Jewish diaspora


The Jewish diaspora (Hebrew: Tefutzah, "scattered", or Galut גלות, "exile", Yiddish: tfutses) is the expulsion of the Jewish people out of the Roman province of Judea. They later spread throughout the world by either migration or conversion. The diaspora is commonly accepted to have begun with the 8th-6th century BCE conquests of the ancient Jewish kingdoms and expulsions of enslaved Jewish population. A number of Middle Eastern Jewish communities were established then as a result of tolerant policies and remained notable centers of Torah life and Judaism for centuries to come. The defeat of the Great Jewish Revolt in the year 70 CE and of Bar Kokhba's revolt in 135 CE against the Roman Empire notably contributed to the numbers and geography of the diaspora, as many Jews were scattered after losing their state Judea or were sold to slavery throughout the empire.