globetrotter israel travel pack

ISRAEL

ISRAEL

Vital tips for visitors

Best places to stay, eat and shop

Star-rated top attractions

Detailed regional profiles

Essential area and transport maps

Best tours and excursions

Practical, informative and user-friendly, the Globetrotter Travel Guide to Israel

highlights the major places of interest, describing their principal attractions and offering sound suggestions

on where to tour, stay, eat, shop and relax.

The AuThor

Sue Bryant is an award-winning travel writer and broadcaster who contributes to many national newspapers in Britain

as well as magazines and websites worldwide. She has a particular interest in Mediterranean countries

and is the author of several Globetrotter guides to Spanish destinations as well as the

Globetrotter Guide to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

6TH Ed TRAVEL GUIDE

TRAVEL GUIDE ISR

AEL Published and distributed byNew Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd London

Distributed in Africa byMap Studio

Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban

Distributed in the USA byThe Globe Pequot Press

Connecticut

I S BN 978-1-78009-419-9

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N E WH O L L A N D

1. Introducing Israel

2. Jerusalem

3. Tel Aviv

4. The Dead Sea and Negev

5. Galilee

6. Haifa

CONTENTS

The Land

History in Brief Government and Economy

The People

The Old City East Jerusalem

Mount Zion West Jerusalem The West Bank

Bethlehem

Tel Aviv Jaffa

Day Trips from Tel Aviv

The Dead Sea The Negev

Eilat Excursions Beyond Israel

Tiberias Around the Lake

Nazareth The Jezreel Valley

Safed The Golan Heights

HaifaDruze Villages

AkkoCaesarea

FREE MAP PDF FOR YOUR PHONE

ISRAEL INSIDE COVER 8/3/11 11:11 AM Page 1

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

IndependencePark

BloomfieldPark

SacherPark

PeacePark

Mt Scopus

Liberty BellPark

RamotForest

JerusalemForest

NeveGranot

KidronValley

SanhedrinPark

Garden ofGethsemane

Valley of Hinnom

JerusalemArchaeological

Park

BotanicalGarden

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H HH

H

H

KING DAVIDYMCA

AMERICANCOLONY

CROWNE PLAZA

NATIONALPALACE

JERUSALEMTOWER

JERUSALEMRENAISSANCE

KINGSPLAZA

SHERATONJERUSALEM

MT ZION

RON

GRANDCOURT

KikkarZion

HebrewUniversity

RussianCathedral

Church of MaryMagdalene

Pater NosterCarmeliteConvent

Church of theDormition

Dome ofthe Rock

St George'sCathedral

Synagogue

PresidentialResidence

RailwayStation

JerusalemConvention

Centre

ii

i

GardenTomb

Solomon'sQuarries

SiloamPool

HerzlMuseum

YadVashemMemorial

IsraelMuseum

IslamicMuseum

King David'sTomb

The Knesset(Parliament)

AmmunitionHill Museum

Dome of theAscension

MontefioreWindmill

BotanicalGardens

Tomb of theVirgin Mary

Skirball Museum

DungGate

Towerof DavidMuseum

New Gate

DamascusGate

Herod's Gate

Tomb ofthe Kings

RockefellerMuseum

Ben ZviInstitute

Jason'sTomb

BotanicalGardens

Bible LandsMuseum

Chamber ofthe Holocaust

Absalom'sPillar

Tomb ofZechariah

Shrine of the Book

Herzl’sGrave

SupremeCourt

Wohl RoseGarden

MahaneYehudaMarket

Hezekiah’sTunnel

UndergroundPrisonerMuseum

Museum onthe Seam

HebrewUniversity

Helen

i Ha-M

alka

Hillel

Narkiss

MenahemUssishkin

Hagra

Even Sappir

Ben Maimon

Balfour

Peri Hadash

Yose

fBen

Matt

ityah

u

Ha-Hashmona‘im

Rashi

Tahkemoni

Rehovot Ha-Bukharim

EliHa-Cohen

ZefanyaAmos

ElMu

qadd

asi

Yoel

Bet Yisrael

David Ha-Reuveni

Ha-Meyassedim

Ha-M

eshor

eret

Eli‘e

zer H

a-Le

vi

Bet Ha-K

erem

Bialik

He-Halu

z

He-Haluz

Rabbi Binyamin

Gihon

AmminadavEn Rogel

Ha-Zefira

Rahel Immenu

Binyamin Disraeli

Ha-Ivri

Reuven

Efra

yim

Gidon

Naft

ali

Ha-Ra

kkeve

t

H. Ha-Melekh

Amazya

Shahray

Alharizi

Ha-'Aliyya

Erez Hefez

Yose

fWeitz

Golda Me'irGolda Me'ir

Yam Su

f

Paran

Levi Eshkol

Herz

l

Ruppin

Eliezer Kaplan

Prof. Racah

Ha-Horesh

Givat Shaul

Kanfe Nesharim

DavidRaziel

Ha-AsqanRav Ha-Hovel

Ha-Nasi

Yehunda

Ha-Sadna

Shay Agnon

Chopin

General Pierre Koenig

Bet L

ehem

Rabb

anYo

hanan Ben Zakkay

Koveshe Katamon

Eliyyahu Golomb

Eliyyahu Golomb

Ha-Pisga

David Nezer

Shemuel Beit

Bezalel Bazak

Shahal

En Kerem

Herz

l

Gersh

on Ag

ron

Ha-Melekh George

Nathan Strauss

Jaffa

Jaffa

JaffaSare

Yisra

el

Malkhe Yisrael

Shiv

te Y

israe

l

Shemuel el Ha-Navi

Ma'ale Ha-S

halom

Suleiman

Saladin

Naomi

Keren Ha-Yessod

Ha-MelekhDavid

Ben YehudaBezalei

Azza

Ramban

Hevr

on

Betar

Leb

Yafe

En Gedi

Sha'a

reYe

rusha

layim

Yirmeyahu

Emeq

Refa’

im

Ha-Nasi Ben Zvi

Rupp

in

ShazarAgrippas

Weizmann

Nahal Ha-EgozChurchill

Har Ha-Zetim

Katzi

r

Siderot MenakhemBegin

Me'a She'arimMount of

Olives

Old City

YeminMoshe

EmeqRefa'im

Komemiyyut

MtZion

Giv'at Ha-Nanya

Giv'at Oren

Giv'at Mordekhay

KiryatHa-'Universita

Industrial Zone

City ofDavid

JERUSALEM BIBLICAL ZOO

EIN

KERE

M

N

0

0

800 m

800 yd

Jerusalem

1

60

Yarmuk

DeadSea

Sea ofGalilee

Gulf of Eilat

Hasa

Mujib

Jord

an

Zarqa

PALESTINIANTERRITORY

DISPUTEDTERRITORY

PALESTINIANTERRITORY

KingSolomon's

Mines

MezadZohar

Masada

Caesarea

1035 m

Khan Yunis

YotvataEl Kuntilla

Dimona

Qatrana

Mafraq

Jericho

BethlehemHebron

Ramallah

Tulkarm

Herzliya

RehovotAshdod

Ashkelon

Gaza Kiryat Gat

Tyre(Sour)

