History of Judaism

Scholars now know that during what is now called the period of the Judges and during the first half of the monarchy, Hebrew religion was thoroughly polytheistic, as evidenced by numerous archaeological finds. Inscriptions found at Kuntillet 'Ajrud and at Khirbet el-Qom even appear to mean that the goddess Asherah was the consort of YHWH (Yahweh), the national God of Israel. Gradually, the number of gods in the Hebrew pantheon reduced, with, for example YHWH becoming syncretised with the Father of the gods, El (biblical: Elohim). Monotheistic Judaism finally evolved during the Babylonian Exile. In other words, Judaism, as we understand it, did not yet exist at the time of the Patriarchs or even the early monarchy.

Jewish answer:

Abraham (18th century BCE) came from ancestry that had been God-fearing a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the conjunction of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.
The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12). As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.
Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).
Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where Abraham raised his family.
He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses. Abraham taught disciples (Talmud, Yoma 28b), gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19), made a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22). He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).
All of these forms of behavior were based upon the ways of God, which Abraham comprehended through his contemplations. These, and similar personality traits, were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants.
It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why, according to our tradition, Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism. However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.
Isaac is the second of the three Forefathers and (like Abraham and Jacob) one of the greatest personages in Judaism.
Isaac (Yitzhak) was a son of Abraham (Genesis ch.21); and God said that His covenant with Abraham would continue with Isaac (Genesis 17:18-19). Isaac had facial features that were identical to Abraham (Rashi commentary, Genesis 25:19).
God tested Abraham by asking him to offer Isaac as an offering (see Genesis ch.22); and this readiness for self-sacrifice bestowed a special holiness upon Isaac (Talmud, Yevamot 64).
Isaac married Rebecca (Genesis ch.24), his second cousin. Rebecca gave birth to two sons, Esau and Jacob (Genesis ch.25).
God spoke to Isaac, confirming His covenant with him (Genesis ch.26).
Despite harassment from the Philistines, Isaac enjoyed great success (ibid.). He reopened all the wells which his father had dug and the Philistines had stopped up (ibid.). The king of the Philistines, unable to ignore Isaac's phenomenal success, petitioned him to make a mutual treaty of non-aggression (ibid.).
In his advanced years, Isaac sought to bless his elder son Esau (Genesis ch.27). Rebecca took pains to thwart this and to ensure that Jacob would receive the blessing, since she had learned through prophecy (Genesis 25:23) that Jacob would be more favored by God. Later it became apparent that Isaac admitted Rebecca's having done the right thing, since he blessed Jacob again (Genesis 28:1-4) even after he found out what had happened (see Genesis 27:6-16).
Isaac sent Jacob to the ancestral family seat in Mesopotamia to choose a wife (Genesis ch.28). Though Jacob didn't return for over twenty years (Genesis 31:38), God granted Isaac extra years, so that he lived on for two decades after Jacob's return.
Isaac was buried next to his father Abraham (Genesis 49:31).
Jacob, son of Isaac, was the last of the Patriarchs (Talmud, Berakhot 16b). He spent a lot of time in the tents (Genesis 25:27) studying his ancestors' teachings (Rashi commentary, ibid.); and eventually, like Abraham and Isaac before him, reached the level of prophecy, in which God spoke to him and promised His protection (Genesis 28:10-15).
When the opportunity presented itself, Jacob asked his brother Esau to sell him his first-born birthright (Genesis 25:29:34), since he sensed that Esau wasn't pious enough to fully deserve it. Thus began the fulfillment of the prophecy which Rebecca had heard, that Jacob would become the dominant of her two sons (Genesis 25:22-23).
Jacob's life was replete with tribulations. He managed to come out ahead despite the wiles of the deceitful Laban (Genesis 29:25 and 31:41) and the danger presented by the angry Esau (Genesis 27:41 and 32:12). There were painful events with his daughter Dinah (Genesis 34:1-7) and with his being separated for two decades from his beloved son, Joseph (Genesis ch.37); and his wife Rachel died at a young age in childbirth (Genesis 35:16-19).
These troubles were a portent for the tribulations of the Jews in their times of exile. But Jacob received, in prophecy, God's affirmation of His covenant and blessing (Genesis 28:13-14; 35:9-12; 46:2-4), signifying that the exile would eventually end.
These three, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were the founders of the Israelite (Jewish) people, both physically and spiritually; and God calls himself "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (Exodus ch.3) eighteen times in the Torah.
It is their ways and traditions that the Torah preserves.

