Jewish people, who also call themselves the people of Israel, originate out of the teachings of a man name Abraham who established that God is the one and only creator of the universe. Abraham, along with his son Yitshak and his grandson Jacob (Israel), are considered to be the patriarchs of the Israelites. All three of these men inhabited an area called the Land of Canaan, which is known today as the Land of Israel. The land name Israel is derived from the name give to Jacob, and his 12 sons began what was later developed into the Jewish nation.
All of these decendents of Abraham formed this nation at about 1300 BC, after their Exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Moses lead these people to this new nation, which was known as the Promised Land and he transmitted The Torah and The Ten Commandments, which are the basic teachings of the Jewish people.