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1948: Independence

hadassah | October 22, 2019

The War of Independence, begun in 1947, intensified in 1948, especially after Israel’s Declaration of Independence. This was Israel’s bloodiest war, resulting in 6,373 casualties on the Israeli side, which succeeded in the conquest of almost all of Palestine’s territory. Israel established its first government in 1948 and opened its doors to Jewish refugees from […]

1940-1947: War

hadassah | October 22, 2019

As World War II heated up in Europe and the massacre of the Holocaust gained momentum, violence in British-ruled Palestine increased as well. In 1941, the Mufti of Jerusalem summoned a Holy War against Britain and collaborated with the Nazis to plan the destruction of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. Fighting broke […]

1920-1940: Jewish Immigration and Arab Terror

hadassah | October 22, 2019

As Hitler rose to power in Germany and began to implement the genocide of the Jewish people, increased numbers of Jews immigrated to Palestine, legally and illegally. At the Cairo Conference in 1921, a partition of Palestine was recommended and the future state of Transjordan was created. Starting in 1933, more than a quarter of […]

1900-1920: Jewish Homeland

hadassah | October 22, 2019

The two decades between 1900 and 1920 propelled Zionism forward. In 1903, a proposal was made to establish a Jewish homeland in Uganda, but this proposal was declined by the Zionist Congress. The Kishnev Pogrom in Russia and other anti-Semitic events confirmed the importance of establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine. In 1917, the Balfour […]

300-400: Christianity Becomes the Official Religion of the Roman Empire

hadassah | October 22, 2019

During the fourth century AD, Emperor Constantine the Great made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. This led to edicts against the Jews as well as laws protecting them. Constantine passed a law protecting Christians from Jews but he also passed a law exempting Jewish religious leaders from community service due to their […]

200-300 AD: Talmudic Evidence

hadassah | October 8, 2019

Talmudic sources describe the continued presence of Jews on the Temple Mount during this period. Rabbi Natan entered the Temple and found only one wall remaining and Rabbi Bibi instructed others on how to behave when visiting the Temple Mount. Jewish communities flourished in the Galilee and south of Jerusalem, as well as in the […]

100-200 AD: Revolt

hadassah | October 8, 2019

The Bar Kokhba Revolt began as a guerrilla struggle against Rome in 132 C.E. Within a short time it had spread throughout the country, and the rebels took Jerusalem, which had not been heavily fortified by the Romans. Once the revolt was quashed by the Romans, Jews were banned from Jerusalem, but they returned to […]

400-500: Protection and Rejection

hadassah | September 26, 2019

The 5th century was characterized by the protection of the Roman Empire’s Jewish subjects while simultaneously rejecting them. On the one hand, privileges were granted to the Jewish patriarchs, and synagogues and the Jewish Sabbath were protected. On the other hand, Christians were forbidden from converting to Judaism, Jews were excluded from the military and […]

500-600: Decrees against “Heretics”

hadassah | September 26, 2019

In the 6th century, Eastern Roman Emperors Justin and Justinian made a number of decrees against “heretics” which were aimed at other Christian groups, Samaritans and Jews. Jews continued to pray on the Temple Mount and to beseech God for the rebuilding of the Temple. 6th Century C.E. Cyril of Scythopolis 6th Century C.E. – […]

600-1000: The Arab Conquest

hadassah | September 26, 2019

Caliph Umar (Omar) conquered the Land of Israel in 638 and the Dome of the Rock was constructed on the Temple Mount in approximately 685. In the first century after the Arab conquest, the community in the land was primarily Jewish and Christian. In 995, a Jewish governor was appointed to rule over Damascus, Aleppo, […]