All of the dates and information provided below are based on the Jewish Torah, Talmud and oral tradition. Note that many hundreds of names and dates have been omitted for the sake of brevity. Early Era:

• Terah, Abraham's father was born, 1882 BCE.

• Avraham, founder of Jewish belief, born 1812 BCE (= "Before the Common Era"). Abraham founded the tradition of monotheism, which is the belief in One God.

• Yitzchak (Isaac), second of the Avot (Patriarchs), born 1712 BCE.
• Yaakov (Jacob), third of the three Patriarchs, born 1652 BCE.

• Yosef (Joseph), born 1563 BCE, became Viceroy of Egypt.

• The sojourn in Egypt was 1522-1312 BCE. The enslavement in Egypt began in 1428 BCE.

• Moshe (Moses) was born in 1392 BCE. He played a key role in the Exodus, and brought down the Two Stone Tablets from God.

• The forty years in the Wilderness were 1312-1272 BCE.

• The Israelites crossed the Jordan into Canaan, 1272 BCE. Yehoshua (Joshua, died 1244 BCE), leader after Moses, led the conquest of Canaan. His period of leadership was 1272-1244 BCE.

• Devorah became leader in 1107 BCE. She was a female Torah-sage and Judge who led a miraculous victory over a Canaanite king (Judges ch.4-5).
• Gideon became Judge in 1067 BCE. He led a miraculous victory over the Midianites (Judges ch.6-8).
• Yiphtach (Jephthah) became leader in 982 BCE. He led a miraculous victory over the Ammonites (Judges ch.11).
• Shimshon (Samson) became leader in 951 BCE. This Judge had unequaled strength and subdued the Philistines for many years (Judges ch.13-15).
• Shmuel (Samuel) became leader in 890 BCE. He marked the transition from Judges to Kings.

• The Mishkan (Tabernacle) at Shiloh is overrun by the Philistines, 888 BCE.

Here are some of the prominent kings, prophets and events:

• Shaul (Saul), died 876 BCE, was first of the Kings. 1 Samuel ch.8-31.
• King David reigned 40 years, from 876 BCE.

• The building of the First Temple commenced in 832 BCE, by King Solomon, who reigned 40 years. See 1 Kings ch.6-8. The First Temple stood for 410 years.
• Yerav'am (Jeroboam) took power in 796 BCE. He split the Ten Tribes (the Northern Kingdom of Israel) away from the Southern Kingdom of Judah and Benjamin (1 Kings ch.12).

• Eliyahu (Elijah), 8th century BCE, famous prophet. See 1 Kings ch.17 until 2 Kings ch.2.

• Yeshayahu (Isaiah), best-known of the Prophets, began his prophecies in 619 BCE.
• Exile of the Ten Tribes by the Assyrians to points presently unknown, in 555 BCE.

• Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) began his prophecies in 463 BCE. Warned about the impending Destruction.
• Yechezkel (Ezekiel) prophesied, 429 BCE.

• Destruction of the First Temple, in 422 BCE.
• Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream in 422 BCE.

• Zerubavel led the Jewish return to Israel (Judea) in 371 BCE, after King Cyrus of Persia permitted it. 18 years later, another wave of Jews returned with Ezra, while Nehemiah oversaw the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls.

• The events of Purim (Scroll of Esther) were in 355 BCE.

• Mordecai institutes the annual Purim celebration, 354 BCE.

