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Chaya Burstein in Memory of the Grandparents I Never Knew, Eliyahu, Michal, Chaya, and Mosheh Nchaya

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Chaya Burstein in Memory of the Grandparents I Never Knew, Eliyahu, Michal, Chaya, and Mosheh Nchaya The Amazing History of e Jews Chaya Burstein In memory of the grandparents I never knew, Eliyahu, Michal, Chaya, and Mosheh nChaya ISBN: 978-1-934527-48-1 Text and illustration © 2012 Chaya Burstein. Published by Torah Aura Productions. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Torah Aura Productions • 4423 Fruitland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90058 (800) BE-Torah • (800) 238-6724 • (323) 585-7312 • fax (323) 585-0327 E-MAIL <[email protected]> • Visit the Torah Aura website at www.torahaura.com Manufactured in China .Table of Contents. Chapter 1: In the Beginning, A Quick Look at the Bible . 5 Chapter 2: Trouble and Triumphs in Second Temple Times . 9 Chapter 3: Jews and Greeks Fight It Out . .14 Chapter 4: Rome Takes Over . 22 Chapter 5: Tempers Boil in Israel. 28 Chapter 6: The Great Revolt . 35 Chapter 7: Living By the Book . 40 Chapter 8: Babylonia Takes the Lead . 45 Chapter 9: Islam, the Desert Religion, Takes Over . 53 Chapter 10: Home Sweet(?) Home in Spain and North Africa . 64 Chapter 11: Life and Death in England, France and Germany. 72 Chapter 12: The Last Act in Spain . 87 Chapter 13: Desperate Escapes . 88 Chapter 14: Welcome (in Poland) and not so welcome (in Central Europe). 97 Chapter 15: Shadows and Lights in Europe . 106 Chapter 16: Giddy with Freedom . 116 Chapter 17: In Darkest Russia . 126 Chapter 18: In Arab Lands . 135 Chapter 19: To the Golden Land . 143 Chapter 20: Pogroms, Revolution and War . 150 Chapter 21: Between Two Wars . 158 Chapter 22: War and Holocaust . 164 Chapter 23: Coming Home . 171 Chapter 24: War, War and Growing Pains . 177 Chapter 25: Jewish Americans/American Jews . 184 Chapter 26: What’s Next? . 191 iii iv In e Beginning, a Quick Look at e Bible Why don’t you try something crunchier? The story of Jewish history starts in the Torah scroll that Jews read aloud in the synagogue. The Torah, also called the five books of Moses, tells about the creation of the world and the beginning of the Jewish people. It ends with the arrival of the Jews at the border of the land God has promised to them, the land of Israel. 1 HOLY MATH Two more books of the Bible called Nevi’im Torah scroll (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings) continue the (Five Books of Moses) story until the sad time when the Jews were forced to leave their land and go into exile in Babylonia. Ketuvim ends when some of the Jewish people return to their land. + Together, the Five Books of Moses, Nevi’im and Ketuvim make up the tANAKH (also known as Nevi’im the Bible). The Tanakh has been a guide that (Prophets) holds the Jewish people together, comforts them and inspires them on the amazing, centuries-long journey that they travel. + Ketuvim (Writings) = Bible (Tanakh). Here’s a Timeline of Events Described in the Torah Five B ooks of Mos In the beginning there were es (To six days of creation when rah) God created the heavens, the earth, the sun, moon, stars and all living things… …humans were driven from the Garden of Eden because they disobeyed God. …and then, on the seventh day, All theGod creatures rested. who lived in the Garden of Almost 6,000 years Eden rested, too. ago by Bible reckoning But later… 2 People worshipped many gods. Abraham of Ur believed that there was A Torah scroll dressed only one God. He became the first Jew. God led Abraham and up in a velvet mantle, his family to the land of Canaan . • shiny crown, and made a covenant with them. • • • silver breast • Years passed. Abraham’s family grew and wandered plate and south to Egypt. about tinkling 1500 bells is a splendid sight. Noah’s descendants built a God was concerned. God tower of Babeltaught to eachreach builder heaven. a differentso they language couldn’t stop building. understandother and each had to The Egyptians enslaved them. God helped Moses to free the Jewish people and leaddesert them and out toward of the the land Godof Israel, promised the to land them. things remained alive. laws of the Torah. Only Noah and his family (who were The Jews had grown into twelve tribes. good people) and pairs of all living Deep in the desert, out of the thunder and lightning above Mount Sinai, God gave the Jews the Ten Commandments and the Canaan = . • • Promised Land = • • • Land of Israel. 