Nahariyya

Akko

Jenin

Tiberias

Nablus

Nizzana

El 'Arish

Jerash

Be'er Menuha

En Yahav

Shizzafon

MitzpeRamon

El Quweira

Nakhl

Be'erSheva

AMMAN

Zarqa

JERUSALEM

Netanya

TEL AVIV

Haifa

Nazareth

Rishon le-Zion

Hadera

Eilat Aqaba

211

10

90

90

40

15

16

15

53

2555

33

4

2

4

2

4

85

91

89

90

65

75

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6030

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50 km

25 miles

Israel

MEDITERRANEANSEA

SYRIASYRIA

GolanHeights

LEBANONLEBANON

JORDANJORDANEGYPTEGYPT

ISRAELISRAEL

WestBank

GazaStrip

NegevNegev

SinaiSinai

UNITEDNATIONS

BUFFERZONE

AlgarveAmsterdamAndalucía

AthensAustraliaAzores

Baltic StatesBarbadosBarcelona

BerlinBermudaBotswana

Budapest and HungaryBulgaria

CaliforniaCanary Islands

Cape TownCopenhagenand Denmark

CorfuCosta del SolCosta Rica

Côte d’Azur andProvence

CreteCroatiaCuba

CyprusDelhi, Jaipur

and AgraDubaiDublinEgypt

Florence andTuscanyFlorida

Gran CanariaGreek Islands

Hong KongIbiza and

FormenteraIceland

IndonesiaIrelandIsrael

IstanbulJamaicaJapanJordanKenya

Kraków and PolandKruger

National ParkLanzaroteLebanon

Lisbon and PortugalLondon

MadagascarMadeiraMalaysiaMaldives

Mallorca andMenorca

MaltaMarrakechMauritiusMexico

Milan and theItalian Lakes

MoroccoMozambique

Mumbai and GoaNamibia

Naples and SorrentoNew York CityNew Zealand

ParisPeru

PragueQueensland

RhodesRio de Janeiro

Rome andthe Vatican

San FranciscoScotland

SeychellesSicily

SingaporeSouth Africa

Sri LankaStockholm

and SwedenSydney

TanzaniaTel Aviv andJerusalemTenerifeThailand

The PhilippinesTokyoTunisiaTurkeyVeniceVienna

VietnamZambia and

Victoria FallsZanzibar

Zimbabwe

TITLES AVAILABLE

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Few sights can be as stirring as Jerusalem’s goldenDome of the Rock glowing in the sunset, the whole

of the honey-coloured city stretched out below, withwild thyme and rosemary scenting the balmy air. ButIsrael, a tiny strip of land clinging to the edge of theArabian peninsula, is full of such magnificent viewsand unexpected contrasts.

There are the bright lights and skyscrapers of livelyTel Aviv; or the dazzling salt islands floating on theDead Sea, shimmering in a permanent heat haze. At thenorthern end of the country are the lush, forested slopesof snowcapped Mount Hermon and the foaming rapids of the River Jordan, while the south promises theluxurious pleasures of Eilat, a thriving holiday resort onthe Red Sea, on the edge of the baking Negev Desert.

History unravels before you in the Holy Land. Followthe pilgrims along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem’s OldCity; learn the tragic story of Masada, high above theDead Sea; or marvel at the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldestdocument known to man, in the Israel Museum.

Nearly eight million people from five continentshave made their home here, each retaining their cul-tural identity, creating a colourful melting pot with asingle goal, to reside and worship in the biblical land ofmilk and honey. Visitors flock here in their thousands,many of them on the pilgrimage of a lifetime. But eventhe least religiously inclined cannot fail to be moved bythe magnificent landscapes, incredible history and radi-ant colours of this fascinating country.

1Introducing

Israel

� Opposite: Traditional BarMitzvah celebrations atJerusalem’s Western Wall.

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★★★ Jerusalem’s Old City:thousands of years of history.★★★ Jaffa Port: wonderfulnightlife and restaurants.★★★ Masada: 2000-year-oldruins, with a tragic story.★★★ Dead Sea: float on themineral-rich sea.★★★ Nazareth: walk in thefootsteps of Jesus.★★★ Sea of Galilee: greencountryside, adventure sports.★★ Akko: explore the eerieunderground Crusader city.★★ Eilat: indulge in beach lifeand superb diving.

TOP ATTRACTIONS

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INTRODUCING ISRAEL

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THE LAND Israel is a country of incredible natural diversity. Snow-capped mountains, arid desert, green vineyards androcky hills all fall within its compact boundaries. Thecountry is just 418km (260 miles) from north to southand 112km (70 miles) at its widest point. Physical bordersare formed by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, thenorthernmost fragments of the Great Rift Valley to theeast, and a narrow finger of the Red Sea in the south.Israel shares its political borders with Lebanon, Syria,Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Territory.

Mountains andRiversThe snowcappedMount Hermon inthe Golan Heightsto the north is thecountry’s highestpoint, at 2224m(7296ft). A lower,undulating rangeforming the Hills of Galilee, Samariaand Judea forms the spine of thenorthern end of thecountry. In the deep

south, across the scrub-covered landscape of the NegevDesert, the steep hills of the Egyptian Sinai, Jordan andSaudi Arabia plunge into the Red Sea. The Negev itself,meanwhile, has an unusual geology of ancient craters,the best known of which is Maktesh Ramon situated inthe town of Mitzpe Ramon, where interesting prehistoricremains have been found. The Jordan River, which linksthe Sea of Galilee – in reality an inland lake – with theDead Sea, forms the lifeblood of Israel. Fed by three trib-utaries, Nahal Hermon, a spring at the base of MountHermon, Nahal Dan and Nahal Senir from the Lebanon,the river gushes into the Sea of Galilee from the north.

� Right: Turbulent on somestretches, tranquil on others,the River Jordan links the Seaof Galilee with the Dead Sea.

Independence day: 14 May 1948Members of parliament: 120Population: 7.74 millionReligion: 80% Jews; theremaining 20% Muslims,Samaritans, Christians, Druze,Baha’i and othersLanguages: Hebrew and Arabic.English, French, German,Yiddish, Russian, Spanish, Polishand Hungarian also spokenHighest point: Mount Hermon,2224m (7296ft)Lowest point: Dead Sea, about –400m (–1300ft)

GEOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS

Most of Israel’s water fordrinking and irrigation comesfrom the Sea of Galilee. Withthousands of tourists a year,salt springs, peat flows andsewage from the area tocontend with, the lake’s eco-system is increasingly fragile.The water is dangerouslyclose to its ‘red line’, the linebelow which its pollutantsbecome too concentrated forconsumption. Israelis areused to conserving water andvisitors should respect thenotices in hotels asking themto do the same.