• Building of the Second Temple, 352 BCE. The Second Temple stood for 420 years. Soon after its construction, prophecy ceased.
• Anshei Knesset HaGedolah - The Men of the Great Assembly. This Sanhedrin (high court of sages) sealed the canon of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible).

• Shimon HaTzadik died in 273 BCE. One of the early sages.
• Writing of the Septuagint, in 246 BCE.
• The revolt of Mattityahu the Chashmona'i (Hasmonean), against the Syrian-Greeks, in 168 BCE.
• The miracle of Hanukkah, 165 BCE.

• Sh'lomit (Queen Salome) ruled 73-64 BCE. A brief period of peace in the turbulent Second Temple era.
• The Romans gained control of Judea in 61 BCE.
• Hillel, died 8 BCE. A beloved sage, famous for his humility.
• Agrippa I (grandson of Herod) ruled, 21 CE (= "Common Era"). A rare instance of a benign Roman ruler. Not to be confused with the wicked Agrippa II, who began ruling 35 years later.
• Christianity started spreading around this time, but not among the Jews.

• Destruction of the Second Temple, 68 CE.

• Fall of Masada, 73 CE.

• Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, died 74 CE, gained the favor of Vespasian and managed to rescue a number of leading Torah-sages and brought them to the yeshiva (Torah-academy) in Yavneh.

• Betar fell, and Bar Kochba's revolt ended in tragedy, 133 CE.
• Rabbi Akiva, died 134 CE, was a leading Torah-sage throughout the Roman upheavals.
• Rabbi Judah Hanassi, died 188 CE, completed the collation of the Mishna (Oral Law), based on ancient tradition.

• Rav (Rabbi Abba Aricha) left Israel and settled in Babylonia, from 219 CE. Founded the yeshiva (Torah academy) of Sura. Died 247 CE.
• Rabbi Yochanan was the leading Talmudic authority, from 254 CE. Collated the Jerusalem Talmud.
• Rabbi Yehudah was the leading Talmudic authority, from 298 CE. Disciple of Rav.
• Abayei and Rava were the leading Talmudic authorities, from 325 CE. These two participated in the collation of the Babylonian Talmud.

• Rav (Rabbi) Ashi was the leading Talmudic authority, from 392 CE.
• End of the collation of the Talmud, 475 CE. It was put in writing 25 years later.

• The yeshiva of Pumbeditha was reopened (after Persian persecutions), 589 CE. Era of the Geonim begins.
• The yeshiva of Sura was reopened, 609 CE.
• Rabbi Yitzchak was the last Gaon (sage) of Neharde'a (Firuz-Shabur). 636 CE.
• Rabbi Achai Gaon left Bavel (Iraq) for Israel, 755 CE.
• The Halakhot Gedolot, an early codex of halakha (Torah laws), was written at this time. 759 CE.
• Rabbi Amram (who put the Siddur [prayerbook] in writing), became Gaon (Torah-leader) of Sura in 858 CE.
• Rabbi Saadya (882-942) was appointed Gaon of Sura, from 928 CE. He led opposition against the breakaway Karaites.

• Four sages were taken hostage and ransomed at around this time, 955 CE. This event contributed to the spread of Torah-learning to lands other than Babylonia.
• Rabbi Sherira (906-1006) became Gaon of Pumbedita, from 968 CE.
• Rabbi Hai Gaon (939-1038), last of the leading Babylonian Torah sages.

• Rabbi Gershom Me'or HaGolah (c.960-1040) was the sage who decreed against Jewish polygamy.
• Rabbi Isaac Al-Fasi (1013-1103) was the author of a major compendium of Halakha.
• Rashi (Rabbi Shelomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105), author of the greatest of the Talmud commentaries.
• First Crusade, 1096. First recorded blood libel, 1144.
• Rabbenu Tam (Rabbi Yaakov Tam, 1100-1170), a leading Talmudist. He was a grandson of Rashi.
• The Rambam (Maimonides), 1135-1204, author of several major works in halakha and Jewish thought.

