Among the religious developments in Judaism during the exile in Babylonia, some of the most significant and lasting include increased emphasis on observing the Sabbath day of rest, participating in group prayer and study of texts, and identifying themselves through circumcision and stricter dietary rules. It has long been suggested that the synagogue as a place of religious meeting began during the Babylonian Captivity; however, more recent research questions that conclusion. In a land of exile, surrounded by Mesopotamian religious practices, while the Temple of Jerusalem lay in ruins, the Jewish people found ways to make their religion amenable to displacement and maintain their beliefs, rituals, and identity.
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