The story of the Exodus is one of the defining tales in the Old Testament. It tells of how the bond between God and the Israelites was forged, through His rescue of them from slavery and their long journey to the promised land of Israel. In Jewish culture it's the event that connects them to that land, and even today many people cite it as justification for Israel's politics - sometimes even for its existence. That makes it an important story on many levels and it's vital to understand it before you can understand the political situation in the Middle East. It's clear that the escape of the Israelites from captivity in Egypt is a story that still matters today. What really happened, though? Did it even happen at all? As always when religion is involved it can be difficult to dig down to the facts without running into resistance, either from skeptics who just dismiss the story or believers who resent it being questioned. There's a lot of evidence there, however, and by piecing it together we can try to build up a picture of what - if anything - happened in the Middle East all those centuries ago. This short work examines both the truth and importance of the Exodus.