Did Judaism start in Jerusalem

Answer 1

Yes.

Judaism began about 4000 years ago with the Hebrew people in the Middle East. Abraham, a Hebrew man, is considered the father of the Jewish faith because he promoted the central idea of the Jewish faith: that there is one God. At the time many people in the Middle East worshipped many gods. It is said that Abraham and his wife Sarah, who were old and childless, were told by God that their children would be as plentiful as the stars in the sky and that they would live in a land of their own -- the Promised Land. This gradually came true.

Abraham's son, Isaac had a son, Jacob, also called Israel. In this way the descendants of Abraham came to be known as the Israelites. God promised the Israelites he would care for them as long as they obeyed God's laws. While still traveling, the Hebrews lived in Egypt where they were enslaved. Moses, a Hebrew, was chosen by God to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. Moses led the Hebrew people out of the Sinai Desert toward the promised land. At Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the Law which would guide the Israelites to today. The laws were called the Ten Commandments and form the basis of the Torah, the book of Jewish law.

It took many years for the Israelites to finally get to what they thought was the Promised Land -Canaan. After some fighting the Jews established the Israelite kingdom. After many years, Canaan was conquered by the Assyrians, the Babylonians and then eventually the Romans. The Israelites once again found themselves enslaved, this time by Babylonians. The Israelites were then taken over by Romans who destroyed much of what had been built in Jerusalem by the Israelites. Most of the Jews were scattered all over the region and eventually moved from place to place to avoid persecution which continues to this day. The dispersion of the Jews is called the Diaspora.

The worst persecution of the Jews was during World War II by the Nazis who murdered more than six million Jews or a third of the world's Jewish population. This was called the Holocaust. Beginning in the 1880's Jews began returning to their homeland in growing numbers, this time to avoid persecution where they lived. After World War II, many Jews believed that for the Jewish people and culture to survive, Jews needed to live in their own country where all Jews from anywhere in the world would have the right to live and be citizens. In 1948, Palestine was divided up and a Jewish state of Israel was formed in the land that was once called Canaan, surrounded by countries with predominantly Muslim populations. Since Muslims also claimed rights to the land where the Jews were living, there was conflict, which continues to this day in the Middle East.

Today nearly fourteen million Jewish people live all over the world. Approximately half of them live in the United States, one quarter live in Israel, and a quarter are still scattered around the world in countries in Europe, Russia, South America, Africa, Asia and other North American and Middle Eastern countries. Anyone born to a Jewish mother is considered a Jew.

Answer 2

No. According to Religious Judaism, Judaism began long before King David conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites. According to Western Scholars, Judaism was developed in Babylon.

Jerusalem remains the holiest city in Jerusalem because of the location of the Great Temple and because the Binding of Isaac (see Genesis ch.22) was believed to have happened there.

Answer 3

The general religious answer is that Judaism originated in Israel (Canaan), but there are three acceptable religious answers. In addition there is also the historical answer.

Religious: Israel

The general correct answer is the Holy Land (Canaan; today's Israel), since it was there that Abraham lived most of his life. It was there that Abraham made a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15) and raised his family and taught disciples to carry on his beliefs and traditions (see Genesis 18:19).

Religious: Harran (North Syria/South Turkey)

Judaism, theoretically, could also have developed in Harran, since it was there that the young Abraham was born, and repudiated the ubiquitous idolatry and began teaching others about the One God.

Religious: Sinai (Northeast Egypt)

The Jewish people officially became a nation at Mt. Sinai when G-d revealed Himself to 2 million people and gave them the Torah. This differs from other religions in the fact that the revelation involved the whole nation and not just one individual.

Historical: Israel and Babylonia (Central Iraq)

Jewish teachings began to crystallize in the times of the Kings of Israel, but those beliefs and traditions did not crystallize until the Jewish Exile in Babylon. It was at this point, that the Torah was completed as explained by the JEPD hypothesis.

Answer 4

The general religious answer is that Judaism originated in Israel, but there are three acceptable religious answers. In addition there is also the historical answer, which posits that Judaism did begin in Mesopotamia.

Religious: Israel

The general correct answer is the Holy Land (Canaan; today's Israel), since it was there that Abraham lived most of his life. It was there that Abraham made a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15) and raised his family and taught disciples to carry on his beliefs and traditions (see Genesis 18:19).

Religious: Harran (North Syria/South Turkey)

Judaism, theoretically, could also have developed in Harran, since it was there that the young Abraham was born, and repudiated the ubiquitous idolatry and began teaching others about the One God.

Religious: Sinai (Northeast Egypt)

The Jewish people officially became a nation at Mt. Sinai when G-d revealed Himself to 2 million people and gave them the Torah. This differs from other religions in the fact that the revelation involved the whole nation and not just one individual.

Historical: Israel and Babylonia (Central Iraq)

Jewish teachings began to crystallize in the times of the Kings of Israel, but those beliefs and traditions did not crystallize until the Jewish Exile in Babylon. It was at this point, that the Torah was completed as explained by the JEPD hypothesis.

Answer 5

Actually, Judaism began with the then-three-year-old Avram (later his name was changed to Avraham, whom you may know by the latinized name Abraham) who lived not in Egypt, but in Ur Kasdim (Chaldea) and Canaan (Israel). Both Avraham and his grandson Yaakov (Jacob) lived in Egypt for a while, but there weren't Israelites in Egypt until later.

Answer:The answer may be a qualified "yes." Abraham began Judaism (see the above answer) and bequeathed it to his family (Genesis 18:19); and his traditions didn't become obligatory until the Giving Of the Torah at Mount Sinai in the time of Moses. However, the first several commands were given by God (Genesis ch.12) while the Israelites hadn't yet left Egypt.

Answer 6

No, but tradition holds that it did begin in Israel.