Although the exact age of the Jewish faith is debatable, one thing is certain, it is a faith with a long and sometimes tumultuous history. Throughout the history of Judaism, the Jewish people have faced constant persecution and discrimination. Despite these conflicts, the faith is alive, strong and growing. Like many religions facing adversity, Judaism has had to adapt to an ever-changing world to maintain its faith. A moment of significant change, the fall of the Second Temple, had the opportunity to permanently destroy Judaism, but the Jewish people united and reformulated their religion in order to save their faith. The destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE was a pivotal moment in Jewish history (Molloy, 290). The destruction of the temple and the subsequent displacement of the Jewish people risked completely destroying the faith. At this time in Jewish history, communal gatherings at the temple for worship were an important component of religion. An essential part of their faith revolved around gatherings led by priests and the performance of sacrificial rituals (Molloy, 314). As the faith was primarily an oral tradition at this time in history, the gatherings were an important way of transmitting the traditions and prayers of Judaism. The destruction of this central meeting place, coupled with the forced removal of the Jewish people, forced the faith to rethink its direction in order to keep the religion alive, because without the temple they could no longer maintain many of their current rituals. Judaism embraced meeting the challenge of survival by modifying their traditions and rituals to adapt them to their new existence. As a faith once centered on priesthood, sacrificial rituals, community gates...... middle of paper ...... it is assured that the foundations of the religion will remain intact across space and time. Although many beliefs may have fallen after such a significant event as the destruction of the Second Temple, the core of Judaism at the time, the religion was able to rebuild itself and modify its practices and traditions to adapt to its new circumstances. The fall of the Second Temple was a pivotal moment in Jewish history and changed many aspects of the Jewish faith, from ritual to doctrine. Jews graciously and proactively welcomed this change in order to create a stronger, more resilient religion. Works Cited Molloy, M. (2010). Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Van Voorst, R. (2011). Anthology of World Scriptures (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.kraemer, k