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"Exile and the Rise of Modern Judaism"
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Over the centuries, the Kingdom of Israel and the people of Judah remained under constant threat from their neighbors. It began with the Assyrian invasion, when the Northern Kingdom (Israel) collapsed. Most of its inhabitants were captured and forcibly relocated to distant lands, leaving behind their cities and fields. The Southern Kingdom (Judah), however, endured longer, but the Babylonian forces led by Nebuchadnezzar II eventually swept through Jerusalem. The First Temple was destroyed, and the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon, marking a new chapter of displacement and diaspora.
During this period of exile, the prophets emerged as guardians of identity and faith. They wrote and recorded history, teaching the people that fai
