A Crash Course about the History of the State of Israel

I've realized my own lack of knowledge about the history of the land which is now called the state of Israel, and our capital city of Jerusalem. Over the past few months I have begun doing research on the subject and I think that it's important for those of you reading this to know and to understand why we (the nation of Israel) are here and what the factual history is about this land compared to our cousins (the nation of Islam) that surrounds us.

This information is based on the many classes I've been taking here and the countless books I have been reading. The majority of the information I will be sharing with you is based on and thanks to Rabbi Ken Spiro from Aish HaTorah along with the Max Dimont book called, “Jews, Gd, and History”. With these sources in mind I have complied a short review of why we're here. (Thereby showing you more reasons why I am here.)

First, why do the 5 books of Moses start with creation of the universe as opposed to the Exodus from Egypt and the receiving of the Torah? Rashi, who was a great Rabbi in the 11th century of France, answered this question and what he determined is that 'down the road it will be said that we [the Jewish nation] stole the land.' The Torah... explains the history. Today, archeological and scientific evidence backs up all claims as far back as 2000 years. More and more is being discovered ALL THE TIME.

This "crash course" is going to begin with the 3^rd portion we read of the Torah: Lech Lecha. This is the section of the book of Genesis teaching us about when Abraham leaves, what is now called Turkey, and migrated to the land of Israel. This trek happened in the 18th century BCE (before common era). Abraham left for Israel (then referred to as Canaan) after which our nation had to leave the land of Israel. Abraham's grandson Jacob left due to a famine and wound up in the land of Egypt. There, as the story goes, we were enslaved for hundreds of years. Then with the leadership of Moses, we were liberated from slavery. After we left the land of Egypt with Moses, we wandered in the desert for 40 years eventually leading us to Mt. Sinai where we received the Torah. Shortly thereafter Moses died and his brother Joshua led us into Israel.

Joshua led us to the conquering of the land in 1272 BCE. We were then in the land of Israel for 440 years until the end of the 1st Temple period. There was a period of nearly 860 continuous years in the land which will take us from 13th century BCE all the way through the 5th century BCE. Between the 1^st and 2^nd Temple periods there was a 70 year exile. The 2^nd Temple period lasted 420 years ending in the year 70 CE (common era). There were 1270 years of occupation in total (so far). 1400 years of total presence ended and lead to a period of diaspora, which is the period we're in today. You should know that archeological evidence dates back to the divided monarchy period, which was roughly 1000 BCE.

Now that we know Jewish history, let's talk a little bit about the Arabic presence in Israel. Islamic year 1 is the Common Era year 623. This was when Mohammed makes his journey from Mecca to Medina. Mohammed dies 10 years later in the year 632 CE. In the year 638 CE a man by the name of Omar, takes over Islamic leadership for Muhammed. Omar conquers Jerusalem from the Bizantines and then from 638 CE to 1917 CE was the time of Arab/Islamic rule (roughly 1300 years). The nation of Islam call this land the "Providence of Syria" and the time period is known as the “Islamic Dynastic Time”. In this time there is no capital city. The only break in Islamic control was from 1099 to 1187 CE which was the time of the Latin kingdom (which had no Arabs). On a side note, Crusaders were the only other people who had a capital in the land of Israel besides the Jewish nation.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) wants an Independent state with Jerusalem as a capital. So what is the significance of Jerusalem? For the Jewish people the location of a capital city has to do with spirituality and the connection to Mt. Moriah. The Western Wall is a retaining wall around Mt. Moriah which is where the Temple stood. This, we believe is the holiest place in the world. This is where Abraham & Isaac went for the sacrifice which led to the “binding of Isaac”. It was the place of Jacob's dream. Isaac and Rebecca met here, and the list goes on.

There are 349 mentions of the city of Jerusalem in the Bible, 148 mentions of Zion, and 750 mentions of this exact spot. This is the only place we can build our holy temple. Therefore it is the only place that can be considered our capital city.

For the record Christian Churches face eastward to represent the rising sun. Conversely Mosques will be facing towards Mecca which is their holiest city. An example of this is shown by where the Al Aqsa Mosque was built on the southside of the Temple Mount. This location would be opposite from where our holy Temple would have stood. It was built precisely so that there would be nothing standing in the way of the direction of Muslim prayer... in the direction of Mecca. The Koran never mentions Jerusalem. All synagogues face towards Jerusalem, specifically towards the Holy of Holies.

