Medinat Yeudi Hadash haBeiteynu

The Jewish Homeland of Beiteynu is a nation located on the North Western tip of Majatra. It is bordered by Pontesi to the east and Barmenistan to the south. Its western coast is surrounded by the Verranderlijke Ocean and to the north it stretches out into the Migrant's Pass, separating it from the offshore regions of Darnussia.

The Birth Of Jewish Civilisation
Majatran settlers first settled in the area now known as Beiteynu in the year 500, there is no known history prior to this date. Akin to most of the continents people at the time they were followers of traditional animist beliefs. By 620 however it was estimated that over 80% of the nations inhabitants had converted to Judaism making it the only majority Jewish area on Terra. Tribal groups soon began appointing high ranking members as Rebbes and in opposition to the previous animosity of the Animist Majatran High Priests they sought peace with neighbouring tribes. In the west of Padrilka large groups began uniting under the banner of the recently pronounced Ishmael I and started consolidating power over the region. By the 900's they had secured all of what is now Beiteynu as well as a large part of northern Barmenistan and 908 the Chief Rebbe of Padrilka proclaimed Ishmael I to be Sacred Monarch of the Kingdom of Beiteynu''.

The 1st Jewish Homeland (The Sacred Monarchy)

 * 908 – Ishmael I is proclaimed Sacred Monarch of the Kingdom of Beiteynu. This has later come to be known as the 1st Jewish Homeland.
 * 924 – Bira is built, major capital city is built on the coast of Padrilka, becomes major trading port.
 * 1154 – The King Ezekiel IV is killed in a battle against an Endlidian revolt and no successor can be found. The monarchy disintegrates into small tribes and effective anarchy. It is also around this time that Jewish migration begins moving out of Beiteynu. Those that move south end up few in number as the meet the growing power of the Deltarians, but large Jewish communities form in Pontesi, Selucia and Cildania.

The Sacking Of Bira
1493 – In the years prior to this it appeared that a resurgence of the Sacred Monarchy was likely as troops spurred on by King David began to unite the nation. However in the unified nation of Pontesi anti-Jewish sentiment was high and pogroms were commonplace. Jews had also been forced into small villages and a “Pale of Settlement” created. Following the Great Jewish Revolt of 1490 in Diar Elahmar rumours spread of a Jewish conspiracy to take over the nation. The leaders of Pontesi decide to take pre-emptive action and unite the various regional armies of the land in a Holy Crusade against growing Beiteynu state. In 1493 troops finally reach Bira and burn it to the ground. Jewish citizens are routinely massacred and the nation annexed into the Holy Pontesian Empire. Intense Jewish migration to Barmenistan and Selucia but nation remains essentially majority Jewish.

The Fight To Return

 * 1800 – Massive earthquake hits the nation and religious leaders in Pontesi brand it cursed. Mass migration back to Pontesi.
 * 1864 – World Jewish Congress founded, idea of a new Homeland put forward.

The 2nd Jewish Homeland (The Theocracy)

 * 1966 – The 16 Sacred Tribes unite and reclaim Beiteynu from the minimal Pontesian army that remained in the nation. Little resistance is offered and most inhabitants are pleased to see Jewish rule reinstated. 2nd Jewish Homeland of Beiteynu (informally known as the Theocracy of Beiteynu) implemented with the Head of State being the Supreme Rabbi of the nation. The newly formed state begins cracking down on “anti-Jewish activities”. Pigs and shellfish are declared illegal and all people are required to dress according to their religion. Vast majority of non-Jews are either executed or exiled and many Jews themselves are killed for “religious deviation”.


 * 2006 – Massacre of Padrilkistan, Muslim population of Beiteynu halved.


 * 2124 – Loss of popular support leads Supreme Rabbi to attempt a “short victorious war”, army transported to Darnussian offshore islands to claim them in the name of Judaism. The Darnussian defence however was underestimated and a stalemate situation emerged whereby each nation occupied one of the islands and neither made attempts to capture the other.
 * 2140 – Supreme Rabbi calls for complete capitulation of Darnussia and nearly all of the army is sent to the islands. Sensing this the Darnussian government sent telgrams to Pontesi and Barmenistan to form a three nation alliance against Beiteynu. The nation is attacked on both sides and is unable to defend itself.