1200 1200 about • •• •• • means Before the Common Era. The years are counted from higher numbers to lower numbers. For example: from 586 • •• •• ••to 1 • •• •• •• C.E.•means the Common Era. It begins Humans began to with 1 • • and is counted forward. Finally the Jews • • of the Promised reached the border Land. Moses died and earth with a great flood. the people mourned rob anddisgusted kill each and other. cleaned God out got the their great leader. 3 • •• •• • About 1100 Here’s a The Hebrew tribes settled in the land of Timeline Israel. Many tribes were for Nevi’im led by judges. The tribesAbout united 1000 under King Saul. David, Israel’s• •• • •second• and Ketuvim king, enlarged the kingdom. Solomon, Israel’s third king, built a Temple to God in the city of Jerusalem. At holiday-time Israelites brought gifts to God at the Temple. 922 • •• •• • The kingdom of Israel split into two: Judea and Samaria. The two kingdoms fought to stay indepen dent, but Samaria was conquered• •• •• • by Assyria in 722 800’s to 600’s Prophets arose in• • •both•• • kingdoms and taught people that justice and mercy toward each other are more important to God than gifts and sacrifices at the Temple. 586 • •• •• The Babylonians• conquered Judea, destroyed the Temple and took many Judeans away •• •• into exile. 538 • •• About 450 • •• •• • to about 400 • •• •• • Two Babylonian Jews named King Cyrus of Persia Ezra and Nehemiah helped to conquered Babylonia and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem allowed Jews to return and to renew the Jewish to Judea and rebuild people’s covenant with God. their Temple. Instead of reaching the end of Prophets were leaders who spoke to God and their history, the Jews found a taught the people to new beginning! obey God’s laws and to be justwith and each generous other. 4 Trouble and triumphs Troublein second and triumphs temple times in second temple times E • •• • e 586 B.C.E. to 300 B.C. • • Timelin about 400 • •• •• • Date: 586 • •• •• • 538 • •• •• • about 450–400 Persian Jews faced deathsaved. and were Events: First Temple was Many Jews returned In a great religious to the Land of revival the walls destroyed. Jews Esther,Haman, Mordecai, were exiled to Israel and rebuilt of Jerusalem were Babylonia. Jerusalem. rebuilt and Torah Ahasueros study grew. People: Prophets Jeremiah, Cyrus the Great, Ezekiel and Isaiah king of Persia Ezra and Nehemiah On a summer day in 586 b.c.e., the Babylonian army burned the andJewish tore Temple apart to the the city ground of Jerusalem. Some Jews were forced into exile. The great prophet Jeremiah fled to Egypt. DESTROYED! THE HEART OF JEWISH LIFE WAS 5 To a Strange Landd Of course we’ll come back home. We’re God’s people. God would never let us die in exile. Mama, will we ever come back home? The Babylonians blinded King Zedekiah of Judea and dragged him to Babylonia along with priests, merchants and other leaders of Judea. Ha! Are you kidding? We defeated your God. He’s a loser—a nothing. Your God can’t help you. No way! That’s not true. God can’t be a loser. God left us because we disobeyed the Torah’s laws. If I forget Play us some music How can we sing Jerusalem let my and sing some of the songs of Zion right hand forget those Temple in a strange land? its skill. songs. Come on— Look alive! 6 Finally the exiles reached But there was one BIG problem. Babylonia, the land of two great rivers. They settled down and to their surprise found that exile How will God hear us if we wasn’t so bad. haven’t got a Temple and priests and sacrifices? Hey, Babylonia is okay. There’s plenty of clay and water to make Stop crying! God will my pots. manage without our sacrifices. The prophets told us that God wants us to pray and study Torah and be honest and fair with each other. Good soil for my garbanzo beans and grass for my goats. So the Jews built meeting places (Batei Knesset) where they could study Torah together and pray. Later these meeting places were called synagogues. And they set up schools where their children Plenty of studied. customers to buy all my wares. How come none of the Babylonian kids have to learn We’re lucky. Torah? We’re Jews. Even in Babylonia there were Hebrew prophets. They reminded the Jews to follow the Torah’s laws and promised that God would bring them back to the Land of Israel. The prophet Ezekiel said. The prophet Isaiah You’ll see, if you’re sorry had a glowing vision. for the bad things you’ve done, God will give you a new heart and a new spirit, and you’ll rebuild the holy Temple. Here’s what the Temple will look like. We’ll rebuild God’s Temple and all the people of the world will come to worship with us.
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