Shabbat

Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from sundown Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact time, therefore, differs from week to week and from place to place, depending on the time of sunset at each location.

Shabbat recalls the Biblical Creation account in Genesis, describing God creating the Heavens and the Earth in six days, and resting on and sanctifying the seventh (Genesis 1:1-2:3).

Shabbat is considered a festive day, when a person is freed from the regular labors of everyday life, can contemplate the spiritual aspects of life, and can spend time with family. Traditionally, on that day three festive meals are eaten — on Shabbat-eve, at lunch, and as an end-of-Shabbat evening-meal. The day is also noted for those activities which are prohibited on Shabbat prescribed by Rabbinic Judaism, but not all Jews follow these categories, and Karaite Judaism has its own traditions.

Judaism in Israel

Most citizens in the State of Israel are Jewish, and most Israeli Jews practice Judaism in some form. In the last two centuries the largest Jewish community in the world, in the United States, has divided into a number of Jewish denominations. The largest and most influential of these denominations are Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Conservative Judaism. All of the above denominations exist, to varying degrees, in the State of Israel. Nevertheless, Israelis tend to classify Jewish identity in ways that are strikingly different from American Jewry.

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea (Hebrew: יָם הַ‏‏מֶ‏ּ‏לַ‏ח‎, Yām Ha-Melaḥ, “Sea of Salt”; Arabic: البَحْر المَيّت‎, al-Baḥr l-Mayyit, “Dead Sea”) is a salt lake between Israel and the West Bank to the west, and Jordan to the east. It is 420 metres (1,378 ft) below sea level,^[2] and its shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land. The Dead Sea is 380 m (1,247 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It is also one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, with 33.7 percent salinity. Only Lake Assal (Djibouti), Garabogazköl and some hypersaline lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica such as Don Juan Pond and perhaps Lake Vanda have a higher salinity. It is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean.^[3] Experts say that it is almost ten times saltier than the Mediterranean Sea (34% salt versus 3.5% for the Mediterranean). This salinity makes for a harsh environment where animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea is 67 kilometres (42 mi) long and 18 kilometres (11 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.

Contemporary culture of Israel

The Israeli culture is heterogeneous, dynamic, and very difficult to define. A significant part of the lay cultural associations is located in the area of Tel Aviv, despite the fact that most of the official state cultural institutions are located in Jerusalem.

Cultural diversity stems from the fact that the people of Israel come from five continents and more than 100 different countries. That’s why we are here wymieszały culture around the world and all the subcultures (eg Arabs, Druze, the Russians, Falaszowie and others) can freely develop their own culture. Israeli culture is unique in its richness and diversity.

In recent years the government of Israel has become a lesser extent, the culture of finance. The volume of state funding of culture is lower than the average in western countries. Despite this, the country continues to support the activities of Israel Philharmonic, which withdraws from concerts around the world, also giving performances to Israeli radio and television. Local government support the existence of many small orchestras, the musicians are mostly immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Israel is well known in the world of modern dance.

Geography

Israel is on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea and bordered on the north by Lebanon and Syria, in the east to Jordan and to Egypt in the southwest. The Palestinian territories are located mostly in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the southwest. The country extends south through the Negev desert after Eilat, a resort on the Red Sea. The fertile Sharon level lies on the Mediterranean coast. Inland, parallel to the coast, lies the mountainous region with fertile valleys in the west and desert to the east. The big Senkgraben starts behind the source of the Jordan River and extends south through the Dead Sea (lowest point on earth) and further south through the Red Sea to East Africa.

Name

Over the past three thousand years, the name “Israel” has meant in common and religious usage both the Land of Israel and the entire Jewish nation.According to the Bible the origin of the name is where Jacob is renamed Israel after successfully wrestling with an angel of God.

The first historical mention of the word “Israel” is in the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated the late 13th century BCE), which appears to refer to a people.The modern country was named Medinat Yisrael, or the State of Israel, after other proposed names, including Eretz Israel (“the Land of Israel”), Zion, and Judea, were rejected. In the early weeks of independence, the government chose the term “Israeli” to denote a citizen of Israel, with the formal announcement made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett.

Etymology

Over the past three thousand years, the name “Israel” has meant in common and religious usage both the Land of Israel and the entire Jewish nation. The name originated from a verse in the Bible (Genesis, 32:28) where Jacob is renamed Israel after successfully wrestling with an angel of God. Commentators differ on the meaning of the name. Some say the name comes from the verb śarar (“to rule, be strong, have authority over”), thereby making the name mean “God rules” or “God judges”. Other possible meanings include “the prince of God” (from the King James Version) or “El fights/struggles”. Regardless of the precise meaning of the name, the biblical nation fathered by Jacob thus became the “Children of Israel” or the “Israelites”.

