There is no Israel without Jews.
No Jews without Israel.
There is an abundance of misinformation about Israel and her roots in our educational system, synagogues, news outlets and media. There are influential representatives in government spewing lies about the Jewish homeland. This causes a gross distortion and perception of the truth with regard to Israel, the Jewish people, and her history.
Taking Back the Narrative (TBTN) is a Zionist education initiative which aims to get the facts about Israel, its right as the Jewish homeland, and the efficacious voice it represents in the world, out into the public sphere. TBTN does not have a specific political agenda, other than supporting truth, which should not have a side in the political theater.
The indisputable facts speak for themselves. TBTN aims to educate and inform advocates, Jewish educators, and government officials. TBTN’s sole mission is to correct mistruths and fill the gap about the Middle East as it relates to Israel and the Jewish people, in a positive, fact-based light. Israel is a living, breathing part of the Jewish ecosystem; there is no Israel without Jews, no Jews without Israel.
Timeline of Events in Jewish History
Return from Exile after the destruction of the First Temple
Mass Exile; though Jews do remain in Israel (numerous members of the Jewish Priestly class fled and hid in Northern Israel; many remained for thousands of years).
Extended family of Kohanim (priests) fled to Peki'in in the Galilee where they settled into life as farmers. Jews remained in Peki’in until 1938. Today, it is a Druze village.
Post Second Temple Destruction - Rabbi ben Zakkai, with permission of the Romans, establishes a Rabbinical school in Yavneh in Judea, moving Jewish spiritual life outside the Old City of Jerusalem.
Permitted to legally resettle in Palestine
Palestine was a Byzantine Province from 390 - 636 CE. The revolt, which broke out during the Byzantine-Sasanian War, was led by Nehemiah ben Hushiel and Benjamin of Tiberias.
Jewish soldiers from Tiberias, Nazareth, and other Galilee settlements joined forces with these Persian invaders to capture Jerusalem in 614 CE. 20,000 Jewish soldiers joined the revolt; the Jewish population estimated at the time to be about 300,000 - 400,000.
Massacre both Jews and Muslims
Majority of Haifa’s population is Jewish and together with Muslims fight against the Crusaders
Crusader transportation routes open - 300 Rabbis from France and England arrived in a group, some settling in Acre (Akko), others in Jerusalem
Ruler Saladin allows Jews in Jerusalem; Jews in Jerusalem prosper
A community of Spanish Jews was established in 1267 and built around the synagogue, which still carries his name (Ramban Synagogue) in the Old City today.
The Ashkenaz (German) community establishes itself in Jerusalem
Forced Spanish Jewry (Sephardim) to disperse, many returning to their Jewish ancestral homeland
Jews mainly reside in Jerusalem, Nablus (Shechem), Hebron, Gaza, Tzfat and the villages of Galilee (Northern part of Israel). The Jewish community was composed of descendants of Jews who had always lived in the Land, as well as immigrants from North Africa and Europe.
Becomes the epicenter for Kabbalah scholarship; Jewish population in Tzfat reaches 10,000
He established an Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem, and built the synagogue which became known as the Hurva.
At the request of the Ottoman Empire re-establishes Tiberias
Students of the Vilna Gaon once again establish Tzfat as a mystical center for learning. Jerusalem and Hebron also see an influx of immigration during this time.
Purchases and establishes Jewish lands, as well as the first Jewish orchard outside of Jaffa
First Jewish neighborhood, Mishkenot Sha’ananim, established outside the Old City of Jerusalem
Ottoman citizenship granted to Jews in Palestine
Jews largely fleeing from widespread pogroms within the Russian Empire, established the new towns of: Petach Tikvah, Rishon Litzion, Rosh Pina, Zichron Yakov (first major Eastern European Jewish Aliyah).
Eastern European Jews, mostly Labor Zionists, comprise the return back to the Jewish homeland.
Britain occupies the area known as Palestine (today’s Israel and Jordan), which was previously under the Ottoman Empire. The Balfour Declaration promises an established national home for the Jewish people.
Jews were returning to their ancient homeland in droves – as many as 1,000 per month. The British instituted harsh restrictions on the immigration numbers.
During this time, mostly Polish business owners aided in the economic growth of Palestine’s economy (especially of factories in urban areas). As a result, Arab immigration increased due to Jewish-led economic growth.
Resulted in the death of Jews at the hands of Arabs; 67 Jews murdered in Hebron
Polish, German, Austrian Jews flee from the onslaught of Nazism; while some were families, many children came alone aided by the Youth Aliyah movement.
Death and devastation of Jews continues at the hands of Arabs, prompting underground Jewish resistance.
British attempt to further partition an already truncated Jewish portion of Palestine
limited Jewish immigration/land purchases
Collaborates with Hitler, proposes ‘Final Solution’
Jewish survivors of the Holocaust are forbidden to enter Palestine; many were detained in harsh conditions.
At this time, Jews were already left with ONLY 22% of the land promised by the British in 1920. Of that, this partition offered Jews a meager portion of what was left of the remaining 22%. Arabs reject; Jews accept.
Arab armies launch massive attacks
Iraqi, Yemeni, Persian Jews from across the Arab world are expelled in response largely to Israeli independence.
As a result, from the overthrow of the Shah in Iran, Israel sees an influx of Persian immigration. Anti-Semitic Iranian Revolution replaces the Shah and ushers in radical Islamism.
Israel Fast Facts to Share
Israel Fast Facts to Share
Minorities Represented in Israel
Minorities Represented in Israel
Correct Israel-Related Terms
Correct Israel-Related Terms
Books
From Mizrahi Jewish spies deployed to Lebanon and Syria, prior to the liberation of Israel, to the brave history of Israel’s now world-renowned weapons industry, the TBTN approved book list offers something for everyone.
Meet a young nurse, Raquela, based on a real woman, whose life’s stories interweave as Israel transitions from a land occupied by the British to full independence — and all the joy and tribulations associated with that time period.
These titles are a sample of books that helped shape our in-depth perspective of the Jewish homeland. Please check back periodically, as our list will continue to expand.
Articles
- Time stops in Peki’in – The Jerusalem Post
- The History of the Land Is Jewish, Not Palestinian
- Who are the Palestinians?
- Israel at the Worlds Fair: Today & Before 1948
- Why You Should Know San Remo: The Israel Forever Foundation
- Howard Grief: Legal Rights and Title of Sovereignty of the Jewish People
- The lost Palestinian Jews – The Jerusalem Post
- Heroes on the Walls of Haifa – סגולה
- History Finds No Evidence of Any People, Race, Tribe, or Culture Known as Palestinian
- Old Jerusalem: 49 Photos Of Life In The Arab City Before Israel
- The Myth of ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’: Part One | The American Spectator |
- USA News and Politics Stop Calling it the West Bank. It’s Judea and Samaria – BBI
- The Musta’arib Jews Who Have Lived In The Land Of Israel For More Than 3300 Years « News « Articles « OneIsrael.org . . . israelstreet.org
- The Western Wall and the Jews: More than a Thousand Years of Prayer
- Jewish Gaza | Simcha Jacobovici | The Blogs
- The Last Jew of Peki’in
Videos
Taking Back the Narrative has compiled an array of media links to further illustrate the factual truth about the Jewish homeland.
You will find informative videos which will enhance your understanding about the map of Israel, the term Judea and Samaria, and even how other countries were formed in the Middle East, impacting Israel.
We look forward to continuously updating this compilation. If a video appears on our list, you can be sure it has the TBTN seal of approval!
