Starting around 722 BCE, my Jewish ancestors got their asses handed to them by the imperial powers of the day. Made refugees by the mighty Assyrians and the Babylonians who swooped down soon after, a painful saga of destruction and displacement was set in motion. This event still has consequences for those of us today who enjoy motza-ball soup, Woody Allen movies, a lifetime of guilt and other key elements of the Hebraic persuasion.