to identify them, so it was decided to send everyone away from the capital.

Results

So, we answered the question: where do the Jews live, in what country is their homeland located today. Briefly covered the history of the settlement of this people. We hope that the article will be useful.

The Hebrew ethnos was formed during the 2nd millennium BC. on the territory of Canaan (modern Israel) as a result of the integration of Semitic-speaking nomadic pastoralists and farmers of the oases of Canaan. According to the Jewish tradition recorded in the Torah, the Jews formed into a people in the process of the exodus of the enslaved ancestors of the Jews from Egypt and their conquest of the “land” promised by God in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC.

At the turn of the 2nd and 1st millennia BC. Jews are already becoming an agricultural people. During this period, the first ancient Jewish kingdom was formed, founded by the kings Saul (1025-1004 BC) and David (1004-965 BC) with its capital in Jerusalem, the First Temple was being built, the monotheistic religion of the Jews, the priestly Judaism, created during the 1st millennium BC. Tanakh, or Old Testament of the Bible.

The ethnic and cultural unity of the ancient Jews was broken with the collapse of the ancient Jewish kingdom and the subsequent conquest of two independent monarchies formed in its place (Israeli and Judaic) Assyria and Babylon in the 8th-6th centuries. BC. The conquerors destroyed the First Temple and took away most population outside of Israel. folk tradition preserved the memory of the former inhabitants of the kingdom of Israel, the so-called "10 lost tribes", whose traces were lost somewhere behind.
At the end of the 6th c. BC. part of the Jews returned to Judea from the Babylonian captivity and built the Second Temple in Jerusalem, around which the state and spiritual consolidation of the Jews began. Since then, a model of ethnic development has been taking shape, which included a center in Judea and a vast diaspora, originally formed in Mesopotamia, and at the turn of the Common Era. covering Asia Minor, Iran, the Western Mediterranean, the Caucasus, part of Central Asia.

During the period of the second Hebrew Hasmopean, or Maccabean, kingdom (164-37 BC), the non-Jewish Semitic peoples of the Negev and Transjordan and the Hellenized population of Galilee and the coastal strip of Israel are included in the composition of the Jews. Roman conquest and defeat of Jewish movements in the 1st-2nd centuries. led to the mass forced expulsion of a significant part of the Jews from Judea; the exiles joined the Jewish communities of the diaspora. The ethnic center in Judea practically ceased to exist after the Arab conquest of Palestine in 638, although small groups of Jews continued to live permanently in their historical homeland.

The desire to return to Israel, i.e. "return to Zion" (to the mountain on which stood the Temple of Jerusalem) was constantly preserved among the Jews and was sanctified by Judaism. With the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. rabbinical Judaism adapted to life in the Diaspora is taking shape, which, along with Taiach, is based on another religious and legal monument - the Talmud. The center of religious and communal life becomes the synagogue, or a place for meetings (“meeting house”), its minister is a rabbi (rabbi), a scholar and interpreter of tradition.

In the diaspora, several dominant centers are successively replaced, bearing traditional Jewish names: Bavel (Mesopotamia with the adjacent regions of Transcaucasia and the Kurdistan Highlands), 5-11 centuries. AD; Sefarad (Iberian Peninsula), from the beginning of our era. until 1492, when the Jews were expelled from; Ashkenaz (originally Central, then Eastern Europe), from the 10th c. up to the 1st floor. 20th century

In modern times, with the abolition of a number of medieval restrictions on the rights of Jews in most European countries, the process of rapprochement between the Jews of Western Europe and the local peoples began, the departure of Jews from Orthodox Judaism, and mixed marriages spread. of Eastern Europe and the countries of the East preserved their traditional culture longer. Remaining restrictions on the rights and occupations of the Jews of Europe, the growth social mobility, characteristic of the new time, led in the 2nd half of the 19th century. to the expansion of Jewish migration. More than 2 million Jews moved in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. to North America; from the end of the 19th century, with the emergence of the ideology of Zionism, which set as the goal the resettlement of all Jews in Palestine, the migration of Jews began different countries, mainly from Eastern Europe, to Palestine.