ISRAEL’S H2O

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THE LAND

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Seas and ShoresThe Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth at about 400m(1300ft) below sea level, is effectively the end of theJordan River. Intense heat at this depth causes rapidevaporation, leaving a mineral-rich soup that sustainsno life. West of the central hills, the land flattens outinto a fertile coastal plain, sloping gently towards theMediterranean as well as sustaining two large cities,Tel Aviv and Haifa. The plain supports intensive agri-culture. The northern end of the Mediterranean coast isa series of scenic rocky peninsulas, hidden bays andcoastal mountains, purple in the heat haze. South ofCaesarea, however, the shoreline flattens out into onelong, straight stretch of sand that continues all the wayto the Palestinian Gaza Strip in the far south.

Israel has another, tiny section of shoreline in itsdeep south, the highly developed resort of Eilat, nestlingat the tip of the Red Sea. Eilat’s beaches are carefullyprotected, as stunning coral reefs lie immediately off-shore, just feet below the surface. This, combined withspectacular underwater life, is the reason for the RedSea’s growing popularity as a diving location.

� Below: The rocky NegevDesert covers the southernhalf of the country.

Because of its location alonga major geological fault line,Israel has various hot mineralsprings. One of the bestknown is at Tiberias on theSea of Galilee. There are twoat the Dead Sea, Zohar andEin Gedi, and one nearAshkelon in the west, wherea series of shallow, mineral-rich pools are located in thegrounds of the Kibbutz SdeYoav. Arad, 620m (2034ft)above sea level, is cool, dryand pollen-free by com-parison and serves as ahealth resort for people suffering from asthma andother respiratory diseases.

HEAVENLY HOTMINERAL SPRINGS

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INTRODUCING ISRAEL

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ClimateSummer in Israel extends all the way from April toOctober, with short, mild winters from November toMarch. Tel Aviv and Haifa on the coast are much coolerin summer than inland cities, and have an average dailymaximum of 30ºC (86ºF) in August and September, thehottest months, whilst Eilat swelters in 40ºC (104ºF). Thecoast and the Jordan River Valley are very humid.

In the north, winters are cool with January temper-atures dropping to around 6ºC (42ºF) in Jerusalem andsometimes lower, causing ground frost. Mount Hermonin the Golan Heights is actually a ski resort, while atthe same time visitors to the Dead Sea can enjoy day-time highs of 22ºC (72ºF) in February. Rainfall is lowhere, even in winter, and the spring showers that feedthe Jordan River are vital to the country’s water supply.

Plant LifeThanks to its incredibly diverse landscape, Israel sup-ports an astonishing variety of animals and plants. Thiswas not always the case; under the rule of the OttomanTurks, mass deforestation meant the land became a dust

� Right: Israel has manyspecies of tree, some native to the country.

Israelis plant trees for birth-days and weddings. Sixmillion trees have been planted some 20km (12 miles)from Jerusalem in honour ofthe Jews who died in theHolocaust. For visitors, theHoly Land Foundation co-ordinates tree planting in sixareas of Israel. For a nominalfee, you may plant a tree andreceive a certificate, a copyof the Planter’s Prayer and alapel pin.

PLANT A TREE FOR ISRAEL

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THE LAND

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bowl and many birds and mammalsbecame extinct. The Jewish NationalFund has set up a huge reforestation pro-gramme (this was started in the 1950s)which has resulted in 10% of the coun-try’s land area being covered with trees.In addition, the Hai-Bar programme aimsto bring back biblical creatures such asthe Addax antelope, the wild Asiatic ass(once ridden by Jesus), the Mesopotamianfallow deer, the exquisite white oryx (thecreature which spawned the myth of the unicorn) andeven ostrich to the land of the Bible. This means thatmore and more rare wild animals are being released inIsrael’s 280 nature reserves. Elsewhere, mainly deep inthe desert or mountains, gazelle and ibex thrive, as dofoxes, wolves and, around Mount Hermon, otters.

Beautiful forests of Eurasian oak, African acacia andthe native Jerusalem pine now cover Israel’s soil, witholeander, myrtle and fragrant wild herbs flourishing in the drier areas. Cultivated trees include apricot,almond, citrus and walnut, while more unexpectedcountry scenes include alpine meadows on the slopes ofMount Hermon and the world’s northernmost papyrusswamp at nearby Hula. As far back as the 11th century,‘biblical’ flowers were prized as souvenirs and manyhave become extinct, but the beautiful Madonna lily(an alpine meadow species) can still be found.

WildlifeHundreds of species of migratory birds pass Israel enroute from Europe to Africa, among them storks,herons, ducks, pelicans, hawks, gulls, waders, plovers,sandpipers, flamingos and song birds. Once everyseven years, when the vineyards outside Tel Aviv areleft fallow according to kosher law, the birds enjoy afree bonanza of ripe grapes. The best place to viewthese migrants is at Eilat in the far south, considered byornithologists to be among the Mediterranean region’sfinest spots for bird-watching.

� Above: Camels are a regular means of transport for Bedouin people.

Sep–Oct is the best time forobserving the migration ofpredatory birds, storks andpelicans in the Hula Valley.Waterfowl are abundant fromNov–Feb, while the migratorybirds return to the north inMar–Apr. Malagan MichaelNature Reserve is open fromNov–Mar for observation ofwaterfowl, while Feb–Mayand Aug–Oct are the besttimes to enjoy the spectacu-lar migration over Eilat. TheNorth Beach and the saltponds are a bird-watcher’sdream, and viewing times arebest in the early morning orlate afternoon.

BIRD-WATCHING CALENDAR

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HISTORY IN BRIEFSituated at the crossroad of two continents, Africa andAsia, and passed by all the great trade routes of theancient world, it was inevitable that the tiny sliver ofland now called Israel should play a dramatic role inworld history. Its physical location, combined with thebelief of three great religions – Christianity, Judaism andIslam – in its spiritual importance, has inspired ceaselessyears of struggle over the land of milk and honey.

� Opposite: Stunning frescoes can be seen insideJerusalem’s Tower of David.The tower contains theMuseum of the History ofJerusalem, detailing aspectsof the story of one of theworld’s most contested cities.

12,000BC Cave-dwellers inCarmel.7500BC Settlement in Jericho.3200BC Canaanite tribesestablish fortified cities.2200–1500BC Abrahamfounds Hebrew race, Canaan.1550–1200BC Exodus fromEgypt. Delivery of Ten Com-mandments (Mount Sinai).1000BC Jerusalem becomescapital of 12 tribes of Israel.960BC King Solomon buildsFirst Temple.722BC Northern Kingdom fallsto Assyrians; Israelis exiled.586BC Babylonians destroythe Temple.535–515BC Temple rebuilt.332–37BC Hellenistic Period.166–160BC Desecration ofthe Temple.63–4 Herod’s rule. Refurbish-ment of the Temple.AD20–33 Ministry and cruci-fixion of Jesus of Nazareth.AD70 Destruction ofJerusalem by Romans.AD73 Fall of Masada. 4th Century Christianity offi-cial religion of Roman Empire.622 Birth of Islam; MuslimArabs conquer Middle East.637 Jerusalem taken by Arabs.

