Jews History Essay, Research Paper
The Jews are a people with a multitude of dilemmas. From theIsraelite tribes to the prosperous modern day Israel , bigotrytowards the Jews has been greatly evident. The Jewish race hasacted as Escape Goat for many crisis throughout history includingthe black plaque which swept across Europe in the 14th century.The establishment of Israel was a great incident was something theJewish people were striving to obtain for generations. This,however, led to four major conflicts between Israel and the Arabcountries. One of the most meaningful wars was the Six-Day War. Events such as the holocaust have also had a dramatic effect onworld history and whose mysteries are still being unravelled. For twelve years following 1933 the Jews were persecuted bythe Nazi’s. Jewish businesses were boycotted and vandalized. By1939,Jews were no longer citizens,could not attend publicschools,engage in practically any business or profession, own anyland, associate with any non-Jew or visit public places such asparks and museums. The victories of the German armies in the earlyyears of World War II brought the majority of European Jewry underthe Nazis. The Jews were deprived of human rights. The Jewishpeople were forced to live in Ghetto’s which were separated fromthe main city. Hitler’s plan of genocide was carried out withefficiency. The total number of Jews exterminated has beencalculated at around 5,750,000. In Warsaw ,where approximately 400,000 Jews had once beenconcentrated,was reduced to a population of 60,000. They,virtuallyunarmed, resisted the German deportation order and had held backthe regular German troops equipped with flame throwers,armouredcards, and tanks for nearly a month. This heroism was similar tothe revolt which took place around 165BC. This uprising was led bythe Maccabees, a provincial priestly family (also calledHasmoneans). They recaptured the Temple and rededicated it to theGod of Israel. The Maccabees made there last stand on a mountainand was able to hold back the syrians for more then a month. Thereis a distinct similarity between the two stories and that ispossibly why they are both recognised as holidays in the Jewishfaith. These horrific events of the holocaust have let to someconsequences which are beneficial and some are unfortunate to theJewish people. The population of the followers has greatlydeclined. Also the Jewish people after the war still had problemsfinding jobs. They had to essentially start there life over. Mostof them lost a close relative or at least knew someone who died inthe gas chambers of the Nazi concentration camps. This has put apsychological strain on Jewish survivors or no longer having familyand friends with them for support. This event has awaken the worldup to the needs of the Jewish people. It has given them politicalpower and a justification for some of their actions. On May recognised,1945 ,the end of World War II was seen. Organized Jewry in the European continent was damaged beyondrepair. The Jews concentrated on the preservation of Israel and onthe bringing of Nazi war criminals to trial. There is a day of commemoration, Holocaust Day, observed inIsrael and elsewhere on Nisan (April) 19 and 20. The date is
considered the anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw GhettoUprising. The emergence of Israel as a Jewish state on the formerterritory of Palestine was the central political issue of theMiddle East after World War II. A movement was established to workon the reestablishment of the Jewish national state of Israel. This movement was given the name Zionism. The Zionists were fullof energy,enthusiasm, and skill which led to remarkableaccomplishments. Israel was a modern European state in anunderdeveloped area. This was the source of there problems andtheir achievements. The Jews received vast amounts of financial and militarysupport from Western governments. The Israelis also benefittedfrom a highly trained and motivated citizenry to create a uniquenation-state. It had taken the Zionists seventy years to purchase 7 per centof Palestine. Now the UN was offering them another 50 per cent. The partition plan was objected by all of that Arab and PalestinianArab governments. The Zionists excepted the plan. They howeverwere upset that Jerusalem was excluded from the Jewish state. The Jews were the most fertile land including the citrusgroves upon which the Arabs depended on for their living. Many ofthe nations of the world felt guilt or grief of the Hitler era. This is what is believed to have pressured the United Nations toestablish a Jewish state. The partition of Palestine was greatly important to bothJewish history and world history. It gave the Jews a place to seekrefuge in during the Nazi persecutions. This led to a change inthe nature of Zionist activities. They became more violent. TheJewish army called Haganah(defense)was formed to protect Israelfrom Arab attacks. This is remembered as a historic event for ithas greatly effected the lives of present day Middle East and allother countries. The cause of the Six-Day War of June 1967 was Egypt’s closureof the Strait of Tiran. This war focused on the issue of Israel’slegitimacy. Withdrawal of the UN troops after May 16 signified tothe Israelis that ultimately they would be responsible for theirown defense. From this war the jews regained control of the WestBank of the Jordan River. Syria was pushed by a frontal assaultthrough the Golan Heights and threatened Damascus. The United Nation security council managed to execute a cease-fire on June 11th. By this time the Arab states had lostterritory, much of their productive capacity, and a large amountsof revenue. Their mental and political defeat set the tone for theevents of the following years. The defeat of the Arab governmentsalso gave a powerful force to the Palestine guerrilla movement. The Wailing Wall is on of Judaism’s most honoured holy places. With the original United Nation’s partition it was located in OldJerusalem, previously occupied by Jordan. The Six Day was returnedit to its rightful owners , Israel. As is clearly visible through these few examples the Jewishrace have had a very trailing history. This however is only asmall representation of the rest of the Jewish problems. War , forexample, is still present. In 1991 in the Persian Gulf Israel wascontinuously bombed by Iraq. If Israel would have fought backchances are there would have had most of the Arabian countries joinin with Iraq to eliminate the common enemy. Therefor the problemsare yet not resolved yet it seems there is never a perfect solutionto any problem.
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