Jewish Diaspora

Jewish Diaspora

By Melissa Gaffney

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​Assyrian Empire conquers Judah.

722 BCE

597 BCE​

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​The Neo-Babylonian Empire invades Jerusalem and exiles elite members of Jewish society to Babylon. This begins the Babylonian Exile.

Multiple Choice

EXILE means

• Invasion of another country or territory

• acceptance of others' religious beliefs

• Forced removal from one's native country

​King Nebuchadnezzar (Neo-Babylonian Empire) destroys Jerusalem and the remaining Jews flee or are killed.

586 BCE​

Open Ended

Predict: Do you think Jews being forced from their homeland would cause them to unite? Why or why not?

Exile Leads to Unity

During the Babylonian Exile, Jews became more unified as a group. Tribal divisions disappeared. They built the first synagogues and began writing down ​the holy texts. Although they lost control of the Promised Land, they held onto their cultural identity and their religious faith.

539 BCE

​The Persian Empire conquers Babylon. Cyrus the Great (Persian King) rules with tolerance and allows Jews to return to Judah to rebuild the Jewish state.

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The journey from Babylon to Jerusalem was about 900 miles.

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Egypt conquers the Jewish homeland, but largely allowed Jews to practice their religion without interference.​

300 BCE

A group called the Seleucids conquered Judah. Initially, they treat Jews well.​

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198 BCE

The Seleucid king tried to force Jews to worship Greek gods. He dedicated the Second Temple to the Greek god Zeus. Jews rebelled, led by the Maccabee family. The Seleucids were defeated.​

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​168 BCE

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Multiple Choice

What holiday recognizes the Maccabee family and the rededication of the Second Temple?

• Hanukkah

• Passover

• Yom Kippur

• Rosh Hashanah

The Roman Empire takes over the region and insists Jews worship Roman gods.  Jews fought hard for decades but were ultimately defeated by the Romans.​

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68 BCE

After being defeated by the Romans, many Jews were forced to leave Jerusalem and settle in new places. ​

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70 CE

After the rebellion, many Jews were forced to leave Jerusalem and settle in new places. The migration of Jews to places around the world, which began with the Babylonian Exile, is called the Diaspora (dy-AS-puh-ruh). Yet even after leaving their homeland, Jews kept their religion alive and maintained a strong connection to the land of Israel. The rabbis transformed Judaism into a home- and synagogue-based religion that could be practiced anywhere. By holding onto their religion and customs, the dispersed Jews ensured Judaism would become a worldwide religion.​

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Multiple Choice

The migration to places around the world is called:

• Immigration

• Diaspora

• Exile

• Asylum

Legacies of Judaism

The legacy of the Jewish people is important in world history. Judaism was the first monotheistic religion. Its emphasis on justice and morality influenced later religions, including Christianity. Judaism also had a great influence on other aspects of Western civilization, such as law.​