The Occupation

 * 2154 – Supreme Rabbi is overthrown and nation is occupied. It is divided up with Barmenistan taking Quo'gün and Padrilka, Darnussia taking Endlid and Fruskilaand Pontesi taking Tadraki.
 * 2160’s – Independence movement begins under the control of the Free Beiteynu! Organisation. It begins a campaign of terrorism.

The 3rd Jewish Homeland (The Republic)
2173 – Following years of Jewish terrorism as well as dis-harmony between the occupying powers they decide to unilaterally quit the nation and the 3rd Jewish Homeland of Beiteynu is founded.

The First Two-Party State (2250-2260)
In the February 2247 general elections, the National Party and the Likud Party, which had both recently restarted, failed to make it into the Knesset despite a national voter turnout of almost 90%. The Underworld Party suffered a humiliating defeat, losing all but one of its seats in the Knesset. Meanwhile, the Habonim Dror gained an outright majority in the legislature with a 113-seat gain (250 seats total) and gained control of the executive in the first round of elections. Franklin Delanovitz Rooseveltstein's party reforms seemed to be working. The main opposition to Habonim Dror was the centre-left Kadima, which, despite a 45-seat gain, failed to garner a majority. This was the beginning of a two-party state.

During the Habonim Dror's tenure as the ruling party of Beiteynu, it passed a number of milestone pieces of legislation. One of them was a bill called the "End to War Act", which had long been advocated by the pacifist faction in the party. Amongst its provisions were a ban on all defense industries, a repeal of the draft, and the prohibition of military involvement with the police force. The Habonim Dror decreased military spending from 60,000,000,000 BEI to 300,000 BEI. The budget also provided for a doubling of the Health and Social Services funds from 20,000,000,000 BEI to 40,000,000,000 BEI and a 10,000,000,000 BEI increase in funding for the Ministry of Education and Culture (to a total of 60,000,000,000 BEI).

In January 2249, the President Rooseveltstein asked the Habonim Dror leadership to called for early elections after only two years of almost unopposed rule. President Rooseveltstein cited a "grave concern for the future of democracy" as his motivation. In the elections, the recently re-established far-right wing Judean People's Front candidate, Mortechai Jefferson Carver, won the presidency in the second round against David Ben-Gurion, the candidate put forth by Kadima. Franklin Delanovitz Rooseveltstein had been eliminated in the first round, having received only 20% of the vote.

In the general election, Habonim Dror lost a whopping 163 seats. Kadima, the former opposition, lost 81 seats. The Judean People's Front gained 245 seats and, with them, a unilateral majority. The once-successful Underworld Party, National Party, and Likud Party collapsed in the shadow their previous electoral failures. Not long after the legislative session began, Kadima dissolved their party for unknown reasons, though some speculate deep party divisions. Thus, the Habonim Dror were the only opposition to the Judean People's Front, which pursued its right-wing agenda without hesitation. In May 2249, the Judean People's Front pushed through a 20% flat tax for all in Beiteynu, destroying the previously established progressive tax.

In May 2249, the Judean People's Front allowed the Habonim Dror to form a minority government as way to balance power.

In January 2250, the Judean People's Front and the Habonim Dror agreed on a number of amendments to the Constitution. Amongst them were: a provision to change the name of the Head of Government from Prime Minister to Director General, renaming the Head of State Supreme Rabbi, reducing the size of the Knesset to 100 seats, and instituting equal representation for each region regardless of population or size. They also agreed to decrease term lengths from three years to two.

The January 2250 elections saw the beginnings of the two-party state. Franklin Delanovitz Rooseveltstein was elected to the position of Supreme Rabbi with nearly sixty percent of the vote. The Knesset elections mirrored the Supreme Rabbi election almost exactly, with the Habonim Dror winning 57 of the 100 seats. The party leadership immediately extended an olive branch to the Judean People's Front, offering them every cabinet position except for the Ministry of Defense.

In the 2252 elections, the Habonim Dror lost seven seats. Though they had garnered a majority of the popular vote (51+%) both parties received fifty seats in the legislature.

After the January 2258 elections, Beiteynu Beytenu was formed. In the 2260 elections, the Judean People's Front lost 16 seats, 14 of which went to Beiteynu Beytenu and two of which went to Habonim Dror. Despite a Beiteynu Beytenu endorsement, the longtime Judean People's Front candidate, Mortechai Jefferson Carver, received only 43.33% in the Supreme Rabbi election. Despite these gains, this would be the last election in which Habonim Dror maintained its unilateral majority.