The Islamic connection to Jerusalem happened during the 7th century CE. The Umayyad Dynasty lasted from 650 to 750 CE, which is also referred to as “Omar's Dynasty”. During this time the Umayyad's loose control of both Mecca and Medina, which are both located in Saudi Arabia.

In the religion of Islam there are 5 pillars of faith, one of which is to make a holy pilgrimage to Mecca (called a Hajj) at least once in their lifetime. Jerusalem was only considered a holy site at the point after the loss of control of Mecca, as an alternative point of Hajj. In the year 691 CE the gold dome was built as a shrine to a dream Mohammed had. In 701 CE the black dome, called Al-Aqsa, was built as the house of worship and the actual Mosque in Jerusalem.

80 - 85 % of Sunni Muslims consider Jerusalem their 3rd holiest city (all the while still praying in the direction of Mecca, Saudi Arabia). The other 15 - 20% of Muslims are called Shiites and don't even consider Jerusalem their 3rd holiest city. (They consider Karbala, Iraq to be choice number 3.) The PLO claims that Jerusalem is an only Islamic city.

Let's now talk about the past 100 years of history. The last Muslim rulers were in the 16th century CE and lasted through the year 1917 CE. At that time Ottoman Empire was ruling Israel and had an alliance with Germany and Hungry during WWI. As history shows, the Ottomans lost their empire at the end of the war. England was the biggest "power house" at that time and they wanted Palestine. The Suez Canal was the point of British interest and they wanted a revolt against the Turks. 1920 was the Treaty of San Rimo which divided up the Middle East. In 1922 Abdallah was given the land called Trans-Jordan.

Here's where the disagreements in the land dispute gets heavy: In 1937 the Appeals Commission made a land treaty accepted by the Jews and rejected by Muslims. In 1947 the UN votes 33 to 13 to partition separate Jewish and Arab states. The Jews say yes, the Muslims say no. 1948, Israel becomes a state and the 1st Prime Minister of Israel Ben Gurion calls on the Arabs to “make peace for the greater good of the Middle East”. The reaction: 1967 war of Independence. The '67 war was a miraculous victory in which prior land called Israel had not included the West Bank or Jerusalem. Arabs launch a war, and the Jews win another miraculous victory in 6 days tripling their territory with minimal casualties. Land acquired included: West Bank, Gaza, and Jerhico (to say the least). The Jews say, make peace and we'll give you ALL of this land back. Arabs say no. 1973 the Yom Kippur war follows in “response” to the '67 war. 1993 the Oslo process begins. The first offer that was made to the Arab nation was for the “return” of territory taken in the 50s and offered 100% of the West Bank, a redivision of Jerusalem, and the internationalization of the Temple Mount. Arabs say no.

Remember that Israel is the ONLY democracy in the Middle East which includes human rights and free press. It is the only country in the Middle East who's existence is a "threat". Costa Rica, Micronesia, and El Salvador are the only countries that accept Jerusalem as our capital. Since 1967 there have been over 1000 anti Israel resolutions in the UN and 2/3 since 1990 have been anti-Israel.

Jews must realize that anti semitism is on the rise. Anti semitism doesn't care if you're religious, secular, left, right, or whatever. They will come after us all together. Israel may be the front line, but the whole Jewish world is under siege. What should we do with this information? Have unity. Abraham Lincoln said, "a house divided against itself cannot stand." Israel and the Jewish world is under attack. This is the time for the Jewish people to come together. If we're not for each other than we have no chance for the world at large. Israel is the national homeland for the Jewish people whether you live here or not. We (the Jewish people) have a deeper and a PROVEN connection to our real estate, more than any other country does in the world.

I heard a great example from Rabbi Ken Spiro that I wanted to share with you, “Imagine if Mexico launched laredo shells into Texas. 2 hours later, there would be no Mexico. Americans would be in the streets waiving their flags and cheering... and the whole world would be on board. It would be justified. Israel is responding with a level of self restraint that is unprecendented in human history. We have nothing to apologize for. We only should be proud... We've outlasted the greatest empires in human history; Babalyonians, Greeks, Persians and we'll continue to be here.”