Final answer:
The Jewish diaspora began with the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE and was furthered by subsequent Roman expulsions. Jewish communities then spread and grew around the Mediterranean, maintaining cohesion through shared culture and religion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The event that led to the dispersion of the Jews, known as the Jewish diaspora, was the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE. This disaster was precipitated by a massive uprising against the Roman occupation in 66 CE, culminating in the Temple's destruction. The diaspora was further exacerbated after a second major revolt from 132 to 136 CE, after which the Romans forcefully expelled the majority of the Jewish population from their ancestral homeland, scattering them across various regions.
Jewish cultural and religious life had to adapt, as the Temple's destruction meant they could no longer perform the centralizing rituals that had previously defined their faith. As a result, Jewish communities developed around synagogues in different parts of the Mediterranean. Despite challenges and periods of persecution, these communities maintained a strong sense of identity through the Hebrew Bible and Jewish traditions.
The notion of a Jewish diaspora began even earlier, with the Babylonian Captivity in the 6th century BCE. While many Jews returned to Judah with the permission of Cyrus the Great, others chose to remain in Babylon or move to other cities in the Persian Empire, maintaining their distinct cultural and religious identity and establishing the concept of a widespread Jewish community.