Israel
From the Bible to 2014
Zionism
After A.D. 70, the Romans had destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, the Jews had no home. Even though the Jews where driven out, they still considered Palestine their home. In the 1800s the Jews began immigrating back into Israel. This movement is known as Zionism. Zion meaning the homeland of the Jews. Since the Jewish people were denied land in Eastern Europe, when they returned to Zion they formed farming villages called Kibbutz.
Kibbutzim
A kibbutz is a farming village formed by Jews. In this village, the population own everything together. They share expenses and income. Around 270 kibbutzim still exist in Israel today. These kibbutzim are an important part of Israeli history.
History
Israel has a very long and interesting history. Jerusalem was first recognized as the capitol during the reign of King David in 1007-967 B.C. His son Solomon built a temple that was known as The First Temple. The temple was destroyed in 587 B.C. by the babylonian army. The Jews were exiled from 587-538 B.C. in Babylonia. Then, Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire freed them in 538 B.C.
Israel Today
Israel has about 5 million jews, which make up about 80% of the population. Agriculture has improved a lot so food is in high supply. Israel is under persecution by Islamic countries nearby, such as Egypt and Jordan.
Judaism
Judaism is one of the first monotheistic religion. Judaism is one of the three Abrahamic faiths, including Christianity, and Islam. The jewish people follow a set of rules from their holy book, the Torah, which consists of the first five books of the Bible. The Torah consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Dueteronomy. The jewish people trace their origins back to Abraham. The jewish interpretation of the Torah is known as Halakhah.The Jews worship in Synagogues, and their spiritual leaders are Rabbis.