• A massive burning of the Talmud by anti-Semites took place in Paris, 1242.
• The Inquisition began to use torture, 1252.
• The Ramban (Nachmanides), 1194-1270, author of a leading commentary on the Torah.
• All Jews were expelled from England, 1290.
• The Maharam (Rabbi Meir) of Rothenburg (1215-1293), last of the Tosafists (early Talmud-commentators).
• The Ralbag (Rabbi Levi ben Gershom), 1288-1344, author of a commentary on the Bible.
• Rabbi Nissim (1320-1376), and other Torah-scholars in Spain, were imprisoned. 1367.
• The expulsion of Jews from France, 1394.
• Rabbi Yosef Albo (1380-1444) was in a forced debate with Christians, 1413.
• The invention of printing, 1440s.
• Rabbi Ovadya Bertinura (1445-1515), Rabbi in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) from 1488, author of the leading commentary on the Mishna.
• Jews expelled from Spain and Sicily, 1492.
• Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel (1437-1508), Rabbi in Naples from 1493. Author of a book on Jewish thought.
• All Jews were expelled from Portugal, 1496.
• The Turks (Ottoman Empire) conquered the land of Israel, 1516.
• Rabbi Joseph Caro (1488-1575) published the Shulchan Arukh, a leading text of Jewish law, in 1566.

• Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572), was a leading kabbalist.
• The Maharal (Rabbi Loewe), 1512-1609, Rabbi in Prague from 1573. Maker of the legendary Golem.
• Rabbi Shmuel Eidels (1555-1631), Rabbi in Lublin from 1614, author of a leading Talmud commentary.
• Rabbi Yoel Sirkes (1561-1640), author of a major commentary on the Shulchan Arukh.
• Rabbi Shabsei Cohen (1621-1662) and Rabbi David Halevi (1586-1667) publish leading commentaries on the Shulchan Arukh in 1646.
• Chmielnicki massacres, 1648-9.
• Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707-1746), author of a famous text on piety.
• Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem Tov (1700-1760), founder of modern Hassidism.
• The Pale of Jewish Settlement was established in Russia, 1791.
• The Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, 1720-1797), famous Talmudist.
• Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai (1724-1806), sage and biliographer.
• Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), charismatic pietist and Hassidic leader.
• Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (1810-1883), founder of the modern Mussar movement.
• Rabbi Meir Malbim (1809-1879), opponent of the secularists (Haskalah), authored a major commentary on the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible).
• Rabbi Israel Meir Kohen (Chafetz Chaim), 1838-1933, beloved pietist and Talmudist.
• Wave of Russian pogroms begins, 1881.
• Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried (1804-1886), author of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch.
• Rabbi Abraham Karelitz (Chazon Ish), 1878-1953, leading Torah sage in Israel from 1933.
• Germany started World War II, and mass killing of 6 million Jews, 1939.

This question implicitly has two parts. The first is a question as to the rationales that the Nazis believed in to justify Anti-Semitic beliefs and the second is a question as to why the Nazis felt the need to kill the Jews as a way to solve these Anti-Semitic concerns.

The Reasons for Anti-Semitism in Germany during that period are numerous, but some of the more important reasons were the following:

1) Decay of the German State: During the 1800s, Jews began to become more integrated in German National Life. They served in its government, its military divisions, and its industry. As was typical of Western Europe, the Jews had more of a hand in the higher echelons of government than their population percentage would account for. The Nazis saw this increasing Jewish percentage in the government as a slow takeover of German policy and a corruption of the German people. They contrasted the great victories under Bismarck with the depressing failure of World War I and noted how a much larger percentage of soldiers in the latter war were Jewish. There was also the sentiment than in the early 20th century, values were beginning to ebb (this is similar to current politics in the United States) and the Jewish integration in the German apparatus (becoming teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc.) was to blame for this recession of values as opposed to modernity as a process.