At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, along with the intensified processes of acculturation and assimilation of the Jews of Europe and North America, there was also a consolidation of the Jews, expressed in the emergence of common Jewish cultural and political movements. The ethnic development of the Jews was stopped by the mass genocide of the Jews of Europe carried out by German fascism, as a result of which 6 million Jews were killed. After the war, part of the Jewish population of Europe, and later the Middle Eastern countries, moved to the countries of the New World, mainly to, as well as to Palestine, where in 1948, on the basis of a decision of the UN General Assembly, the state of Israel was created.

According to the 2002 census, more than 230,000 Jews live in the Russian Federation, including 3,394 Mountain Jews, 53 Jews, and 54 Central Asian Jews.

Today we will talk about why Jews are not loved all over the world.

The history of mankind is an endless series of wars, where each nation tried to gain dominance, conquer territory and gain power over other peoples. However, the lack of land among the Jews, until recently, did not save them from xenophobia on the part of many peoples of the world. Rather, on the contrary, it increased the degree of hostility, which has been going on for more than three millennia.

As Mark Twain wrote: "All peoples hate each other and all together they hate the Jews". Are there objective reasons for global anti-Semitism, or is this trail of persecution and murder our legacy, akin to prejudice and superstition?

Expulsions of the Jews

The chronology of the expulsion of the Jews throughout history is truly amazing. Especially a person who does not have deep knowledge in this matter, because well-known examples include not so many cases. It is a huge delusion to think that hostility towards the nation is limited only to the Holocaust. The real picture makes us think that the "God's chosen" people are not able to get along with anyone.

The historical facts are inexorable: a small Jewish population in a foreign land proceeds calmly and does not end in conflict, but as soon as the number of communities reaches several hundred or thousands, problems with the indigenous population are inevitable. An analysis of the world map with movements speaks of dozens of cases at the level of empires and states. If we consider individual regions and cities, then the figures increase to several hundred.

The largest and world-famous exiles began in the time of the pharaohs. According to the Old Testament, the cradle of the Jewish people was Ancient Egypt. Around 1200 B.C. the oppressed and oppressed people, under the leadership of Moses, left the lands and rushed to the deserts of the Sinai Peninsula. The Romans also did not have much sympathy for the Jews, and by decree of the emperor Tiberius in 19, young Jews were forcibly deported to military service, in 50, Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome, and in 414, Patriarch Cyril from Alexandria.

The hostility of the Islamic people originates in the 7th century, when the Muslim prophet Muhammad expelled the Jews from Arabia, and continues to this day. Medieval Europe is the record holder for the resettlement of Jews: Spain, England, Switzerland, Germany, Lithuania, Portugal and France periodically drove the Jews away under the pretext of usury with confiscation of property. During the religious wars and crusades Gentiles were able to feel the hatred of an alien religion in full measure. Russia picked up the current trend during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, when the stay of Jews in the country was banned and strictly controlled. Then the persecution of the Jews was repeated under Catherine I, Elizabeth Petrovna, Nicholas I, Alexander II and Alexander III. Only the coming to power of the Jews in 1917 ended the persecution and forbade manifestations of anti-Semitism.

Even the number of official expulsions confirmed by the government is impressive. Although individual cases of pogroms, the reality of which is beyond doubt, simply cannot be counted. It is interesting that there are quite successful creations of communities living on the same territory for several centuries. For example, a community in China existed for about seven centuries and enjoyed the favor of the emperor, bringing cotton to the country.

Attitude of Germans towards Jews

The history of German hatred of Jews did not begin in the Second world war. Sources say that the expulsions of numerous local communities from Germany took place as early as the 13th and 14th centuries. And according to the memoirs of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, Jews were not recognized as citizens with equal rights even before the advent of Hitler in the political arena. According to the philosopher Victor Klemperer, the treatment of Jews was like tiny doses of arsenic swallowed unnoticed. The sprout of hostility, having fallen on fertile soil, led to animal hatred with the acquisition of Hitler's power.

