< Más Articulos : The indigenous natives of the land of Israel (Times of Israel - 30 Oct 2024)
-
-
The indigenous natives of the land of Israel (Times of Israel - 30 Oct 2024)
"'Indigenous: A person who belongs to the people originally settled in a country or territory and who usually preserves their identity and traditional culture.' 'Native: Belonging to or relating to the native country or place.' – Royal Spanish Academy
According to the Torah, also known as the Old Testament by some and as a history book by others, the Jewish People officially began in the year 2000 BCE, 4024 years ago, originating from three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with whom God made His covenant and offered them the land of Canaan. Jacob was given the name Israel, and later, the land of the Jewish People was named after him.
Jacob had twelve sons, from whom the twelve tribes of Israel originated. Due to a severe drought, Jacob's descendants were forced to move to ancient Egypt, where they were later enslaved. Thus began an intermittent history of conquests, persecutions, massacres, and migrations endured by the Jewish People, including the Shoah, the Holocaust, in which two-thirds of the Jews in Europe at the time were murdered—two out of every three. In 1948, the descendants of the twelve tribes of Jacob’s sons created the State of Israel with the support of the newly founded United Nations.
Today, the Jewish People have a population of 15.7 million people: 7.2 million live in Israel, 6.3 million live in the United States, and 2.2 million live in the rest of the world. Historians estimate that, if not for the persecutions and massacres, the population would today exceed 120 million.
Israel is a Jewish state where Hebrew is the official language. In addition to the standard legislation of modern countries, Israel incorporates many laws and customs of Judaism, as well as religious holidays, rituals, and significant places of this faith. The Jewish people have endured in history for three primary reasons: First, due to their way of life, based on the same laws, values, and beliefs for thousands of years; second, because they maintain their lineage according to a simple rule—Jewish identity is passed down by a Jewish mother or through conversion to Judaism according to Jewish law; and third, they strive, where possible, to keep marriages within the Jewish community.
In the lands of Israel are the most sacred sites of Judaism, including: Jerusalem, its capital; the Western Wall; the Temple Mount; the place where God created Adam; the sites of the First and Second Temples; the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Ten Commandments; the Tomb of the Patriarchs, resting place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Leah, Rebecca, and Sarah; and Rachel's Tomb.
In Israel, national holidays include religious observances established at the beginnings of the Jewish religion, such as Rosh Hashanah (the New Year), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), Pesach (Passover, commemorating when Moses led the Jews out of Egypt), and Shavuot (which commemorates the giving of the Torah). Among others, Israel also respects the Shabbat (the Sabbath) and Kashrut (dietary laws according to Jewish religion).
In this way, the descendants of the twelve tribes today have a state that allows them to live according to their own laws, language, customs, and traditions, thus strengthening their identity. A state that, to some extent, shields and protects them from the infamous “antisemitism,” which is simply and clearly discrimination against the indigenous, native people of Israel, who, despite their tumultuous history and numerous detractors, have achieved distinction both for themselves and for humanity, as evidenced by more than 200 Nobel Prizes in various disciplines, among other achievements.
The Jewish People: the indigenous natives of the land of Israel.
—
Note: The author originally published this article in Spanish in Prensa Libre, Guatemala, on February 13th, 2024. As with much of Jewish history, doubts of Jews right to claim Israel as their homeland still persists. Therefore, it is now being published in English in TOI for a broader audience.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-indigenous-natives-of-the-land-of-israel/
( Por: Yehudi Sabbagh , 30/10/2024 )
