Diaspora, Jewish

Definition

The word “diaspora” from the Greek (διασπορά) means “scattering, dispersion of a population whose origin lies within a smaller geographic locale and from its original homeland.” It has been used to refer to Jews exiled from the land of Israel after the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 587 BCE around 2600 years ago by the Babylonians and subsequent exiles from the land of Israel such as after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE around 1950 years ago by the Roman Empire and today to describe Jews living outside of the modern State of Israel created in 1948 (Oxford Dictionary 2018).

Introduction

Judaism is defined as the totality of beliefs and practices of the Jewish people, as given by G-d and recorded in the Torah (Hebrew Scriptures) and subsequent sacred writings of Judaism. The Jewish people believe by definition that G-d is the single creator and animator of the world. The story of the Jewish people begins with G-d creating the world in 6 days and...