2) Nationalism: Germany was brought together under the Nationalist conception that all peoples with German culture, history, and language should be united regardless of which principality currently held control. The German self-conception also had an ethnic component, holding that the perfect German was blond and blue eyed. Regardless of the fact that the majority of Germans were dark haired, Jews stuck out like a sore thumb because they overwhelmingly had darker hair. In addition, the idea of a German Jew was still rather new and both Jews and non-Jews tended to see the Jews in Germany as being part of a vast Jewish network and that these Jews just happened to be in Germany. The Nazis capitalized on this cosmopolitan sensibility by claiming that Jews' allegiances were not to the German State, but to secret Jewish Councils organizing world events.

3) Economy: Whether it was true or not, there was perception among Germans and the Nazis in particular that Jews were wealthy individuals and had a higher per-capita income than the Germans. In many ways (because of the above two reasons) Germans felt that the Jews were "stealing" their money while they were poor and suffering.

4) Pseudo-Science: The late 19th and early 20th century was filled with radical new ideas concerning Social Darwinism. It was believed by the Pseudo-Scientific community (which was rather in vogue) that different groups of people or races exhibited different emotional traits that were linked to physical differences. This led to the belief that Jews were corrupt and thieving by their irreversible nature and that they could not be "cured" and brought up as proper Europeans. This formalized Racial Anti-Semitism in Germany and made the situation much more dire for German Jews.

5) Heresy: Although not as much an issue in World War II as it may have been 500 years prior, Jews were still considered the heretics who murdered the LORD and Savior. This helped to justify Anti-Semitism as the Jewish comeuppance for their accepting of the Christ Bloodguilt.

Why was killing the Jews necessary?

The answer to the second part, while cold, is brutally honest. The Nazis encouraged the German population to believe that this myriad of Anti-Semitic issues was ingrained in German Society by making it part of the national curriculum and teaching it to millions of German children. The Nazis proposed that the only way to improve Germany was to remove the Jews entirely. There were two options for such a removal: exile or genocide. Since no country was willing to take the Jewish population en masse (and this includes the United States and United Kingdom due to prevailing stereotypes there) the Nazis made the executive decision to commit genocide to "save Germany".
When Hitler was young, he thought Jews hated him. He believed that because when his mother died, a Jewish doctor was caring for her. So he believed that Jews hated Nazis and that they were no better than rats that lived in the sewers. So he thought they should die for just being Jewish.

Abraham's son Isaac begat Jacob who was called Israel by God (Genesis ch.35).

Answer:

According to Jewish outlook, God had created the world in order that a nation would arise that would, despite His concealed nature, arise to serve Him and recognize Him.

Once Abraham had chosen God and God reciprocated by making His covenant with him (Genesis ch.17), it was from then on decreed that the nation which would serve God would come from Abraham's descendants (Genesis 18:19; Talmud, Nedarim 32).

Abraham had many sons (see Genesis ch.25); and initially any or all of them could have expressed the desire to serve God wholeheartedly.

That was the state of affairs in the moment of history about which you asked in your Question. See also the attached Related Link.

Some were political and military leaders, such as queen Esther or the judge Deborah. Or Miriam, the sister of Moses, was a spiritual leader.
Answer 1

Ancient Hebrew societies were largely male dominated. Polygamy was a common practice, but died out around the time Jesus was around. Women were considered the property of men, and in every way inferior to men. For example, the women would not eat with the men but instead eat while standing and serving the men. Women kept a distance from men on streets and were restricted from certain parts of the "Temple." They basically cooked, cleaned, farmed, and made bore children for the men, who they often times called "lord" or "master".

Answer 2

very much like modern society, with functions such as learning the law as a child, taking care of her household as married adult and producing children also in times of festivity it is mentioned in the old testament they had a prominent role in leading celebrations such as occurred during a nascent David's victories, The Exodus, and Jael's dispatching of Sisera while he slept in her tent.