The search for the reasons for the hostility of the Germans towards the Jews should begin with Adolf Hitler, since before his reign many countries were involved in the expulsion, but only his fierce hatred, which grew to catastrophic proportions, caused the Holocaust. Hitler himself, fixing his views in the book "My Struggle", argued that intolerance was formed during the First World War. And the impressive number of radical anti-Semites of the 16th Bavarian Regiment, who later became his supporters, confirm this point of view.

It is impossible to ignore the fact that Hitler's childhood years, spent in modest prosperity, fell on a time of tangible inequality. Local indigenous people daily suffered from poverty, while small crowded communities of Jews quickly rose to high positions and were by no means in poverty. Precisely because anti-Semitic ideology was palpably in the air, Hitler's speeches quickly resonated with the Germans and fueled his thirst for the destruction of a potentially dangerous people.

The Nazis, hating the Jews, supported Hitler's statements. The Nazis saw a threat from the Jewish people not only in relation to the Germans, but to the whole world. Hitler believed that the greed of the Jews and the desire to profit, transcends the moral and moral foundations. Having developed the theory of "inferior" and "superior" races, Hitler realized the idea of ​​​​destroying "sub-humans" in concentration camps.

The German people willingly listened to the emotional and pathetic speeches of the leader, seeing for themselves the solution to the main problems. Blaming Jews for unemployment and poverty, Germany's natives looked to a brighter future with hope. Thus, Adolf Hitler can be considered one of the brightest and greatest populists of all time.

Arabs against Jews

The beginning of the conflict between Israelis and Arabs is considered the end of the 19th century, when the Zionist movement was born, the purpose of which was to revive the Jewish people, returning their historical homeland. The struggle of the Jews to create their own state led to the appearance of Israel on the world map and added enemies to an already impressive army. At the heart of the conflict lies the war for the territory of Palestine, to which later ethnic strife was added. Religious differences led to the outbreak of hostilities.

According to the Israelis, Palestine is historical homeland Jewish people. There are enough reasons why the Jews have long deserved their piece of land. Based on equality, the Jews have the right to create their own state, like all other peoples. And constant persecution and genocide force them to find an inviolable place, having received protection from aggressors. The Zionist movement insists that the area of ​​Israel is substantially smaller than the area lost during the periods of exile.

Interests Arab countries intersect with the interests of the Israelis and the Arabs do not agree with the appearance new country, they consider Palestine to be Muslim territory. And the evidence given that the land historically belongs to the Jews can be questioned. If we rely on information from the Bible as the main source, then it says about the violent seizure of land by Jews from other peoples. After that, the invaders left and returned several times, driving away the Palestinians who had settled there.

It is almost impossible to judge objectively the conflict between Arabs and Jews, because every nation is right in its own way. Among the main contradictions is the division of Jerusalem, a sacred place for the Jews. Numerous monuments in the form of temples, the Wailing Walls confirm the ownership of the Jews. But the Arabs also managed to gain a foothold in the territory, creating their sacred places nearby. In addition, having lost Palestine, many Arabs became refugees and also dream of living in their homeland. Unfortunately, the area of ​​a small state does not make it possible to accommodate all those who wish and are negatively disposed against each other. However, in the world everything is relative: looking at Japan or China, it becomes obvious that the population density is almost limitless.

Distinctive features of the Jews

If asked to briefly characterize the features of a Jew, most of us will say that the representatives of this nation are cunning, greedy for money and power, manipulators who seek to deceive their neighbor. And only a few will remember high intelligence or extraordinary ability. Can such a statement be considered a manifestation of anti-Semitism? Often the opinion is formed historically thanks to books, films and descriptions of life. famous personalities Israeli people. Sometimes the impression is based on personal experience, but mostly propaganda is decisive.

How did it happen that such negative character traits are often accompanied by remarkable mental abilities, education and talent? The number of brilliant, intelligent and gifted Jews cannot but arouse a feeling of envy among other peoples who are not able to boast of such indicators. The lack of territory, the desire to gain a foothold in foreign land requires diligence and a more thoughtful approach. The situation is reminiscent of a provincial resident moving to the capital. In order to “break through” without a residence permit, connections and support from relatives, you have to make more efforts.

