Dating far back to antiquity, the Jews originated in the Near East. According to the Testament, the Jews derived from a tribe called Habiru, whom Abraham led from Ur of the Chaldees (in southern Sumeria) to the land that was called, at different times, Canaan, Judea, and Samaria, Palestine, and Israel. The Jewish people are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their foremothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. However, the Jews were formed into a people only during their residence in Egypt, from which they were led out by Moses. After that, the crucial event for the creation of Jewish identity and the foundation of the Jewish ‘faith was the reception of the Ten Commandments on Sinai.
In the Promised Land, the Jews founded their state, but the greatest part of their history has been marked by a life lived in exile. After the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in the year 70 CE, a great number of Jews were scattered all over the Roman Empire and accordingly also arrived in Dalmatia and Split. Today Jewish people and communities can be found all over the world. Their numbers, the dissemination, and diversity of traditions and customs that define them as Jews are constantly changing. in addition to ethnic affiliation and faith, Judaism is defined by a common heritage of almost 4,000 years of memories of catalytic events in history.
In Croatia, the Jews have the status of ethnic minority and religious communities.
