"Remember days long gone by. Ponder the years of each generation. Ask your father and let him tell you, and your grandfather, who will explain it." Dvarim (Deuteronomy) 32:7
The birthplace of the Jewish people is the Land of Israel (Eretz Israel). There, a significant part of the nation's long history was enacted, of which the first thousand years are recorded in the Bible; there, its cultural, religious and national identity was formed; and there, its physical presence has been maintained unbroken through the centuries, even after the majority was forced into exile. During the many years of dispersion, the Jewish people never severed nor forgot its bond with the Land of Israel. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Jewish independence, lost two thousand years earlier, was renewed.
| (BCE - Before the Common Era) | |
| 17th-6th C. BCE | BIBLICAL TIMES |
|---|---|
| c. 17th century |
The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob - patriarchs of the Jewish People and bearers of a belief in one God - settle in the Land of Israel. Famine forces Israelites to migrate to Egypt. |
| c. 13th century | Exodus from Egypt: Moses leads Israelites from Egypt, followed by 40 years of wandering in the desert. The Torah, including the Ten Commandments, received at Mount Sinai. |
| 13th-12th centuries | Israelites settle the Land of Israel |
| c. 1020 | Jewish Monarchy established; Saul, first king. |
| c. 1000 | Jerusalem made capital of David's kingdom. |
| c. 960 | First Temple, the national and spiritual center of the Jewish People, built in Jerusalem by King Solomon. |
| c. 930 | Divided kingdom: Judah and Israel |
| 722-720 | Israel crushed by Assyrians; 10 tribes exiled (Ten Lost Tribes). |
| 586 | Judah conquered by Babylonia; Jerusalem and First Temple destroyed; most Jews exiled to Babylonia. |
| 536-142 | PERSIAN AND HELLENISTIC PERIODS |
| 538-515 | Many Jews return from Babylonia; Temple rebuilt. |
| 332 | Land conquered by Alexander the Great; Hellenistic rule. |
| 166-160 | Maccabean (Hasmonean) revolt against restrictions on practice of Judaism and desecration of the Temple |
| 142-129 | Jewish autonomy under Hasmoneans. |
| 129-63 | Jewish independence under Hasmonean monarchy. |
| 63 | Jerusalem captured by Roman general, Pompey. |
| 63 BCE-313 CE | ROMAN RULE |
| (CE - The Common Era) | |
| 37 BCE - 4 CE | Herod, Roman vassal king, rules the Land of Israel; Temple in Jerusalem refurbished |
| 66 | Jewish revolt against the Romans |
| 70 | Destruction of Jerusalem and Second Temple. |
| 73 | Last stand of Jews at Masada. |
| 132-135 | Bar Kokhba uprising against Rome. |
| c. 210 | Codification of Jewish oral law (Mishnah) completed. |
| 313-636 | BYZANTINE RULE |
| c. 390 | Commentary on the Mishnah (Jerusalem Talmud) completed. |
| 614 | Persian invasion |
| 636-1099 | ARAB RULE |
| 691 | On site of First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock built |
| 1099-1291 | CRUSADER DOMINATION |
| 1291-1516 | MAMLUK RULE |
| 1517-1917 | OTTOMAN RULE |
| 1564 | Code of Jewish law (Shulhan Arukh) published. |
| 1860 | First neighborhood, Mishkenot Sha'ananim, built outside Jerusalem's walls. |
| 1882-1903 | First Aliya (large-scale immigration), mainly from Russia. |
| 1897 | First Zionist Congress convened in Basel, Switzerland; Zionist Organization founded. |
| 1904-14 | Second Aliya, mainly from Russia and Poland. |
| 1909 | First kibbutz, Degania, and first modern all-Jewish city, Tel Aviv, founded. |
| 1917 | 400 years of Ottoman rule ended by British conquest; British Foreign Minister Balfour pledges support for establishment of a "Jewish national home in Palestine". |
| 1918-48 | BRITISH RULE |
| 1919-23 | Third Aliya, mainly from Russia |
| 1920 | Histadrut (Jewish labor federation) and Haganah (Jewish defense organization) founded. Vaad Leumi (National Council) set up by Jewish community (yishuv) to conduct its affairs. |
| 1921 | First moshav, Nahalal, founded. |
| 1922 | Britain granted Mandate for Palestine (Land of Israel) by League of Nations; Transjordan (later Jordan) set up on three-fourths of Palestine, leaving one-fourth of Palestine for the Jewish national home. Jewish Agency representing Jewish community vis-a-vis Mandate authorities set up. |
| 1924 | Technion, first institute of technology, founded in Haifa. |
| 1924-32 | Fourth Aliya, mainly from Poland. |
| 1925 | Hebrew University of Jerusalem opened on Mt. Scopus. |
| 1929 | Hebron Jews massacred by Arab militants. |
| 1931 | Etzel, Jewish underground organization, founded. |
| 1933-39 | Fifth Aliya, mainly from Germany. |
| 1936-39 | Anti-Jewish riots instigated by Arab militants. |
| 1939 | Jewish immigration severely limited by British White Paper. |
| 1939-45 | World War II; Holocaust in Europe. |
| 1941 | Lehi underground movement formed; Palmach, strike force of Haganah, set up. |
| 1944 | Jewish Brigade formed as part of British forces. |
| 1947 | UN proposes the establishment of Arab and Jewish states in the Land. |
| 1948 | STATE OF ISRAEL |
| 1948 | End of British Mandate (14 May) State of Israel proclaimed (14 May). Israel invaded by five Arab states (15 May) War of Independence (May 1948-July 1949) Israel Defense Forces (IDF) established |
| 1949 | Armistice agreements signed with Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon. Jerusalem divided under Israeli and Jordanian rule. |
| 1948-52 | Mass immigration from Europe and Arab countries. |
| 1956 | Sinai Campaign |
| 1967 | Six-Day War, Jerusalem reunited. |
| 1968-70 | Egypt's War of Attrition against Israel |
| 1973 | Yom Kippur War |
| 1975 | Israel becomes an associate member of the European Common Market. |
| 1981 | Israel Air Force destroys Iraqi nuclear reactor just before it is to become operative. |
| 1982 | Israel's three-stage withdrawal from Sinai completed. Operation Peace for Galilee removes PLO terrorists from Lebanon. |
| 1984 | Operation Moses, immigration of Jews from Ethiopia. |
| 1985 | Free Trade Agreement signed with United States. |
| 1987 | Widespread violence (intifada) starts in Israeli-administered areas. |
| 1989 | Start of mass immigration of Jews from former Soviet Union. |
| 1991 | Israel attacked by Iraqi Scud missiles during Gulf war. Operation Solomon, airlift of Jews from Ethiopia. |
| 1996 | Fundamentalist Arab terrorism against Israel escalates. Operation Grapes of Wrath, retaliation for Hizbullah terrorists' attacks on northern Israel. |
| 1998 | Israel celebrates its 50th anniversary. |
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