Israel

Israel

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Israel's roots go back to the dawn of civilization. This land has always been important, as a crossroads between East and West, and as the cradle where the world's three great monotheistic religions were born. Many societies have come and gone from this part of the world, and the modern State of Israel is a newcomer on the scene since 1948. Today, Israel is a diverse and ever-changing splash of history, culture, religion, tourism, hi-tech, natural beauty, and people from around the globe.

Because Israel is continually evolving, while maintaining its ancient roots, we have tried to provide you with a combination of current news, historical background, modern photos (some ours and some from Israel Images ), maps, and related links in case you are interested in learning more.


The Old City of Jerusalem lit up by sunset	The New City of Jerusalem lit up by modern life


Christians carrying the Cross on Via Delarosa	Moslems praying on the Temple Mount	Jews praying at the Western Wall on Sukkot


One of many narrow passageways in the Old City	A Scribe writing a Torah scroll	The army is one of many meeting grounds between religious and secular life in Israel


The famous King David Hotel, just blocks from our apartment	YMCA's bell tower is a familiar landmark in Jerusalem (and also our gym)	Hebrew Union College - Mark walks these steps every day


The Red Sea, near Eilat in the south	The salt of the Dead Sea, which attracts curious visitors and those seeking its healing powers	The Banias waterfalls, in the northern Galilee area


An alleyway in Tzfat, one of our favorite towns and the location of Livnot U'Lehibanot	The Natofa Valley in the Galilee - Rach did an overnight hike through this valley with Livnot in 1999


No country is safe from the Golden Arches	The Mediterranean Sea washes onto the shores of the modern city of Tel Aviv	A Greek Orthodox procession in Bethlehem


The Roman cardo -- one trace of civilaztions past -- remains in the Tziporri National Park	Ancient Roman aqueduct in Caesarea


A young secular Israeli helps an ultra Orthodox man move his couch	That's us in front of an oversized sukkah	A beautiful sunset seen from our apartment


Moslem women in front of the Al Alksa Mosque, the third holiest site for Moslems behind Mecca and Medina	Sculpture of a Menorah outside Israel's Parliament, the Knesset

Middle East	Israel

Links

History

History of Israel, from 1850 to present
Compiled by Rabbi Joseph E. Katz, Middle Eastern Political and Religious History Analyst, and dedicated to "the countless thousands whose lives have been lost in Arab-Jewish conflict; to the courageous on both sides whose longing for lasting peace between Arabs and Jews transcends politics."

The History of the State of Israel
A comprehensive list of links from The Jewish History Resource Center of Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Topics range from the Hebrew language to the history of kibbutz life to the government.

Arab-Israeli Conflict

The Arab Israel Conflict in Maps
A collection of maps from The Pedagogic Center of The Jewish Agency of Israel
that begin with the Ottoman Rule and continue throughout the past 80+ years

TIME Trail: The Arab-Israeli Conflict
Europe's version of Time Magazine presents a timeline of events, with links to related articles. The timeline begins with the
British "Exodus" from Palestine (Israel was not yet a state) in 1947 and continues through to the "peace breakdown" in August, 2000

News

Ha'aretz Daily
Ha'aretz means "The land" in Hebrew and this daily is our main source for up-to-the-minute news. Ha'aretz is self-described as being
"an independent daily newspaper with a broadly liberal outlook both on domestic issues and on international affairs."

The Jerusalem Post
"J Post" is celebrating 70 years of circulation these days. The Post is known to give a more conservative viewpoint on Israel and the region.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
JTA's daily reports include "the latest information about the Middle East peace process, political developments in
Washington and Jerusalem, the activities of anti-Semites and other hate-mongers, trends affecting Jewish life in North America,
security incidents in Israel, and conditions for Jews in Eastern Europe, Latin America and far-flung communities around the world."

The Middle East Media Research Institute
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) "explores the Middle East through the region's media.
MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi,
and Hebrew media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East."

Photos and General Information

Israel's Ministry of Tourism
A fun and interesting site with information about Israel, virtual tours, and an excellent list of links about everything related.
We like one of their advertising lines, "If you liked the book, you'll love the country!"

Information About Israel
The Israel Science and Technology website has put together a straight-forward "encyclopedia style" introduction to Israel.
Topics include the Declaration of Independence, system of government, geography and climate, etc.

Israel Images
A fantastic site with photos representing all walks of life in Israel. Categories include Culture and Arts,
The State, Religions, Lifestyle, People, Economy, Places, Archaeology, Jerusalem, and Nature.

"Talking" Map of Israel
Click on the different cities to hear how to pronounce them in Hebrew

Real time video at the Western Wall
Aish HaTorah is an Orthodox learning organization, with its primary location just across from the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.
They have set up this "live" video cam as a way for those chutz l'aretz (outside of the country) to stay connected. You can even send a prayer to be placed in the Wall (an old tradition) via e-mail. Please note that Aish HaTorah is on the very conservative end of the
religious spectrum and spend a lot of time doing "outreach." In other words, view their site with a grain of salt.

Livnot U'Lehibanot
This is the homepage for Livnot, the work/study/hiking program that both of us participated in (Mark in 1992 and Rachel Ann in 1999).
We have a strong connection to Livnot and believe deeply in the way they're able to change people's lives in an open and honest atmosphere.
If you know anyone who might be interested in exploring Israel in a meaningful way, feel free to put them in touch with us.

Hatikva (The Hope)
Israel's National Anthem

As long as deep in the heart,
The soul of a Jew yearns,
And forward to the East
To Zion, an eye looks
Our hope will not be lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free nation in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem
Hatikva was written by Naftali Herz Imber (1856-1909), who moved to Palestine in 1882 from Galicia. The melody was arranged by Samuel Cohen, an immigrant from Moldavia, from a musical theme in Smetana's Moldau that is based on an Eastern European folk song.