There is no Israel without Jews - No Jews without Israel

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.

Taking Back the Narrative Advisory Committee Members:

Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie * Avi Abelow * Shahar Azani * Ariel Grunberg * Aaron Hadida * Naomi Reinharz, Esq.

Timeline of Events in Jewish History

538 BCE

Jews in Babylonia (today’s Iraq)

Return from Exile after the destruction of the First Temple

70CE

Destruction of Second 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.

200-300CE

Jews forced to become Roman citizens

Permitted to legally resettle in Palestine

602-628 CE

Jewish revolt against the Byzantine Empire

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.

1099 CE

Crusaders conquer Jerusalem

Massacre both Jews and Muslims

1100 CE

Battle of Haifa

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

12th & 13th Century

Ayubbid Dynasty

Ruler Saladin allows Jews in Jerusalem; Jews in Jerusalem prosper

1267

The Ramban

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.

Early 15th century

Ashkenazi Presence

The Ashkenaz (German) community establishes itself in Jerusalem

1492

The Spanish Inquisition

Forced Spanish Jewry (Sephardim) to disperse, many returning to their Jewish ancestral homeland

1517

Start of Ottoman Rule

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.

1560

Tzfat as a Center for Scholarship

Becomes the epicenter for Kabbalah scholarship; Jewish population in Tzfat reaches 10,000

Late 16th century

First Kurdish Aliyah

1700

Judah the Pious

He established an Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem, and built the synagogue which became known as the Hurva.

1740

Rabbi Abulafia

At the request of the Ottoman Empire re-establishes Tiberias

1742- 1777

Hasidic Aliya

1800

Influx of Immigration

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.

1855

Moses Montefiore

Purchases and establishes Jewish lands, as well as the first Jewish orchard outside of Jaffa

1860

Jews Expand Outside of Old City

First Jewish neighborhood, Mishkenot Sha’ananim, established outside the Old City of Jerusalem

1869

Ottoman citizenship law of 1869

Ottoman citizenship granted to Jews in Palestine

1870

Jerusalem has a Jewish majority

1878 - 1882

Early Political Zionists

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).

1882

Yemenite Jews make their first Aliyah

1903 - 1905

Second Aliyah

Eastern European Jews, mostly Labor Zionists, comprise the return back to the Jewish homeland.

1909

Tel Aviv is established

1917

WWI Ends

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.

1919 - 1923

Third Aliyah Begins

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.

1922

First British White Paper targeting Jews

Mid 1920's

Fourth Aliyah

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.

1929

Arab Riots

Resulted in the death of Jews at the hands of Arabs; 67 Jews murdered in Hebron

1935 -1939

Fifth Aliyah

Polish, German, Austrian Jews flee from the onslaught of Nazism; while some were families, many children came alone aided by the Youth Aliyah movement.

1936 - 1937

Arab Riots Continue

Death and devastation of Jews continues at the hands of Arabs, prompting underground Jewish resistance.

1937

Peel Commission

British attempt to further partition an already truncated Jewish portion of Palestine

1939

Second British White Paper

limited Jewish immigration/land purchases

1941

Grand Mufti of Jerusalem

Collaborates with Hitler, proposes ‘Final Solution’

1945

British Antisemitism Peaks

Jewish survivors of the Holocaust are forbidden to enter Palestine; many were detained in harsh conditions.

1947

UN Partition of Palestine

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.

1948

Israel Liberated by Jews from British Occupation

Arab armies launch massive attacks

1948 - 1950

Mass expulsion of Mizrahi Jews

Iraqi, Yemeni, Persian Jews from across the Arab world are expelled in response largely to Israeli independence.

1979

Persian Jewish immigration

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.

Gaza Explained

Why Zionism

Jewish Diversity

Israel Fast Facts to Share

Minorities Represented in Israel

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

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!