• Polygamy died out among Jews about one thousand years ago, unlike what the first answer claims. It was prohibited through a decree made by Rabbi Gershom. Before that, it was much more seldom than what the first answer claims. In the Talmud, for example, you have to search far and wide to attempt to find a single Sagewho had more than one wife. In the Tanakh also, with the exception of some of the kings, polygamy was rare.
• Several women achieved prophecy (Talmud, Megillah 14a).
• Israelite women could own property, could initiate court cases, could have their own servants, and could own fields and businesses. The Torah specifies marital rights for women (Exodus 21:10); and any husband who anguished his wife could expect Divine punishment (Talmud, Bava Metzia 59).
• Women ate at the table (unlike what the first answer says), except during their menses. They were restricted from some parts of the Temple, but so were men (Mishna, Keilim ch.2).
• A circumspect husband would seek out the advice of his wife (Genesis 31:3-16), because she could be trusted to supervise the goings-on in the home (Proverbs 31:27), just like a Chief Executive Officer.

The Jewish Problem was that the Jews didn't know how to define themselves. The saw themselves as a nation, but they were seen as a race.

The so-called "Jewish Problem" was something cooked up out of thin air by anti-Semites searching for semi-plausible excuses to hound the Jews who lived in Europe and had been living there for a thousand years.

Scriptural Narrative

1. The explanation in the Bible is that it started with a man named Abraham who lived in Ur [Babylon]. God commanded him to move to Caanan, so he did, taking with him Abraham, his son, and Sarah, his wife. * Then there was Joseph [the one with the colourful coat]. After being sold into slavery in Egypt and rising to high position there, in a time of famine he moved his relatives, and thus, Judaism, to Egypt. * A few generations later Egyptians again ruled over them (many report that the slaves were Jews) but it was the Hebrews as slaves. The Jews are not mentioned till later. In John 8:33 The Jews said they were never in bondage to any man. God promised to Moses the freedom of the Hebrews, and not the Jews as many have reported. The ten plagues were visited upon Egypt, and Moses led the Hebrews back to Canaan.

2. The term "Jew" is first used in the Old Testament in the Book of Esther 2:5. * The term "Jews" is first used in the Book of 2 Kings 16:6. * The Hebrews are mentioned only (And Not the Jews) in the first 5 Books of Moses. * It refers to the people, primarily members of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, who were exiled from the Land of Israel when the Kingdom of Judah was defeated. * Background: After the time of King Solomon (David's son) the nation of Israel split into 2 kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of Judah's capital was Jerusalem, on the border between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and included those 2 tribes, and the tribe of Levi (who were very connected to the Temple in Jerusalem). The Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah were both defeated and forced into exile. The Kingdom of Judah, on the other hand, maintained many attributes of a nation, including a connection to a land and a set of beliefs (which of course includes many variations). Many of them returned to the Land of Israel after approximately 70 years in exile, and re-established their kingdom in Israel for roughly 400 years before being defeated by the Romans. * It is true that the Kingdom of Judah (and therefore the Jews) does includes only part of the original Nation of Israel, but 2 relevant points:
According to the censuses in the Bible, the Kingdom of Judah was similar in size to the Kingdom of Israel, and included more than just the tribe of Judah, so the claim that "Jews" refers to just 1/12 of the original Nation of Israel is inaccurate.
The Kingdom of Israel was dispersed, and maintained no connection to their original identity. Therefore the Jews constitute the only group that considers themselves to be part of the original convenant between God and the Nation of Israel, and bound by that covenant.