691 Dome of the Rock built.1099–1291 Crusader Period;Jews massacred.1291–1516 Mameluk rule.1517–1917 Ottoman rule.1860 First neighbourhoodsbuilt outside Old City.1882 First wave of immi-grants (aliya), from Russia.1889 Opening of Suez Canalrevives trade routes.1897 First Zionist WorldCongress.1909 City of Tel Aviv foundedoutside walls of Jaffa.1914–18 World War I.Britain promises PalestinianJews and Arabs liberation.1917–48 British Mandate.Jewish immigration toPalestine restricted. Six million Jews murdered by the Nazis in World War II.1948 State of Israel pro-claimed. Immediate invasionby Arab armies. Israel divided.1967 The Six Day War;Jerusalem reunited.1973 Yom Kippur War.1978 Egypt and Israel signCamp David Accord.1985 Israeli Defence Forceswithdraw from Lebanon.1987 Intifada, the Palestinian

uprising. Terrorist attacks.1990–91 Gulf War; PLObacks Iraq. Tel Aviv bombed.1993 Peace agreement signedbetween Rabin and Arafat.Jericho and Gaza Strip underPalestinian self-government.1994 Land border withJordan opens at Eilat.1995 Rabin assassinated.1999 Likud Party elected.2000 Second Intifada.2001 Sharon prime minister.2002 Israel launches Opera-tion Defensive Shield andbuilds ‘anti-terrorist’ fence,cutting off Palestinian areas.2004 Death of Yasser Arafat.2005 Israeli settlers withdrawfrom Gaza.Jul–Aug 2006 SecondLebanon War.2007 Renewed Israeli milit-ary action in Gaza leads tomore violence.2008 Israel launchesOperation Cast Lead in GazaStrip in response to rocketattacks on southern Israel.2009 Israel and Hamasannounce ceasefire.2010 Renewed threat ofIsraeli settlement constructionon West Bank causes unrest.

HISTORICAL CALENDAR

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HISTORY IN BRIEF

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In the BeginningEvidence of cave dwellers around Carmelhas been dated back to 600,000 yearsbefore Christ. Jericho, one of the oldestcities in the world, was settled about7000BC, while archaeologists have dis-covered that Be’er Sheva was inhabited in 3200BC. People lived in small villageswhere they grew crops, farmed animals,made simple tools from copper and bronzeand followed pagan religious beliefs.

The Land of CanaanBy 3000BC, Canaanite tribes had estab-lished fortified cities in this land whichbordered the two great powers of the time,Egypt and Assyria, both of whom indulged in frequent,vicious battles along the Mediterranean trade route. Newtribes began to arrive; belonging to one of them was thepatriarch Abraham, believed to have come from Ur inwhat is now Iraq and to have fathered the Israeli people.Although the only record of Abraham and his sons Isaacand Jacob is in the Bible (there is a possibility thatAbraham himself was a mythical figure), there was cer-tainly a leader of the Israelite tribe who, unlike the othertribes of the time, worshipped a single deity.

By the 13th century BC, Egypt had been weakened inthe north by its war with the Hittite Empire, a feature ofNorth Syria and Asia Minor during the second millen-nium BC, and gradually new, smaller powers includingAbraham’s descendants, the Israelites, began to emerge.

The Israelites and the Promised LandAccording to the Bible, Abraham’s descendants weretaken into slavery in Egypt around 1550BC. The Book ofExodus tells how they escaped under the leadership ofMoses, made a miraculous 40-year journey across thewilderness and the Red Sea, and received the TenCommandments on Mount Sinai before conqueringtheir Promised Land.

The Book of Exodus is one of history’s great adventurestories. It tells the story ofGod choosing Moses to leadthe ‘Children of Israel’ out ofslavery in Egypt. Ten plaguesare inflicted on the Egyptiansand the waters of the Red Seapart to allow the fleeingIsraelites to cross. Sub-sequently, in Sinai, while theIsraelites are wandering in thewilderness, Moses encountersthe burning bush. God thengives Moses the TenCommandments and theIsraelites build the Tabernacleon Mount Sinai into whichare placed various sacred furnishings, among them theArk of the Covenant. TheJewish feast of Sukkot todayrecreates the conditions of thewilderness as families eatunder temporary sheltersoutside their homes.

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

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The Israelites settled in what is now Israel during the early Iron Age (1200BC) and formed a monarchy,headed by King Saul whose adopted son and successor,David, led them to final victory over the Philistines, anaggressive race still controlling the coast. Saul himselfsecured many military victories but it was David whoconquered Jerusalem, proclaiming it the capital of the12 tribes of Israel. His son, Solomon, built the FirstTemple, installing the Ark of the Covenant (which contains the two tablets of stone on which were carvedthe Ten Commandments) to be the focal point forJewish worship.

By the time of King Solomon (950BC), Israel was apowerful land, stretching from the Red Sea to theEuphrates River in the north. But jealousies betweentribes led to 10 in the north forming the Kingdom ofIsrael, while the tribes of Judah and Benjamin formedthe southern Kingdom of Judea. Alliances with neigh-bours continued to be formed and broken until thenorthern kingdom fell in 722BC to invading Assyria.

Babylonian and Persian RuleThe Israelites from the north were exiled overseas andgradually became absorbed into other societies. Thesouth held out for a further 150 years until the Baby-lonians, who had replaced the Assyrians in power,invaded in 586BC. The Babylonian army crushed Judah,and destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem. The surviving

� Right: The original scrolls ofthe Torah were housed in theArk of the Covenant, whichwas kept in the First Temple.

Elijah was a popular Hebrewprophet, famous for his struggle against Ahab, theking who worshipped Baal,the Phoenician god.According to the Bible, Elijahchallenged the pagans to acontest of ‘miracles’ andstated that only he couldcommand the rain. Afterthree years of drought, Elijahassembled the people ofIsrael on Mount Carmel andsaid that he had proved hispoint. The Baal-worshipperswere killed and sure enough,the rains came.

ELIJAH’S CHALLENGE

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population was exiled to Babylonia, where theymourned for their lost land.

As foretold by the prophets of the time, the Babylon-ian Empire fell to Persians 40 years later and the exileswere allowed to return. The Temple of Jerusalem wasrebuilt but tension ran high between the Jews (fromJudah) and the Samaritans, those northerners who hadstayed in Israel and married foreign immigrants broughtin by the Assyrians.

Roman TimesAlexander the Great defeated the Persians in 333BC andfor 900 years, Israel was part of the Greco-RomanEmpire. Hellenic rulers attempted to outlaw Judaism inthe 2nd century BC, defiling the Temple in the process.Jewish sovereignty was then re-established, but lastedonly until 63BC, when the country was annexed by theRomans. Jesus was born – and died – at a time when Jewswere split into different factions: the wealthy Sadducees;the Pharisees; the Essenes; and fanatical Zealots.

