Today, the Jews have their own state, and another part of this nation live in the territory of other countries. But once they were "strangers" in Europe, with their faith, traditions and rites. Other is always incomprehensible, which means someone else's. Hence the numerous manifestations of anti-Semitism, originating from the Middle Ages. But the main question remains: as a people who have semit origin (Middle East), has become numerous in Europe, and in some cities of the Russian Empire in the 19th century and at all amounted to more than 30 percent?
Prehistory
At the turn of the 2nd and 1 millennium, the Jews tribes began to stand out from the Semitic tribes. It was the first people, among which monotheism was established - faith in one God. As a result, the people received two names: Jews (as an ethnos) and Jews (as faith). Soon they created their kingdom, the most famous rulers were David and Solomon. From the Hebrew state was not easy: except for several internal contradictions, there were frequent conflicts with neighbors. At first, the Assyrians attacked the Jewish kingdom, and then he finally destroyed the ancient Babylon. Already at the end of the first millennium, Judea became the province of the Roman Empire. We also began to leave their lands and go on a long journey. Part went to the east, to India and further to South-West Asia, part - to North Africa, and then or through Gibraltar to Europe or Ethiopia, part - to the eastern or northern frontiers of the Roman Empire.
History Sefardov
In the 7-8 century, the Jews of North Africa fell under the power of the Arab Caliphate. They received certain freedoms and the right to settle in the territory of Europe, on modern Spanish lands. Spain in the language of the ancient Jews was called "Sfarad", respectively, this group of Jews began to call Sefard. They spoke in the Ladino language, which developed on the basis of the Spanish language. Evrei-Sephards in the Arabian Power were engaged in trade, created their own communities, conducted worship free. During the reconquitoes, the Spaniards were able to drive out Arabs and create the Spanish kingdom. After 1492, the Sepharda Jews received a decree: or Christianity takes, or leave Spain.
Jewish pogroms began, the Inquisition also destroyed Jewish communities. Part of Sefardov died, and the part was asylum in the Ottoman Empire. They were allowed to settle in the Balkans, the Greek city of Thessaloniki became the center of Sefardov. During World War II, the local Jewish community became victims of the Holocaust. Today there are more than 1.5 million Jews in the world, which are the ancestors of Sefardov. About half live in Israel, the largest diaspora - in France (about 300 thousand).
History Ashkenazi
At the beginning of the great resettlement of peoples, some of the Jews from Palestine moved to the boundaries of the Roman Empire. They had to share the Earth with German tribes. Another part of the Jews became the ruling elite in the Khazar Kaganate, which was located in the Don and Volga basin. In the 10th century, the princes of Russia, Svyatoslav and Vladimir the Great destroyed the Khazar power. Most of the Jews went to the West, settling in Germany. By the end of the Middle Ages, a separate branch of the Jewish people, which spoke Yiddish was formed. This language was formed under the influence of German. This group of Jews was called "Ashkenazy", since in the early Middle Ages Germany they called "Ashkenaz". In the 13-14th centuries in Germany, the persecution of Jews began. Most of the Jewish communities began to ask shelter from Poland. The first special libations of the Jews gave King Casimir the Great. Jews were merchants, master holders, and were also often managers on the estates of the gentry. In the 16th century, about 80% of European Jews had already lived in Poland. The largest synagogues were in Krakow, Lviv, Grodno, Warsaw and other cities. Vilnius and called Lithuanian Jerusalem at all. Today in Zholkva (Ukraine), the defense synagogue of the 17th century has been preserved, which indicates that at that time, Jewish communities did not live in safety. Even in the parish shelter. In the late 18th century, most Polish lands entered the Russian Empire. Throughout the country, the "Damage of Smeal" was held - a line for which the Jews could not be moved. An attempt was made by Russification of Jews. They received Russian surnames, often in honor of the settlements: Brodsky, Slutsky, etc. One of the main Jewish cities was Odessa.
At the end of the 19th century, life in the Russian Empire has worsened, mass manifestations of anti-Semitism began: Jewish pogroms, anti-Indian propaganda and even lawsuits ("Baleis"). Jews had three ways: immigration, political struggle and attempt to stay. As the economist and the Nobel laureate Semyon Semyon, the first presented the poorest layers of the Jewish people and drove into France, the United States or Palestine, the third - were entrepreneurs and high incomes allowed them to live Comfortable. After 1917, the bourgeoisie of Jewish origin left Russia, fearing the Bolsheviks. The most interesting thing is that the origins of many parties in the Russian Empire are the people of Jewish nationality, however, their entry into the ranks of Serc Or Bolsheviks indicates that they refused their "Jewishness" in favor of "Russianness".
Jewish question in world politics
In the early 20th century, the Jewish question became important for the world community. At the end of the 19th century, Theodore Herzl was the first to formulate the principles of Zionism - Jewish nationalism. His goal is to create Israel. After World War II, in 1948, the UN recognized the existence of Israel, the mass repatriation of Jews began to the historical homeland. At the same time, the Arab-Israeli wars began for the right of ownership of Palestine. EUROPE Jews became victims of the Holocaust. These were both Ashkenazy and Sefard. Hitler did not pay attention to it, even if the Ashkenazy spoke to Yiddish, some words from which were clear to the Germans. Today we will not see the special, Jewish world in Europe, which has developed in many cities of Central and Eastern Europe. And I will not hear Yidisha, most of the Jews speak Hebrew.