No wonder the “chosen” people are called the people of the Book. The love of knowledge, reading, studying the culture and traditions of those inhabitants with whom one has to live side by side, helped not only to settle in a foreign land, but also to achieve a high position. The ability to penetrate and actively participate in the development of the country of residence, combined with unprecedented passion, led to the fact that in America a Jew best american, and in Europe - a European. At the same time, his character is woven from contrasts: daydreaming coexists with practicality, passion for profit with devotion to the main idea, and interest in religion with a commercial streak.

This is most clearly manifested in the choice of professions, which are favorites among the Jewish people. There are no miners, lumberjacks or drillers among them. Hard physical labor has never attracted this nation. It is known for certain that the Jews have always gravitated towards monetary labor: bankers, jewelers, usurers, artists, scientists. Although there are examples of communities engaged in agriculture or pastoralism in history, but such a trade quickly lost its attractiveness due to regular migrations.

Religion

Among believers, hostility towards Jews based on religious beliefs raises much fewer questions. Almost every religion is based on intolerance towards competitors. And there are enough supporting facts. For example, the war of Catholics with Protestants in England, St. Bartholomew's Night in France, or the eradication of pagans by Orthodox Christians in Russia. And the struggle for monopoly is explained very simply: the more converted souls, the more power and taxes. It is no coincidence that in many countries of the world the Church has many lands and impressive incomes. Such riches more than once provided sponsorship to the state treasury.

The competition for the souls of the population is still going on today. Therefore, the hatred of believers of almost any religion towards the Jews is quite understandable. The Jews themselves preach a condescending and contemptuous attitude towards another faith, considering themselves several steps above the rest. In this they do not differ much from all other religions where similar views are cultivated. In addition, the centuries-old persecution of Christians and Muslims against Jews excludes the possibility of establishing good neighborly relations.

Compared to other religions, Judaism looks the most attractive. Jews do not call for the extermination of infidels, forcible adoption of their faith or imprisonment in the ghetto. And intolerance towards others in one's own land is more like an honest, direct position. While fragile neutrality, periodically leading to mass extermination, is more like good old hypocrisy. Christians and Muslims, standing waist-deep in blood, do not have the right to make claims against any religion, charging them with cruel treatment of another religion.

Personal attitude towards Jews

Trying to understand why Jews are not liked, it is worth considering personal experience communication. After all, in every city, being at the institute, at work or in any other team, life, one way or another, confronts us with different nationalities. And a person who has stocked up with a little knowledge can easily figure out a Jew in order to compare him with other nations. Having made these simple manipulations, it becomes clear that among the Jews, as among all other nationalities, there are good people and not very good people. Kindness and greed, cowardice and generosity, responsiveness and indifference can be found in every person, regardless of origin and religion.

Those features, the presence of which forces the expulsion of Jews from the country, are inherent in all people without exception. The only difference is that you cannot drive yourself out of your land. Why negative traits character is forgiven by one and not tolerated by others? One of the main reasons is the desire not just to infiltrate foreign land, but to seize power. Historical sources confirm that representatives of this nation were constantly close to the treasury and in every possible way used their official position for personal enrichment.

If we compare the Jewish people with the gypsies, who are also scattered all over the world and wandered for millennia without having their own land, then the attitude towards the latter is more loyal and indifferent. Why don't residents who steal from train stations or deal drugs cause more hatred? There can be only one reason: the gypsies do not try to seize power and interfere in state affairs, preferring to live within their community without active participation in the lives of other nations.

Why, with the passage of time and the development of a cult of humane treatment of various minorities and our smaller brothers, do Jews still evoke a feeling of hostility in many nations? Cyclicity is a clear sign that history is constantly returning to its roots, making the position of the Jews akin to sitting on a powder keg, when another genocide can suddenly flare up and sweep through anywhere in the world in a destructive wave. Analysis historical events suggests that a loyal attitude towards the Jews is present in those countries where power is in their hands.