United by a hatred for the Romans, the Jews revoltedin AD66, only to be crushed three years later. TheTemple was destroyed and the final Jewish Zealotstronghold, Masada, fell in AD73 with the mass suicideof its inhabitants. The Jewish population that remainedaround Galilee rebelled again in AD132 but was brokenonce and for all by the Romans’ sheer numbers. Villageswere destroyed and many Jews were sold into slavery.

DiasporaThe Jews scattered far and wide, from Egypt to EasternEurope, where they worked as traders. This becameknown as the Diaspora, the Greek word for ‘disper-sion’. As Christianity became the official religion of theRoman Empire, widespread hostilities against Jewsbegan again, although a community in Babylon, awayfrom the Christian areas, continued to thrive.

In the 7th century the Muslim religion, Islam, wasfounded by the prophet Mohammed. After receiving hisfirst revelation in AD616, Mohammed taught in Mecca,

The Jewish Diaspora, or scat-tering, began in 587BC, whenthe kingdom of Judea wasconquered by the Baby-lonians, who destroyed theTemple in Jerusalem andexiled the Jews. When it wasrebuilt and the Jews allowedto return, many remained inBabylon. The destruction ofthe Second Temple by theRomans in AD70 and the second expulsion caused theJewish population to spreadthroughout the Roman Empire.In the Middle Ages, fleeingpersecution, many settled inEastern Europe, and in the20th century, in the Americas.To this day, Jews have re-mained scattered worldwide;of the 13.2 million in theworld, only 5.5 million livein Israel, although all havethe right to return. About sixmillion Jews live in NorthAmerica, and 1.5 million inEurope. France has the third-largest Jewish population inthe world and there are size-able communities in SouthAfrica and Australia.

THE JEWISH DIASPORA

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his teachings forming thebasis of the Qur’an, Islam’ssacred scripture. He wasforced to flee to Medina in622, but returned with his followers to conquerMecca in 630, becomingthe recognized prophet ofArabia. Fuelled by this newreligion, an Arab invasiontook place in AD640, theirarmy storming across whatwas then Palestine and

conquering it. Palestine became part of Syria andJerusalem was declared a Holy City by the Muslims. Thegreat mosque, the Dome of the Rock, was built in 691.

CrusadesChristians in Europe viewed the Arab rule of the HolyLand as an insult, and in the 11th century the Popeordered a series of Crusades, which by 1099 had effect-ively reconquered Jerusalem, though thousands ofMuslims and Jews were slaughtered in the process.After the Second Crusade (1147–49) Jews were allowedback into Jerusalem, but the Third and Fourth Crusades,ending in 1204, were particularly vicious and anti-Semitic, branding Jews as ‘God-killers’.

In 1187 Saladin, the ruler of Egypt, managed to rout theCrusaders at the Horns of Hittim and Jews were onceagain allowed to live in Jerusalem. A series of disastrouscampaigns was carried out by the Crusaders in an attemptto recoup their losses but in 1291 the Crusader kingdomfinally came to an end with the fall of Akko, when theCrusaders were defeated by the Muslim Mamelukes whohad succeeded Saladin as rulers of Egypt.

The region did not prosper under the Mamelukes, whoruled from 1291 to 1516. The port of Jaffa was largelydestroyed for fear of further invasion and the Holy Landbecame a backwater. Jerusalem was mainly abandonedand poverty was rife.

� Above: An early mosaic maprepresenting part of Palestine.

Born in May 1860 inBudapest, Theodor Herzl isregarded as the father ofZionism. He studied law inVienna but ended up follow-ing a career as a journalistand playwright. Herzl grewincreasingly concernedabout the rise of anti-Semitism in Vienna in the1880s – the initial motivationin Zionism was not to pre-serve a religion, but simplyto protect Jewish people. In1896 he published TheJewish State, a guide tocreating a refuge for Jews. In1897, he organized the firstWorld Zionist Congress inBasel, Switzerland, and setup a Jewish Colonial Trust.He continued to lobbyinternationally for a home forthe world’s Jews until hisdeath in 1904.

THE FATHER OF ZIONISM

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Ottoman ConquestThe Ottomans ousted the Mamelukes in 1517 anddivided the land into four districts which were ruledfrom Istanbul and administered from the province ofDamascus. An estimated 5000 Jewish families lived inthe country at this time, in Jerusalem, Nablus, Hebron,Gaza, Safed and the villages around Galilee – a mix ofnative Jews and early immigrants from Europe. Onceagain, though, the decline in power of the Ottomanrulers left the region neglected and impoverished, theforests of Galilee and Carmel decimated, to be replacedby swampland and encroaching deserts.

Birth of ZionismDuring the 19th century, everything changed. Mission-ary activity from overseas opened up the Holy Landand encouraged immigration. Trade began to thriveafter the opening of the Suez Canal in 1889 and thefirst road was built from Jaffa to Jerusalem. The popula-tion expanded and the first neighbourhoods developedoutside the city walls of Jerusalem. By the early 20thcentury, the port of Jaffa was so overcrowded it neededto expand beyond the walls, and in 1909 the city of TelAviv was established.

Meanwhile, life continued to be tough for the Jewishexiles. The pogroms, or mass persecution, of the Jews inRussia, which caused tens of thousands of Jews to flee yetagain – some of them toPalestine – gave rise to anew feeling: Zionism. Thiswas the call for the estab-lishment of a Jewish statein Palestine, first dreamedof by Russian-born journal-ist Peretz Smolenskin. Theidea was brought togetherby a Viennese journalistand playwright, TheodorHerzl (1860–1904), wholobbied the influential to

� Below: For centuries, manyJews lived in crowded ghettoconditions in eastern Europe.

The Scrolls were discoveredin 1947 by a Bedouin shep-herd, who was looking for alost goat around the shores ofthe Dead Sea. In the ruined,mountainous settlement ofQumran, once inhabited bythe devout Essene people, theBedouin threw a stone into acave and heard the sound ofpottery being smashed.Further investigation revealedearthenware jars filled withflaking parchment, datingbetween 100BC and AD100.Subsequent explorationsrevealed more scrolls andmany fragments of pottery,most of which are nowhoused in the Israel Museum.

THE SCROLLS OF HISTORY

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find a home for the scatteredJewish people. He published adocument, The Jewish State, in1896 and established the WorldZionist Congress in 1897.

In 1917, in the famous BalfourDeclaration, British foreign ministerArthur Balfour promised thatBritain would support the establish-ment of a ‘Jewish national home’ inPalestine. In the same year, British

forces entered Jerusalem under General Allenby, ending400 years of Ottoman rule.

The State of IsraelIn July 1922, the League of Nations entrusted GreatBritain with the Mandate for Palestine. It was decided,however, that the provisions for setting up a Jewishnational home would not apply to the area east of theJordan River, which accounted for three quarters of theterritory included in the Mandate. This region eventuallybecame the Kingdom of Jordan.

Waves of refugees continued to descend on Pales-tine, threatened by the appointment of the Nazi AdolfHitler as chancellor of Germany in 1933. There wasincreasing unrest and uprising by Palestinian Arabs,themselves nervous of the growing Jewish power inPalestine.

