The Jewish History Essay, Research Paper

The Jews are a people with a multitude of

dilemmas. From the Israelite tribes to the prosperous

modern day Israel , bigotry towards the Jews has been

greatly evident. The Jewish race has acted as Escape Goat

for many crisis throughout history including the black plaque

which swept across Europe in the 14th century. The

establishment of Israel was a great incident was something

the Jewish people were striving to obtain for generations.

This, however, led to four major conflicts between Israel and

the Arab countries. One of the most meaningful wars was

the Six-Day War. Events such as the holocaust have also

had a dramatic effect on world history and whose mysteries

are still being unravelled. For twelve years following 1933

the Jews were persecuted by the Nazi’s. Jewish businesses

were boycotted and vandalized. By 1939,Jews were no

longer citizens,could not attend public schools,engage in

practically 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 Jewry under the Nazis. The Jews were deprived

of human rights. The Jewish people were forced to live in

Ghetto’s which were separated from the main city. Hitler’s

plan of genocide was carried out with efficiency. The total

number of Jews exterminated has been calculated at around

5,750,000. In Warsaw ,where approximately 400,000 Jews

had once been concentrated,was reduced to a population of

60,000. They,virtually unarmed, resisted the German

deportation order and had held back the regular German

troops equipped with flame throwers,armoured cards, and

tanks for nearly a month. This heroism was similar to the

revolt which took place around 165BC. This uprising was

led by the Maccabees, a provincial priestly family (also

called Hasmoneans). They recaptured the Temple and

rededicated it to the God of Israel. The Maccabees made

there last stand on a mountain and was able to hold back the

syrians for more then a month. There is a distinct similarity

between the two stories and that is possibly why they are

both recognised as holidays in the Jewish faith. These horrific

events of the holocaust have let to some consequences

which are beneficial and some are unfortunate to the Jewish

people. The population of the followers has greatly declined.

Also the Jewish people after the war still had problems

finding jobs. They had to essentially start there life over.

Most of them lost a close relative or at least knew someone

who died in the gas chambers of the Nazi concentration

camps. This has put a psychological strain on Jewish

survivors or no longer having family and friends with them for

support. This event has awaken the world up to the needs of

the Jewish people. It has given them political power 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

beyond repair. The Jews concentrated on the preservation

of Israel and on the bringing of Nazi war criminals to trial.

There is a day of commemoration, Holocaust Day, observed

in Israel and elsewhere on Nisan (April) 19 and 20. The

date is considered the anniversary of the beginning of the

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The emergence of Israel as a

Jewish state on the former territory of Palestine was the

central political issue of the Middle East after World War II.

A movement was established to work on the reestablishment

of the Jewish national state of Israel. This movement was

given the name 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 the source of there problems

and their achievements. The Jews received vast amounts of

financial and military support from Western governments.

The Israelis also benefitted from a highly trained and

motivated citizenry to create a unique nation-state. It had

taken the Zionists seventy years to purchase 7 per cent of

Palestine. Now the UN was offering them another 50 per

cent. The partition plan was objected by all of that Arab and

Palestinian Arab governments. The Zionists excepted the

plan. They however were upset that Jerusalem was excluded

from the Jewish state. The Jews were the most fertile land

including the citrus groves upon which the Arabs depended

on for their living. Many of the nations of the world felt guilt

or grief of the Hitler era. This is what is believed to have

pressured the United Nations to establish a Jewish state. The

partition of Palestine was greatly important to both Jewish

history and world history. It gave the Jews a place to seek

refuge in during the Nazi persecutions. This led to a change

in the nature of Zionist activities. They became more violent.

The Jewish army called Haganah(defense)was formed to

protect Israel from Arab attacks. This is remembered as a

historic event for it has greatly effected the lives of present

day Middle East and all other countries. The cause of the

Six-Day War of June 1967 was Egypt’s closure of the Strait

of Tiran. This war focused on the issue of Israel’s legitimacy.

Withdrawal of the UN troops after May 16 signified to the

Israelis that ultimately they would be responsible for their

own defense. From this war the jews regained control of the

West Bank of the Jordan River. Syria was pushed by a

frontal assault through 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 lost territory, much of their productive capacity,

and a 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 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 Old Jerusalem,

previously occupied by Jordan. The Six Day was returned it

to its rightful owners , Israel. As is clearly visible through

these few examples the Jewish race have had a very trailing

history. This however is only a small representation of the

rest of the Jewish problems. War , for example, is still

present. In 1991 in the Persian Gulf Israel was continuously

bombed by Iraq. If Israel would have fought back chances

are there would have had most of the Arabian countries join

in with Iraq to eliminate the common enemy. Therefor the

problems are yet not resolved yet it seems there is never a

perfect solution to any problem. 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