Timeline: Concise Chronology of Jewish History

By Haim Shalom

c1800? BCE Avraham and Sarah found dynasty. Followed by Itzhak and Rivka, Ya’acov (Israel), Rahel, Leah, Zilpah and Bilhah,
and their 13 children who eventually become the people of Israel. (Based on Torah)
c1250? BCE Moses, Exodus from Egypt. According to Jewish tradition, we receive Torah at Mt Sinai. (Based on Torah)
c1200? BCE Conquest of the Land of Israel (Joshua) (Based on book of Joshua)
c1000? BCE David follows Saul as King of Israel and moves the capital to Jerusalem; he is followed by Solomon, and then the
division of the kingdom into two – Israel in the North and Judea in the South. (Based on TaNaKH)
721 BCE Fall of Israel (Northern Kingdom) to Assyria
586 BCE Fall of Judea (Southern Kingdom) to Babylon and destruction of the first temple
c 539 BCE Return of Jews to Judea.
c 519 BCE Rebuilding of the Second Temple under Persian rule.
331 BCE Alexander the Great conquers Persia. Judea comes under Seleucid rule.
166 BCE Hasmonean Revolt and beginning of Hasmonean dynasty, which eventually comes under Roman control.
66-73 AD Jews revolt against Roman rule. Fall of the Second Temple to Romans in 70 AD. R. Yohanan Ben Zakai moves
Rabbinic center to Yavne.
132-135 Jewish revolt under Bar Kochba crushed. Jews exiled from Jerusalem.
c220 CE Redaction of the Mishna by R. Yehuda HaNasi
C390 CE/ c475CE Editing of the Jerusalem / Babylonian Talmuds
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11 Century Rashi writes commentaries to the Torah and Talmud.
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11 Century Beginning of Jewish life in Poland after eastward drift from Jews in the traditional Ashkenaz region (Germany).
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13 Century RaMBaM writes philosophical and halachic masterpieces. Part of “the Golden age of Spain”
1492/1499 Expulsion of Jews from Spain/ Portugal. This leads to the creation of Jewish life in North and South America.
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16 Century Tzfat in Northern Israel becomes a centre of Jewish Learning. Rabbi Itzhak Luria leads a group of Kabbalists. The
Kabbalat Shabbat ritual is created. Rabbi Yosef Caro writes the definitive work of Jewish law, The Shulhan Aruch.
1789 and onwards French Revolution, Emancipation of Jews in France, followed by other areas across Europe.
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19 Century The Jewish Haskallah movement mirrors the European enlightenment. Questions previous models of Jewish life.
Encouraged by emancipation, creates ways for Jews to live modern integrated lives in the countries in which
they live. Beginning of the Reform Movement, and as a reaction, Orthodoxy.
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19 Century Beginning of the Zionist movement, seeking to return Jews to their ancestral home and give Jews autonomy.
1897 First World Zionist Congress
1933 Rise of Hitler to power in Germany. Beginning of the end of meaningful Jewish life in central and Eastern Europe.
1942 Beginning of the Nazi Final Solution. During the shoah, 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and the
majority of the remainder of Europe’s Jews were displaced.
1945 End of the second world war. Liberation of death camps.
May 14, 1948 Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel.
June 1967 Six Day War. Israel captures the Sinai Desert, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
Nov. 4, 1995 Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin assassinated by right-wing religious fanatic Yigal Amir. Rabin had been leading a peace
process which was meant to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians and also between Israel and the
rest of the Arab World. Rabin had already signed the Oslo accords with the PLO and made peace with Jordan,
after Prime Minister Menahem Begin had made peace with Egypt and given back the Sinai desert which had
been captured in 1967.