The British clamped down on immigration, dividedbetween support of the Jews and their need to maintaineconomic relations with the Arabs. During World WarII (1939–45), six million Jews were exterminated by theNazis, yet the terrified refugees who tried to immigrateafter the Holocaust continued to be turned away.

Under Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Jewish citizens of Palestine rose up to form a provisional government, desperate to grant the refugees sanctuary.But refugee boats were still turned away. Three deter-mined Jewish militias set out to force the British out ofPalestine, each operating in their own way: the Irgun

� Above: The Yad VashemMemorial in Jerusalem servesas a stark reminder of theHolocaust.

Eliezer Ben-Yehuda was oneof the original immigrants toIsrael at the turn of thecentury and the pioneer ofthe modern Hebrewlanguage. Not content withreviving his homeland, Ben-Yehuda was determined torejuvenate the ancientlanguage of the Bible and inthe early days was a peculiarsight, conducting his dailybusiness in the ancientbiblical tongue. He went totremendous effort to bring uphis children with Hebrew astheir mother tongue, a factwhich psychologistscontinue to marvel at. Ben-Yehuda devoted his life tomodernizing the languageand the result was a fairlyuncomplicated version,which was easy for the thou-sands of immigrants floodinginto the country to learn.

IMMIGRANT WITH A VISION

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under Menachem Begin, its splinter group the Lehiunder Avraham Stern, and the larger and longer-established Haganah organization which at times co-operated with the British. All used highly successfulguerrilla operations, and the British instituted severereprisals. In one of the best-known incidents, Begin’sIrgun movement planted bombs in the British head-quarters, the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing 91people. In 1947 the United Nations voted to partitionPalestine into a Jewish and an Arab state. The Arabswere outraged. The independent State of Israel wasproclaimed on 14 May 1948 by Prime Minister DavidBen-Gurion.

Almost immediately, though, the celebrations endedas Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq invaded thenew country. In the ensuing seven-month War ofIndependence, Israel came out victorious but at thecost of 6000 lives. Negotiations for a settlement tookplace under the United Nations. The Coastal Plain,Galilee and the entire Negev were kept within Israel’ssovereignty, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) cameunder Jordanian rule, the Gaza Strip came underEgyptian administration, and the city of Jerusalem wasdivided, with Jordan controlling the eastern part,including the Old City, and Israel the western sector.

In July 1950, the Law of Return was passed by thefirst Knesset (parliament), granting all Jews the right toIsrael citizenship. More waves of mass immigration fol-lowed, along with extensive funding of the new statefrom Jews living in the worldwide Diaspora.

The new State of Israel remained a cause of concernto the Arab world, so much so, that Nasser (Egypt’s newpresident) nationalized and assumed control of the SuezCanal which had been developed as a private companyin which Britain and France were the majority share-holders. France and Britain took military action in 1956and in the course of events Israel extended her borders,claiming the Gaza Strip and the Sinai as hers. These territories, however, were relinquished to Egypt in thecease-fire agreement between the European powers.

Israel’s first prime minister,David Ben-Gurion, is buriedin modest surroundings,deep in the Negev Desert,alongside his wife, Paula,close to the kibbutz wherethey spent their later years.Their tomb is in a nationalpark (situated on the edge of an escarpment) wherelocal stone and flora blendharmoniously into the barrenwastes of the surroundingdesert. The tomb is worth avisit for its superb viewsalone.

DESERT TOMBS

One of the most picturesqueof the Crusader castles,Nimrod’s Fortress stands likea fairy-tale vision on theslopes of Mount Hermonnear the Golan Heights, inthe north of Israel, and issurrounded by thick forest.From the crumbling towersand walls, there are impres-sive views of the flat HulaValley to the south and themountain pass betweenHermon and Syria. Notsurprisingly, the fortress once served as a highwaystronghold along the road to Damascus but wasabandoned after the fall of the Second CrusaderKingdom in 1291.

CRUSADER CASTLE

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Uncertain TimesMatters came to a head again in1967, with a massive build up ofhostile troops along Israel’s bor-ders. After six days of fighting,previous cease-fire lines werereplaced by new ones, with Judea,Samaria, Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula,

and the Golan Heights under Israel’s control. Jerusalem,which had been divided under Israeli and Jordanian rulesince 1949, was reunified under Israel’s authority.

In 1973, several years of relative calm came to anend on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the holiestday of the Jewish year, when Egypt and Syria invadedIsrael via the Suez Canal and the Golan Heights.

During the next three weeks, the Israel Defense Forcesturned the tide of battle and repulsed the attackers, cross-ing the Suez Canal into Egypt and advancing to within32km (20 miles) of the Syrian capital, Damascus. It tooktwo years of further negotiation before Israel withdrew.

In 1977, Egypt’s President Sadat announced a desirefor peace, and soon Begin extended the first olive branchto Sadat. In 1979 the Camp David Accords were signed,drawing up a framework for peace and self-governmentby the Palestinians. Israel withdrew from the Sinai.

However, ongoing fighting with Lebanon and sporadic episodes between Israel and the PalestineLiberation Organization (PLO) continued until 1985,when the last Israeli Defence Forces withdrew fromLebanon. A tentative peace settled for two years until theIntifada, a Palestinian uprising in Gaza and the WestBank, occurred. During the Gulf War (1990–91), thePLO sided with Iraq, and Israel feared attack by chem-ical weapons. Conventional missiles did hit Tel Aviv butIsrael’s lack of retaliation led to the establishment ofdiplomatic relations with a number of countries.

In September 1993 a new peace agreement was signedbetween Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat of the PLO.Under these Oslo Accords, Jericho and the Gaza Stripwere granted a degree of Palestinian autonomy. Further

� Above: The imposingKnesset in Jerusalem isIsrael’s parliament.

Israel is under a constantthreat from terrorism and visitors should take carewhen travelling in theOccupied PalestinianTerritories including theWest Bank. Visitors shouldremain vigilant at all times in Israeli cities. All non-essential travel to the GazaStrip is strongly discouraged.Although Israel to an extentdoes live under the threat ofattack, daily life goes on.You’ll find X-ray machinesand bag inspections at somepublic areas like the WesternWall, or nightclubs in TelAviv, but most people goabout their daily businesswithout undue worry.

TERRORISM IN ISRAEL

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cities were handed back to the Palestinians in 1994. In thesame year, land borders opened between Jordan and theIsraeli resort of Eilat in the south. However, Israeli primeminister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in November1995 by a Jewish extremist and September 1996 saw fur-ther uprisings in Hebron and the Gaza Strip.

