Diaspora Cast Jews in Socio-Religious

Diaspora Cast Jews in Socio-Religious Seclusion and Persecution

Judaism

Judaism stands as one of the oldest monotheistic religions and the only one to have spanned over approximately four millennia. The religion originates in the ancient near-eastern sector of Palestine - a land that was appreciated for its friendly environment and that was generally disputed among nations living in the area. Constant warfare with neighboring nations provoked great suffering to Israelites, as they have been affected by their beliefs throughout history. Judaism is generally considered to be rooted in the covenant between God and Abraham regarding how his people would become sacred and about how they would be provided with a holy land.

The most important characters in Judaism are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, the prophet considered to have received God's law on Mount Sinai. Israelites are an enthnoreligious group and their tradition is based on a series of religious, moral, and social laws written in the Torah (the initial five manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible) and meant to assist them in governing their lives. In spite of the religion's age, it was not until the first century B.C. that it came to have its present form.

There are three major Judaic communities in the present and their principles differ depending on how each of them interprets sacred texts. Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Reform Judaism express different views in regard to Jewish law. In spite of the fact that they are divided, Jewish communities are united through their tradition as God's holy people. Judaism historically emphasizes the fact that practice is equal and even more important than belief. Worshipping is typically performed in synagogues that replaced the historical Temple initially meant to provide Jews with a praying location. Jewish religious rulers are called rabbis and they control the many ceremonies and customs that are very important in Jewish religious tradition.

Synagogues appeared consequent to the destruction of the Second Temple by Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian in 70 A.D. Although this is considered to be the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora, it actually began approximately six centuries earlier, at the time when the Babylonians conquered the kingdom of Judea and destroyed the First Temple. Ever since this moment, Jews scattered around the world and are presently located in a wide range of countries. Most of them have expressed a particular desire to return to their traditional home. While there are presently approximately 14 million Jews in the world, only about five million live in Israel with the other 9 million living in Diaspora.