The first historical mention of the word “Israel” is in the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated the late 13th century BCE), which appears to refer to a people. The modern country was named Medinat Yisrael, or the State of Israel, after other proposed names, including Eretz Israel (“the Land of Israel”), Zion, and Judea, were rejected. In the early weeks of independence, the government chose the term “Israeli” to denote a citizen of Israel, with the formal announcement made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett.

When to Go

Israel can be visited at any time of the year, but there are a few factors to consider when planning your trip. Weather-wise, the best time to visit is in the spring (April and May) or autumn (September and October) when temperatures are mild in most areas. November and March are likewise pleasant but do see some rain, especially in the coastal areas and up north.

Winter (mid-November to mid-March) can be surprisingly chilly, with heavy rain along the coast and frost in the highlands. Summertime temperatures in the far south are extreme. In Tel Aviv the humidity will make you sweat standing in the shade. This is a good time to visit Jerusalem or other highland areas that are less affected by coastal humidity. Summer is also the peak season for tourists – hotel prices are at their highest and it can sometimes be difficult to find accommodation.

You might also want to avoid major Jewish holidays, as the country fills up with pilgrims, accommodation prices go up and it’s almost impossible to travel between cities.

Jerusalem

Jerusalem ^] is the capital^[iii] and largest city of Israel^[2] in both population and area,^[3] with 732,100 residents in an area of 125.1 square kilometers (49 sq mi).^[1][4] Located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern tip of the Dead Sea, the city has a history that goes back as far as the 4th millennium BCE, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.^[5] Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism and the spiritual center of the Jewish people since the 10th century BCE.^[6] The city contains a number of significant ancient Christian sites and is widely considered the third-holiest city in Islam.

The walled area of Jerusalem, which constituted the entire city until the 1860s, is now called the Old City, and was added to the List of World Heritage Sites in danger in 1982.^[8] The Old City has been traditionally divided into four quarters, although the names used today—the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters—were only introduced in the early 19th century.^[9] Despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometer (0.35 square mile),^[10] the Old City is home to several sites of key religious importance: the Temple Mount and its Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims.

Modern Jerusalem has grown up around the Old City, with its civic and cultural hub extending westward toward Israel’s urban center in Gush Dan. The Arab population resides in clusters in the North, East and South. Today, Jerusalem remains a bone of contention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem (captured in the 1967 Six-Day War) has been particularly controversial, as Palestinians view this part of the city as the capital of a potential Palestinian state.^[11][12] The status of a “united Jerusalem” as Israel’s “eternal capital”^[13][14] has not been officially recognized by the international community. Although some countries maintain consulates in Jerusalem, and two maintain embassies in Jerusalem suburbs, all embassies are located outside of the city proper, mostly in Tel Aviv.

Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְרָאֵל (help·info), Medinat Yisra’el; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ إِسْرَائِيل‎, Dawlat Isrā’īl), is a country in Western Asia located on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area.^[5] The West Bank and Gaza Strip, which are occupied by Israel since 1967 but partially administrated by the Palestinian National Authority, are also adjacent. With a population of about 7.2 million,^[3] the majority of whom are Jews, Israel is the world’s only Jewish state.^[6] It is also home to Arab Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Samaritans, as well as other religious and ethnic minority groups.

The modern state of Israel has its roots in the Land of Israel, a concept central to Judaism for over three thousand years. After World War I, the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine with the intent of creating a “national home for the Jewish people.”^[7] In 1947, the United Nations approved the partition of the Mandate of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.^[8] The Arab League rejected the plan, but on May 14, 1948, Israel declared its independence. The new country’s victory in the subsequent Arab-Israeli War expanded the borders of the Jewish state beyond those in the UN Partition Plan. Since then, Israel has been in conflict with many of the neighboring Arab countries, resulting in several major wars and decades of violence until this day.^[9] Since its foundation, Israel’s boundaries and even the State’s very right to exist have been subject to dispute, although Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, and efforts are being made to reach a permanent accord with the Palestinians.

Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system and universal suffrage.^[10][11] The Prime Minister serves as head of government and the Knesset serves as Israel’s legislative body. In terms of nominal gross domestic product, the nation’s economy is estimated as being the 44th-largest in the world;^[12] Israel ranks highest among Middle Eastern countries on the bases of human development,^[13] freedom of the press,^[14] and economy.^[15][16] Jerusalem is the country’s capital, seat of government, and largest city,^[1] and Israel’s main financial center encompasses Tel Aviv.