РефератыИностранный языкJeJewish History Essay Research Paper The Jews

Jewish History Essay Research Paper The Jews

Jewish History Essay, Research Paper


The Jews are a people with a multitude of problems. From the


Israelite tribes to prosperous modern day Israel, bigotry towards the Jews


has been greatly evident. The Jewish race has acted as the scapegoat for


many crisis throughout history including the black plague which swept


across Europe during the 14th century. The establishment of Israel was the


climax of what the Jewish people had been striving to obtain for centuries.


This, however, led to many major conflicts between Israel and the Arab


countries. One of the most meaningful of these conflicts was the Six-Day


War. Earlier Jewish events such as the holocaust have also had dramatic


effects on world history.


For twelve years following 1933 the many Jews in Germany were


persecuted by the Nazis, who sought to blame German ruination on the Jews.


It began with the boycotting and vandalization of Jewish businesses. By


1939, Jews were no longer citizens, could not attend public schools, engage


nearly any business or profession, own any land, associate with any


non-Jew, or visit public places such as parks and museums. The victories


of the German armies in the early years of World War II brought the


majority of European Jews under the Nazis. The Jews were deprived of human


rights. At first, the Jewish people were forced to live in Ghettos which


were separated from the main city. Then they were moved to “Concentration


Camps”, where Hitler’s plan of genocide was carried out very efficiently.


The total number of Jews killed has been estimated at 5,750,000.


In Warsaw, where approximately 400,000 Jews had once lived, the Jewish


population was reduced to 60,000. They, nearly unarmed, resisted the


German deportation order and had held back the regular German troops


equipped with flame throwers, armored cars, and tanks for nearly a month.


The horrific events of the holocaust have resulted in many problems,


but also in giving the Jews more world recognition. After World War II and


the holocaust, the number of Jewish followers had greatly declined, and the


Jewish people still had problems finding jobs; they essentially had to


start their lives over. Almost all of them had lost a close relative or a


friend to the gas chambers of the Nazi concentration camps. This put a


psychological strain on Jewish survivors as many no longer had family and


friends with them for support. However, not all of the results of the


holocaust have been bad. This event has awakened the world to the needs of


the Jewish people; it has given them political power and justification for


some of their actions.


In May of 1945, the end of World War II was seen. Organized Judaism


in the European continent was damaged beyond repair. The Jews were only


able to concentrate on the preservation of Israel and on bringing Nazi war


criminals to trial.


There is now a day of commemoration, Holocaust Day, observed in Israel


and elsewhere on Nisan (April) 19 and 20. These dates are considered the


anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.


The creation of Israel as a Jewish state on the former territory of


Palestine was the central political issue in the Middle East for many years


after World War II. A movement was established to reestablish the Jewish


national state of Israel. This movement was called Zionism. The Zionists


were full of energy, enthusiasm, and skill which led to remarkable


accomplishments. Israel was a modern European state in an underdeveloped


area. This was a source of both many problems and many achievements.


The Jews received vast am

ounts of financial and military support from


Western governments. The Israelis also benefitted from a highly trained


and motivated population which created a unique nation-state.


It had taken the Zionists seventy years to purchase 7 percent of


Palestine, but many of the nations of world felt that they owed something


to the Jews to compensate for holocaust. The UN responded to this feeling


by offering the Zionists another 50 percent of Palestine. This area was


some of the most fertile land in the Middle East; it included the citrus


groves on which many of the Arabs depended for their living. Because of


this, the partition plan was objected to by all of the Arab and Palestinian


Arab governments. However, the Zionists accepted the plan and were


supported by many Western nations. They were, however, upset that


Jerusalem was excluded from the Jewish state.


The formation of this new state in Palestine was greatly important to


both Jewish history and world history. It had given some Jews a place to


seek refuge from the Nazi persecutions. However, after having fifty


percent of Palestine given to Israel, tension between the countries was


very high, and sometimes became violent. The Jewish army, called Haganah


(defense), was formed to protect Israel from Arab attacks. To this day,


that formation has had many effects on all of the Middle Eastern countries,


and on other countries throughout the world who have tried to be


peacemakers.


The Six-Day War of 1967 was caused by Egypt’s closure of the Strait of


Tiran, Israel’s main link to the Indian Ocean. This war was focused on the


issue of Israel’s legitimacy. Withdrawal of UN troops after May 16 had


signified to the Israelis that they were responsible for their own defense.


War broke out in June. During the war the Jews pushed Jordan’s boundaries


back to the Jordan river, regaining control of Jerusalem. Syria was also


pushed back by a frontal assault through northeast Israel’s that soon


threatened Damascus.


The United Nation security council executed a cease-fire on June 11th.


By this time the Arab states had lost much territory, a lot of their


productive capacity, and large amounts of revenue. Their mental and


political defeat set the tone for the events of the following years. The


defeat of the Arab governments also gave power to the Palestine guerrilla


movement.


The Wailing Wall is one of Judaism’s most honored holy places.


According to the original United Nation’s partition it was located in


Jordan. The Six Day war returned it to the Israelis.


As is clearly visible from these few examples, modern Judaism has had


a very traumatic history. These, however, are only a small piece of all of


modern Judaism’s problems. War and terrorism are still present, and


continue to raise tension between Israel and the Arab countries. During


the Persian Gulf War of 1991, Israel was continuously bombed by Iraq. If


Israel had fought back, many more Arab countries would probably have joined


with Iraq to eliminate the common enemy. Even with advances such as the


Middle East Peace process, it appears terrorism and differences in religion


will always create tension and even war between these countries.


Bibliography


1. Holocaust : the Jewish tragedy


Gilbert,Martin,


COLLI 1986


2. Israel & the Arabs: The June 1967 War


Facts on file, INC. New York, N.Y.


1968


3. The Holocaust in Historical Perspective


Yehuda Bauer


University of Washington Press


1978


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