Jewish History

The historical significance of Israel dates to the time of Abraham and Sarah. When Moses led the Hebrews out of the House of Bondage, his final destination was Israel, the original home of Abraham. From the moment the Hebrews crossed the River Jordan and settled in the Land of Milk and Honey, Israel and Judaism have been intertwined. Israel witnessed the coronation of King David in approximately 1010 BCE. (There is some discrepancy about the actual date of the coronation; therefore, this date is an approximation.) Israel gave witness to the construction of the First Temple around 833 BCE and its later destruction in 586 BCE. In 522 BCE, Israel saw the exile of its people to Babylon. Israel witnessed the construction of the Second Temple in 520 BCE and its destruction in 70 CE. Israel was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, an event that ushered in the Great Hellenization of Eretz Israel. In 167 BCE, the Maccabees, led by Judah Maccabee, started the Hasmonean Revolt. When Judah recaptured the Temple, he found that it had been desacrated. There was only enough oil to last a day, at most. There was not enough to rededicate the Temple. A miracle happened there when the oil lasted for eight nights. The Temple was rededicated and from that time on, Hanukkah has been celebrated. It took twenty years before the Maccabees were victorious and Simeon Maccabee, brother of Judah, was named the High Priest of Judea. The southern part of Israel was called Judea while the northern part was called Israel. At this time, they were two distinct countries.) In 63 BCE, Israel became a Roman province.

In 210 CE, the creation of Mishnah occurred and in 390, the Jerusalem Talmud was completed. Throughout all of Israel’s history, the Jewish people have lived and died for a land that they could call their own. One cannot be Jewish and not feel some kind of attachment to Israel. Israel has and always will be the only true Jewish homeland. Having said that, I feel I must now mention that Israel is as much an idea as it is a land. At Passover, Jews talk about next year being free in Israel. When the Messianic Age comes about, everyone will be resurrected in the Land of Israel and peace will reign forever. From the time of Moses until the destruction of the Second Temple, the Jewish people played a part in history. From 70 CE until the country of Israel was formed in 1948, Jews were part of the history of other peoples.

King David made Jerusalem his capital in order to unite the 12 tribes of Israel. He chose Jerusalem because it was neutral to both the ten northern tribes and the 2 southern tribes. After making it the political capital, King David moved the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, making it the religious capital as well. In 833, Solomon built the first Temple in Jerusalem. All buildings in Jerusalem must be coated in native stone. The use of this stone gives Jerusalem a golden hue at sunrise. Jerusalem is holy to Christians because it is the place where Jesus spent his last days and is the traditional site of his death. Muslims believe that Mohammed leaped into Heaven from a stone in Jerusalem. This stone is known as the Dome of the Rock to the Muslims and as the Temple Mount to the Jews. According to Jewish tradition, the Temple Mount is the center of the world. It marks the place where the Akeidah, the story of when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, but instead sacrificed a lamb, resides. In 1537, the first Ottoman Sultan built a wall around Jerusalem. The city was divided into a Muslim Quarter, a Christian Quarter, a Jewish Quarter, and an Armenian Quarter. Jerusalem is considered holy by all major world religions that pray to the G-d of Abraham. At the end of the 1967 6-day war, Israel liberated East Jerusalem from the Muslims Soldiers from all parts of the city were moved to tears by the knowledge that Jerusalem had been freed.

In 70 CE, Titus laid siege to Jerusalem. The Second Temple caught fire and was destroyed. The only part left standing was the Western Wall of the temple court. It is the most religious site left from Biblical times. It is called the Wailing Wall because of the incredibly large number of people who have come to pray there. Modern Israel officialy became a country in 1948. For nineteen years, The Jewish people were forbidden from praying at the Wall by the Arabs. During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel liberated Jerusalem from the Arabs. One person described her visit to the Wall as follows: “In 1971 I was awarded the Freedom of Jerusalem, probably the greatest tribute paid me. At that ceremony I told of a memorable visit I had made to the Wall. On the third day of the Six-Day War, Israel was electrified by the news that our soldiers had liberated the Old City. I went to the Wall with some soldiers. They had seen their comrades fall for its sake. Now standing before the Wall, they wrapped themselves in prayer shawls and wept. As I stood there, one of the soldiers suddenly put his arms around me, laid his head on my shoulder and we cried together. It was of the most moving moments of my life.” (Golda Meir) This story was one of the many stories that I have read about the Wall. Each one never fails to bring me to tears. The Wall has stood for 2500 years. One of the stones that was used to stabilize the wall is 41 feet long and over 10 feet tall and weighs over 320 tons. It is believed to be the largest building stone in known history. The biggest crane in the world can only lift about 250 tons, so how it was placed is one of the mysteries of the world.

I have had an affection for Israel since the Munich Olympics. As an American, I have always felt it important that the United States stand up for Israel. It is important that Jews have a place they can go to escape persecution. This need was never more apparent than during the events of the Munich Games. The PLO showed the world that its only goal was to kill Jews. Every time the Arab world attacked Israel, they were defeated, and each time, they wanted the Jewish world to make concessions. I guess one of the reasons I love Israel so much is that it has always been able to beat the odds. When David Ben-Gurion announced Israel’s independence, it was attacked by Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Arab Legionnaires, and Lebanon. What is amazing is that they would fight the same countries three more times, and win each war. Yizak Rabin gave a speech to Hebrew University three weeks after the Six-Day War ended. His words speak volumes about the resolve of the Jewish people: “Our airmen, who struck the enemies’ planes so accurately that no one in the world understands how it was done, and people seek technological explanations or secret weapons; our armored troops who beat the enemy even when their equipment was inferior to his; our soldiers in all other branches…who overcame our enemies everywhere, despite the latter’s superior numbers and fortifications; all those revealed not only coolness and courage in battle, but... an understanding that only their personal stand against the greatest danger could achieve victory for their country and for their families understood that if victory was not theirs, the alternative was annihilation.” As Jew, I find myself thinking of Israel as a second home. I think these feelings are a normal part of the conversion process. While most Jews may or may not agree with the political picture of the day, almost to the last person, Jews everywhere will stand up for the idea of Israel.

Israel is not just the home of the Jewish people; it is a spiritual idea that Jews pay homage to everyday when they recite the Shema. To me, Israel means all this and more. I will always be an American, but in my heart, I will look upon Israel as my Jewish heritage.