In the 2260 elections, Habonim Dror lost 15 seats -- its largest loss in more than a decade. The Judean People's Front lost another four seats, and Beiteynu Beytenu gained 19 seats. Beiteynu Beytenu was now the second-largest party in Beiteynu. Franklin Delanovitz Rooseveltstein won the Supreme Rabbi election in the second round against Avigdor Liberman, the Beiteynu Beytenu candidate. It was the end of the two-party state.

The Second Two-Party State (2274-2282)
Following his party's humiliating defeat in the 2264 elections, Franklin Delanovitz Rooseveltstein, the longest-serving head of state in Beiteynu history, resigned his position as leader of the Habonim Dror. He died of old age not long thereafter. He was replaced by Albert Gorestein who maintained the party's position as largest in Beiteynu and, in the 2268 elections, led the party to win the Supreme Rabbi election. However, the party lost 18 of its seats in the same election. Many political analysts say that the head of state victory was due largely in part to the endorsement of the successful Kadima. Despite this temporary victory, Albert Gorestein's verbose speeches and monotonous voice failed to inspire the Habonim Dror faithful, or anyone, for that matter. The party faded away into irrelevance.

While the Habonim Dror and other parties disintegrated, however, Kadima rose to prominence. By 2276, the only parties remaining were Kadima and the Judean People's Front. In election after election, Kadima increased in size and power and the power of the Judean People's Front waned. By January 2282, Kadima held 62% of the seats in the Knesset. Shortly after the elections, however, both the Kadima Party Leader and the Supreme Rabbi Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein (Kadima) were found dead in their homes. The party collapsed admist turmoil.

Without any opposition remaining, the Judean People's Front called for early elections. It won every seat in the Knesset.

Pnték Hyéonékaiék Jeztadraki
In February 2309 as the autocratic rule of the Judean People's Front and the Exhalted Despot collapsed amidst allegations of corruption, dealings with secret societies and public uprisings, the nation was plunged into a state of near anarchy. As people immediately ran to retrieve all their savings, the state banking system was unable to cope and all branches were shut down. People were stuck with little to no money and this quickly correlated to a mass crime wave and a looting spree. Furthermore formally banned political groups began resurfacing and calling for action. The Communist Party of Beiteynu which had had the majority of its leadership executed during the Great Purges began launching a series of terrorist attacks on government buildings and urging the people to support a revolution. Perhaps more influential however was the amount of support for the Beiteynu wing of the International Federation of Jewish Anarchists. The people, now tired of authoritarian rule began to cease working for their employers as well as publically burned money on the streets. A large number of industries were taken over and workers cooperatives instaled whilst at the same time armed militas took to the streets. The state flag was burned and the anarchist one raised on all buildings.

Sensing the chaos in their neighbour and still eager to retrieve was they saw as their rightful land, the Pontesian government held an emergency meeting and authorised intervention in the nation. The army was immediately set into motion and under the banner of the already assembled Amsaék Hyéonlrnék Isràkai grouping they crossed the Abure-Tadraki border.

Within a week they had wrestled control of the Tadraki/Endlid region from the severely weakened Beiteynu government as well as exercising large authority over the rest of the nation. The Amsaék Hyéonlrnék Isràkai quickly established their control over what was now renamed Pnték Hyéonékaiék Jeztadraki (Pontesian Sunpeople's Gran Tadraki) dissolving the Judean People's Front run Politburo and giving authority to the Krs'kaisrne (United People's Table). At the head of this stood the imposing figure of the Jezhikoék'ai (Grand People's Man) and the post of Isràkai Accipitrum (Great Man Accipitrum) was created to act as a official liason to the Pontesian Atabeg Accipitrum.

The Jewish population of the nation immediately rose up in anger and national pride with the Judean People's Front reorganising itself to fight as a paramilitary group alongside the Jüdische Widerstandarmee (a radically religious splinter group from the Communist Party of Beiteynu) under the command of the Beiteynu Resistance Committee. Violence was both regular and severe, especially after the Amsaék Hyéonlrnék Isràkai May 2311 "Official Recognition of Pontesian Sovereignty over Jeztadraki", and clashes between armed Jewish groups and the Pontesian military became commonplace.