In 2000, there was a second Intifada with Palestinianattacks on Israeli civilians, further hampering the peaceprocess. US president George W Bush was instrumentalin the creation of a Roadmap for Peace in 2003, alongwith the UN, the EU and Russia, although it took until2005 for this to have an impact. Meanwhile, in 2002,Israel began the construction of a massive security fencealong areas bordering Palestinian territory, as protectionof its citizens against terrorism, but alienating manyPalestinians from the peace process. Israel disengagedfrom the Gaza Strip in 2005, evacuating its settlers andthe IDF, though it maintained (and still does) control overthe entry points. In 2006, the Palestinians elected Hamas,a Muslim extremist group, to head the Palestinian Legis-lative Council, once again freezing relations with Israel.

Ehud Olmert became Israel’s prime minister in March2006 and shelved plans to evacuate Israel’s presencefrom most of the West Bank following an Israeli militaryoperation in Gaza in June–July 2006 and a 34-day con-flict with Hezbollah in Lebanon in June–August 2006.

Talks resumed with the Palestinian National Authorityafter Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip and PAPresident Mahmoud Abbas formed a new government tooversee the West Bank without the Hamas militia. EhudOlmert resigned in September 2008 and elections wereheld in 2009, resulting in a coalition between the Kadimaand Likud parties. Binyamin Netanyahu, leader of theright-wing Likud Party, is currently Prime Minister.

Althought at the time of writing Israel is in a state oftentative peace, the status quo is threatened by the expiryin 2010 of a moratorium on construction by Israel on theWest Bank. Furthermore, widespread anti-governmentprotests throughout the Midlle East in 2011 led to furtherdestabilization of the entire region.

� Above: Unexploded minesstill lie in the Golan Heights.

The Israeli Defence Force(IDF) is a source of nationalpride. All men and womenare required at the age of 18to do National Service. Formen, this service lasts forthree years but women areonly required to do two years.From an even earlier ageyoung people are assessedaccording to their suitabilityfor divisions such as the para-troops, the Air Force or theinfantry and tank corps. Acareer in the army is con-sidered highly prestigious andit’s a matter of considerablepride among many seniorcivilians that they once heldposts as officers.

SERVING THEIR COUNTRY

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GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY Israel is a multiparty parliamentary democracy. TheKnesset (parliament) of 120 members is elected by pro-portional representation from party lists, rather thanindividual candidates. The new leader of the party orcoalition that has the greatest chance of forming a gov-ernment, usually with an absolute majority, is invitedby the existing president to do so. The prime minister’selection is slightly different, decided by separate uni-versal vote. The president, meanwhile, is elected by theKnesset every five years by secret ballot. The presid-ency is the highest office in Israel and the president isconsidered to be above day-to-day politics but he doesappoint judges to the Supreme Court, which is thesafeguard of the country’s democracy. The SupremeCourt has the authority to intervene at all levels of lifein Israel, from politics to economic matters, and is heldin enormous respect by the people. Israelis areobsessed with politics and lively political debate is partof everyday life, so be prepared to join in.

Israel has suffered from high inflation in the past, partly due to the cost of maintaining its defence force;the country has one of the proportionally highestdefence budgets in the world. The economy, which hasmoved from agricultural to post-industrial, is relativelystable now with steady growth, but life for the visitor isnot cheap. Israel’s main exports include computer soft-ware, military equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals andagricultural products. Roughly half of the government’sexternal debt is owed to the USA, its major source of economic and military aid. The country’s incomeincludes US$2.4 billion from tourism generated by 2.3million visitors.

THE PEOPLEIf there was ever a cultural melting pot, Israel is it.Under the Law of Return, any Jew, anywhere in theworld, has the right to live in Israel and take Israeli cit-izenship. This is what has brought wave after wave ofimmigrants, from the first Russians who arrived in 1882

Gross Domestic Product:US$217.1 billion GDP growth rate: 3.4%Inflation: 2.6%Imports: Raw materials, mil-itary equipment, investmentgoods, rough diamonds,fuels, grain, consumer goods.Exports: Machinery andequipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textilesand apparel.Main trading partners: USA,EU, Switzerland, China,Hong Kong.

ECONOMY: FACTSAND FIGURES

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to Germans, North Africans andnow, an estimated one millionSoviet Jews, looking for a new lifeof freedom after many yearsunder Communism.

Israel’s population is around7.2 million. Tel Aviv has a popu-lation of 390,000, the total of itsmetropolitan area extending to3.1 million. Jerusalem, mean-while, has 747,000 residents.Israel’s third city is Haifa, on thecoast, with a more mixed Arab and Jewish population,and world centre of the Baha’i religion.

More than four-fifths of the Israeli population is Jews,with 1.15 million Muslims and the rest Christians,Druze and others. While all these communities live andworship alongside one another, cultural boundariesremain clear and visitors will encounter second genera-tion Armenians and Ethiopians who still speak asthough they’ve just arrived in the country.

Native-born Israelis are nicknamed sabras – a cactusfruit which is tough and thorny on the outside andsweet on the inside – but in reality, Israelis are incred-ibly hospitable and naturally curious about visitors.Family ties are strong in Israel, and in Jewish familiesFriday nights are spent at home. Children are wel-comed everywhere and usually stay up quite late.

Israelis are not big drinkers. A more typical night outconsists of drinking coffee and talking. Young peopleare surprisingly mature, thanks to their three years’compulsory national service (two for girls), and tend tobe great travellers and lovers of the outdoors.

Israeli people in general are hard-working, aggressivein business and highly demonstrative: shouting and ges-ticulating doesn’t necessarily mean anger but discussion.Israelis are also immersed in politics, which is discussedendlessly on the radio and TV and in the many dailynewspapers. By all means enter into a political discussion,but remember to have your argument well prepared.

� Above: Israel’s flag bearsthe Star of David.

Yiddish is a Germaniclanguage written in Hebrewcharacters and spoken in Israel by the older generation,particularly those with Euro-pean roots. The languagedeveloped in southwesternGermany between the 9th and12th centuries, as Hebrewwords that pertained to Jewishreligious life were added toGerman. Later, as Jews movedeastward into Slavic-speakingareas, some Slavic influenceswere added, in addition toRomanian, French and severalEnglish words. In the earlyyears of the 20th centuryYiddish was spoken by an estimated 11 million people inEastern Europe and the USA,although the extermination ofso many Jews in the Holocaustled to its decline.

LANGUAGE OF THEEUROPEANS

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LanguageThe diversity of Israel’spopulation is reflected inthe number of languagesyou’ll hear on the streets:Hebrew, Yiddish, English,German, Arabic, French,Spanish, Amharic (spokenby Ethiopian Jews) and alot of Russian, spoken byrecently arrived immi-grants who now accountfor one-fifth of the popu-

lation. Israel Radio broadcasts in no fewer than 12different languages. Hebrew and Arabic, however, arethe official languages, with English widely understood.Hebrew today is actually similar to biblical Hebrew,with an expanded vocabulary and a few English wordsthrown in. While the visitor can get by in virtually anylanguage, it is only polite – and much appreciated bythe locals – to learn a few words of Hebrew.

Few foreign-language television programmes aredubbed, so if you’re learning Hebrew, watching TV is aperfect way to practise reading. Alternatively, there isplenty of choice in reading matter. Israel has 26 dailynewspapers, more than any other country in the world,published in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and English. ForEnglish-speaking visitors, The Jerusalem Post is a good,if rather right-wing read.

