Judaism
The Jewish Diaspora: Two thousand years of exile
· 8 min read
The Jewish diaspora is the longest and most widespread in history. From the destruction of the Second Temple until the 20th century, Jews lived scattered among the nations, maintaining their identity.
The Jewish Diaspora
From exile to diaspora
After the destruction of Jerusalem (70 CE), Jews settled throughout the Roman world, then in the Islamic world (Sefarad — Spain) and Christian Europe (Ashkenaz — Germany, France, Eastern Europe).
Main communities
- Sephardic: Spain, Portugal, North Africa, Ottoman Empire. Andalusian Hebrew, poetry (Yehuda Halevi), philosophy (Rambam).
- Ashkenazic: Central and Eastern Europe. Yiddish, Rashi, Hasidism.
- Mizrahi: Middle East (Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Persia). Preserved ancient traditions.
- Italkim: Italy. Continuous community since Roman times.
Preservation and persecution
Jews preserved their identity through the Torah, mitzvot, the Hebrew calendar, and the hope of return to Zion. But they also suffered persecutions: Crusades, Inquisition, pogroms, Holocaust.
Reading: Simon Dubnow (History of the Jewish people), Salo Baron (Social and religious history of the Jews). Community chronicles.
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