The Jewish people originate from the ancient Israelites who lived in the region historically known as Israel and Judah, located in the ancient Near East or Canaan (roughly modern Israel, Palestinian Territories, Jordan, and Lebanon). They are an ethnoreligious group with roots tracing back over 3,000 years to the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who lived in Canaan. The Jewish identity is closely tied to this region, often called the Land of Israel, with deep historical, cultural, and genetic connections to the Middle East. Jewish history began with the Israelites, a confederation of Semitic tribes in the Iron Age who developed a distinct religious and cultural identity centered on monotheism. The ancient Israelites experienced periods of monarchy, exile, and dispersion but maintained their identity through religion, culture, and tradition. Genetic studies show that Jews worldwide share a common Middle Eastern ancestry, despite widespread migration and intermarriage over millennia. Today, Jews live primarily in Israel and the United States, with diverse communities reflecting different historical migrations including Ashkenazi Jews from Europe, Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal, and Mizrahi Jews from the Middle East and North Africa. This diversity reflects both the ancient roots in the Middle East and centuries of diaspora in various regions.

In summary, Jews are originally from the ancient Levant region, primarily the historical land of Israel and Judah, with a continuous cultural and genetic lineage that links them to that area through thousands of years of history and diaspora.