Jerusalem was the only city in history to successfully fend them off, said the geologist. "Surviving the Assyrian siege put it into the people's minds that it was because of their faith that they survived ... So when they were captured by the Babylonians in 587 BCE, they felt it was because their faith had faltered. That conviction united the Jews through the Babylonian captivity, and so began modern congregational religion." In an arid region rife with conflict, water security is as important today as it was during biblical times, Bramnik concluded. Full Article at Jerusalem Post