3. In Israel. Read the books of Genesis, Exodus, Judges, 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st Kings to get a good idea of their early history. They wound up scattered all over Europe because the Romans destroyed their country and deported them in 72 A.D. Jewish tradition names Abraham as their first ancestor. He came from Ur, and was most likely a tribal leader who brought his people west towards Canaan, a land promised to his descendants by God. Contemporary writings attest to a group of tribes known as "Habiru", "Hapiru" or "Abiru" that came from the deserts and cities of Iran and Iraq. They seem to be separate from the nomads and bedouins we know of today, and held quite a lot of power, and posed a threat to the kingdoms already occupying the lands they passed through. The Bible shows Abraham in contact with several of these kingdoms, possibly as a mercenary, and he bought land in Hebron as a burial ground for his wife and himself. * The Jews were probably a loose confederation of different tribes, some of which went to Egypt during times of famine and gradually came to be slaves until the great Exodus. The Bible makes it clear that there were already kinsmen of theirs in Canaan, when they came back and gradually took over the land of the ancient Canaanites, as promised by God. * Like most other nations, they probably originated as groups of separate peoples, who came together during times of stress, unified by a common God and history.
4. Please see the link SimpleToRemember.
5. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their families lived in the Holy Land. Their earlier ancestors came from Mesopotamia.

What Scholars Propose
For the original population, as distinct from today's Jewish population (see above): Currently biblical scholars recognize three possible scenarios explaining Israel's rise to power in Canaan:

1. the Conquest theory: that Israelites came in from the outside and conquered the land;
2. the Peaceful Settlement theory: in which it is argued that Israelites entered gradually, settling in the sparsely populated areas of the central highlands; and
3. the Peasant Revolt or Social Revolution theory: that Canaanites rose up against their overlords. See link The Problem of Israel's Origin.


Another Answer

Our tradition (Jewish tradition) is that we are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as described in the Biblical book of Genesis. Abraham was born in Ur; and his ancestors and relatives lived in the Fertile Crescent adjacent to the Euphrates river. This tradition has been substantiated by DNA analysis of Jewish communities all over the world, showing them to be inter-related and of Middle Eastern origin. We possess the names, dates, and (in some cases) the family trees of our ancestors and leaders in an unbroken chain for 3800 years.
Abraham, tenth generation descendant of Noah, of Hebrew lineage, was the son of Terah, uncle of Lot, father of Isaac, grandfather of Jacob, and ancestor of the Israelites. His story is in Genesis ch.11 (end), through ch.25. Jewish tradition states that he was the first to teach belief in One God; and it is in his merit that Jews continue to exist (Genesis 18:19, and ch.17).
Abraham (18th century BCE) came from ancestry that had been God-fearing a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the conjunction of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.
The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12). As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.
Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).
Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where Abraham raised his family.
He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses. Abraham taught disciples (Talmud, Yoma 28b), gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19), made a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22). He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).
All of these forms of behavior were based upon the ways of God, which Abraham comprehended through his contemplations. These, and similar personality traits, were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants.
It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why, according to our tradition, Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism. However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.

An Historical View:
The people who became the Hebrews were part of the general Semitic people of the eastern Mediterranean. They were known to the Egyptians as Habiru - hill tribes of pastoralists and brigands in the highlands of what became Judah. These tribes became better organised and started to expand their territory. The stories of David and Solomon are much exaggerated - witness the archaeological absence of all the palaces etc claimed; they were most likely over-chief of a confederation of tribes.

However by the 8th Century BCE the tribes had a territorial area from Galilee to Jerusalem. The northern tribes were conquered by the Assyrians in the latter part of that century, and their aristocracy taken off to Assyria, replaced by a foreign one which would be unlikely to sympathise with fomenting rebellion against Assyrian rule (so no, the ten tribes were not deported and lost, the mass of people remained). Nearly a century and a half later, the same thing happened to the southern kingdom, at the hands of the Babylonians - the aristocracy deported, the people remaining behind.

Judaism was a missionary religion, converting people all around the Mediterranean and then further afield later on. The actual ethnicity of Jews expanded well beyond the Semitic people known as Hebrews. Just as Greeks transitioned to people who adopted Greek culture, and Slavs the people who adopted Slavic culture, Jews became people who adopted Jewish culture. Over the centuries, quite different ethnics have come under the umbrella of all those cultures, with wide varieties of skin colour, physical characteristics, language and religion.