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== Overview ==
The Jewish people trace their origins to the ancient Israelites, a Semitic people who emerged in the central highlands of Canaan around 1200 BCE. These tribes later formed two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Despite periods of unity, the kingdoms developed distinct political paths.
Judaism, as an organized religious identity, took form after the destruction of the First Temple and the Babylonian exile. This period marked the transformation from tribal Yahwism to a covenant-based monotheistic system, which would later evolve into Rabbinic Judaism.
== Ethnic Lineage ==
Archaeological and genetic studies suggest that Jews today share a Middle Eastern ancestral core, with centuries of migration, isolation, and intermarriage producing distinct subgroups such as Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi Jews. These lineages maintain ethnic continuity with the ancient Levant but show varying levels of admixture with local populations in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
== Tribal Identity ==
Judaism was historically organized by patrilineal tribal descent (e.g., Tribe of Judah, Levi, Benjamin). After the Babylonian exile, this structure gave way to rabbinic definitions of Jewishness—eventually shifting to **matrilineal descent**. This shift likely reflected both practical and cultural pressures, including Roman legal influence and efforts to preserve identity during diaspora and persecution.
== Historical Markers ==
* **Merneptah Stele (1200 BCE)** – First non-Biblical mention of "Israel"
* **Babylonian Exile (587 BCE)** – Catalyzed the formation of Jewish religious identity
* **Second Temple Period** – Rise of sects like the Pharisees and Sadducees, laying groundwork for Rabbinic Judaism
* **Roman Conquest** – Mass dispersion and the beginning of the formal Jewish Diaspora
== Commentary ==
**Ethnic preservation** has been a constant theme in Jewish history. Even after centuries in foreign lands, Jewish communities retained self-conception as distinct from their host populations. While many nations absorbed their diaspora, Jews typically maintained separate customs, laws, and group identity—suggesting that assimilation was structurally and religiously discouraged.
== See Also ==
* [[Jewish Diaspora>>path:/bin/view/Main%20Categories/Jews/Diaspora/]]
* [[Zionism>>path:/bin/view/Main%20Categories/Jews/Zionism/]]
* [[Israel and Judah>>url:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ancient_Israel_and_Judah]]
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