By Februry 2314, five years after establishing the Pnték Hyéonékaiék Jeztadraki, the Amsaék Hyéonlrnék Isràkai, eager to show their democratic credentials called for nationwide elections pitting their Pontesian coalition against the Jewish parties of Beiteynu, including the political wings of the Beiteynu Resistance Committee parties.

Pnték Coalition (Flakjinyr Jeztadrakiékai)

 * Akedé Strhosí Grundnyr
 * Pnték Kàtickaékai Nrzi Prta
 * Workers Party

Jewish Coalition (Beiteynu Resistance Committee)

 * Habonim Dror
 * Judean People's Front
 * Ma'avak
 * The party formerly known as Likud

Post-Invasion

 * Jeztadraki Knstatak'ai (2314-2322) - Member of the Pnték Coalition. Moderately socialist, socially conservative.
 * Judean Fedocrats Party (2314) - Member of the Jewish Coalition. Economically capitalist, fervently religious. As most parties in Beiteynu, socially conservative.

Antebellum

 * Kadima (2173-2282) - A very moderate party. Favored minimal restrictions on industry. Not very religious. Leaned progressive on social issues.
 * Hatikva (2218-2230) - A socially conservative socialist party. Though its existence was brief, it had a significant impact on Beiteynu politics. It coalitioned with Habonim Dror.
 * Hashomer Hatzair (2190-2206) - Another briefly-lived socialist party. Very active in the promotion and support of trade unions and human rights. Socially progressive, moderately secular as well. Worked alongside Habonim Dror.
 * United Beiteynu Party (2173-2190) - The first pary of Beiteynu. Was a Jewish libertarian party, supporting a ultra-capitalist economy and a radical socially progressive platform.
 * Jewish Right Progressive Party (2174-2193) - A secular, socially progressive party, which opposed much of the regulation of industry. One of the few Beiteynuan supporters of GLBTQ rights. Also supported the passage of human rights treaties and legislation.

Naczelnik Nasi
The Naczelnik Nasi is the Head of State of Beiteynu and is directly elected in a nationwide election. Following the collapse of the Third Jewish Homeland, the post of Exhalted Despot was declared illegal and was split into those of Naczelnik Nasi and Av Beit Din. The former essentially holds the same power that the Supreme Rabbi did in the days of the Third Jewish Homeland.

Av Beit Din
The Av Beit Din is the Head of Government of Beiteynu and is appointed by the Sanhedrin to chair and lead the cabinet of the nation. Via the constitution of the Fourth Jewish Homeland the Av Beit Din must be supported by the Naczelnik Nasi however this is seen as a formality and there has never been a move from the latter against the former.

Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin is the legislative assembly of Beiteynu and is filled following nationwide elections. The name comes from the ancient body that governed the First Jewish Homeland and its restoration was part of a "back to basics" campaign spearheaded by the Beiteynu Resistance Committee. It was formed out of the remains of the JPF run Politburo which is turn was forged from the dissolution and reformation of the Knesset, the legislative base of the Second and Third Jewish Homelands.

There are officially 391 seats in the Sanhedrin although only 300 are filled from elections. 

The current makeup of the Sanhedrin is as follows:

Demographics
The demographic makeup of Beiteynu is overwhelmingly based upon the Jewish-Pontesi divergances of the nation. These two groups define the nation ethnically, religiously and linguistically. Essentially these two groups split the nation into two halves along the borders between Endlid-Tadraki and Fruskila-Quo'gün, there are however prominent populations of each group on either side.

Predominantly the two groups are split along ethnic lines with the Jewish population descending from the initial settlers that entered the nation from the Padrilka coast and the Pontesians originating from travellers that left their home nation on the Eastern coast.

Religiously the Jewish half is of course majority Jewish but too many this is more of a cultural and ethnic definition and there is a large percentage of non-practicing Jews and even Christian or Muslim Jews. The Pontesians, like their homeland, are divided into either Terran Catholics or Progressive Darwinists with a small Jewish minority.

Aside from these two major groups there is a substantial minority of Majatrans still located in the nation. They are predominantly Muslim but have found themselves increasingly marginalised over the years by the central government.