• MARY SUVARNA LATHA. N
• Prof. RAJASEKHAR.P

Abstract In the Old Testament of the Bible, II Kings, Ch.16 concisely encapsulates one of the several wars between the Kingdom of Judah in the south and the Kingdom of Israel to its north. The first occurrence of the word Jew in The Bible appears here. Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah . . . king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him. At that time Rezin king of Syria captured Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah from Elath. (II Kings 16: 5-6) The King James Version translates "men of Judah" with the single word Jews. During the military campaign outlined above, the Syrians captured the port city of Elath from Judah, driving the Jews out. Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדִים‬Yehudim, pronounced as [jehuˈdim] or Jewish people are an ethno-religious group and a nation originating from the Israelites or Hebrews, of the Ancient Near East. Jewish religion, ethnicity, nationhood are intensely interrelated, as Judaism is the customary religion of the Jewish people, while its observance varies from strict adherence to total non-compliance.

Key Words: Judaism, Jewish religion, ethnicity etc.,

"The Celebration of Jewishness in the Works of Cynthia Ozick - An Introduction to Jewry and Jewish American Novel ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 11, page no.521-552, November-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1811771.pdf

"The Celebration of Jewishness in the Works of Cynthia Ozick - An Introduction to Jewry and Jewish American Novel ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 11, page no. pp521-552, November-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1811771.pdf