By Wikipedia No sooner had Israel won her independence in 1948 than the surrounding Arab States forced their Jewish citizens to leave the countries where they had…
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Gehenna, gehinnam, or gehinnom are terms derived from a geographical site in Jerusalem known as the Valley of Hinnom, one of the two principal valleys surrounding the Old City. Initially the site where followers of Ba'al sacrificed their children by fire to the god Moloch, the valley later became the common wasteyard for all the refuse of Jerusalem. Here the dead bodies of animals and rubbish were cast and, according to legend, consumed by a constant fire. In time it became deemed to be accursed and an image of the place of everlasting destruction in Jewish folklore. However, Jewish folklore suggests the valley had a 'gate' which led down to a molten lake of fire. Eventually the Hebrew term Gehinnom became a figurative name for the place of spiritual purification for the wicked dead in Judaism, a site at the greatest possible distance from heaven. According to most jewish sources, the period of purification or punishment is limited to only 12 months and every shabbath day is excluded from punishment. After this the soul will ascend to Olam Ha-Ba, the world to come, or will be destroyed if it is severely wicked. Gehenna is cited in the New Testament and in early Christian writing to represent the final place where the wicked will be punished or destroyed after resurrection. In both Rabbinical Jewish and Christian writing, Gehenna as a destination of the wicked is different from Hades, the abode of the dead, and is but loosely analogous to the concept of Hell.