ReligionAs well as forming the spiritual home of Judaism, Israelis the world’s most important Christian site and is ofgreat significance to Muslims. Israel is also home toSamaritans, Armenians, Eastern Orthodox, Druze andforms the world headquarters of the Baha’i. Freedomof worship is guaranteed and, whatever your faith, youwill be welcome. Of Israel’s seven million inhabitants,some 5.6 million are Jewish and only 20% of theseclaim to be ‘practising’ Jews, which means daily

� Above: Muslims turntowards Mecca for the call to prayer.

The handful of Samaritans leftin Israel today are descendedfrom those mentioned in theBible. By the time the Jewsreturned from Babylon, theSamaritans, who had stayed,had intermarried with theinvaders and, while theyadhered to the Jewish faith,were looked down on for notbeing pure. Strong antipathyarose between the two groups.The holiest site for Samaritanstoday is Mount Gerizim,where they once had a temple, later destroyed by the Hasmoneans. DuringSamaritan Passover, lambs aresacrificed here, although non-Samaritan spectators are askedto leave for the ritual.

SAMARITANS

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prayer, religious observance of the Sabbath and keep-ing a kosher household.

Shabbat (the Sabbath) – sundown on Friday to sun-down on Saturday – is a time of rest, contemplationand prayer and is strictly observed: exact times of sunset are published in the newspapers. Shops andrestaurants close, offices are deserted, and publictransport stops except in Tel Aviv and, to an extent,Haifa. In religious households, people don’t cook orswitch on any appliance, although nowadays electrictimers are used to operate lights and food is preparedthe day before and kept warm.

On Friday nights, traditional Shabbat supper isserved. At sunset on Saturday, a Havdalah candle is litto mark the passing of the holy day and a blessing isread. The family drinks a glass of kosher wine and passes round a pot of sweet-smelling spices for every-body to inhale.

Shabbat need not affect the visitor. Chinese and Arabrestaurants stay open and there is plenty of activity in thebig hotels. In Tel Aviv, after supper, huge crowds turnout to stroll along the promenade in the warm night air.

Men in long black coats and black hats, with dis-tinctive locks of hair around their faces, belong to theultra-Orthodox sect, the devout Hassidic Jews who stilldress as their original Eastern European predecessorsdid 200 years ago. They live in communities resem-bling the ghettos of the 1930s, the largest of which isMe’a She’arim in Jerusalem, almost recreating the con-ditions of the Eastern Europe they left behind, withnarrow alleys and high, forbidding walls. Many ofthem do not serve in the army – a source of great irri-tation to Israelis – and furthermore, do not work,preferring to study the Scriptures instead.

Strangely, a number of Hassidic Jews do not evenbelieve in the State of Israel. Their doctrine insists thatthe State of Israel will only exist after the coming of theMessiah, which they believe has not yet happened.Visitors to Me’a She’arim are politely warned at theentrance to dress with extreme modesty.

The Druze are a mysterioussect of around 60,000 people,living in the mountains aroundCarmel, and are descendedfrom an Egyptian religiousmovement of some 900 yearsago. The men dress distinct-ively in a white headdress,black bloomers and cummer-bund and they sport bushymoustaches. No-one knowsexactly what Druze beliefsentail as they have been kept a secret through the genera-tions, although reincarnationdoes play a part. Despite theirenigmatic air, Druze aresuccessfully integrated intoIsraeli society and unlike somesects – the Hassidim, forexample – serve their time inthe Israeli Defence Force.

THE SECT OF MYSTERY

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Festivals and HolidaysWith so many different religions practised, life in Israelseems like one long holiday. The Christians observeChristmas and Easter, Muslims Ramadan and Jews the13 holidays on the Jewish Calendar, which are ‘official’as far as shops and businesses are concerned.

But Israelis will also celebrate New Year’s Eve. TheHebrew calendar is based on the lunar year, so holidaydates do not follow the Gregorian calendar. God is saidto have created the Earth in 3760BC, which correspondsto the Gregorian year 0. Thus 2009 is the year 5769,and so on.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom KippurJewish New Year – Rosh Hashanah – falls in Septemberor October. As the only two-day public holiday, this isthe time when Israelis head for the beach, the Sea ofGalilee or the mountains. For the religious, this is atime of self-examination. Ten days later is the Day ofAtonement, or Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day ofthe year. Everything stops while the religious fast fromsunset to sunset, and spend the day in the synagogue.

Sukkot and Simchat TorahSukkot, the Harvest Festival, is only a week or so afterYom Kippur. Every family builds a succah, a temporaryshelter made of palm branches and leaves. Under itsroof the family eats for seven days, commemorating the

� Right: Worshippers celebrating Hanukkah.

January/February TuB’Shevat: New Year for trees,with planting ceremonies. March Purim: The Feast ofEsther, with costume parades.April Pesach or Passover:family celebration of theexodus from Egypt.April/May Memorial Day: In memory of the Holocaust.April/May IndependenceDay: Singing, dancing, pic-nics, carnivals and bonfiresMay Lag B’Omer:Pilgrimages and bonfires.May/June Shavuot: Harvestfestival of Pentecost.July/August Tisha B’Av:Marks the destruction of theFirst and Second Temples.Sept/Oct Rosh Hashanah:Jewish New Year. Sept/Oct Sukkot: The Feastof Tabernacles.October Simchat Torah:Rejoicing of the Torah.December Hanukkah: TheFeast of Lights.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

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structures under which the Israelites lived during theexodus from Egypt. On the fifth day, there are paradesand walks around Jerusalem. The last of the autumnvacations, the Rejoicing of the Torah (the first fivebooks of the Bible), means singing and dancing in thestreets with the Torah Scroll.

HanukkahThe Feast of Lights in December celebrates the Jewsrecapturing their Holy Temple from the Greeks, whotried to suppress the Jewish faith. Hanukkah candles are lit on a menorah, the seven- or eight-branched candelabra owned by every household. Small jelly-filled doughnuts are eaten everywhere, and childrenenjoy parties and games.

PassoverPassover, or Pesach, in March or April, celebrates theliberation of the ancient Israelites from Egypt. No breador yeast is eaten for a week – just unleavened matzot –and people rid their houses of anything containingyeast, an excuse for a good spring clean. The Passoverdinner, or seder, is a feast symbolizing the experiencesof the Israelites as they fled from Egypt, including bitterherbs representing the bitterness of slavery.

Traditional CulturesDance, art and theatre are prolific in Israel and thereare cultural performances everywhere, from the smallest kibbutz to the theatre stages of Jerusalem andTel Aviv. As well as classical ballet, dance incorporatesseveral ethnic styles, such as Hassidic, Arabic andYemenite folk dancing. Bat-Sheva and Bat-Dor areboth modern dance companies that perform regularlyin the cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The ArtsIsrael’s magnificent landscapes have inspired countlesspainters and there are large artistic communities in Jaffa,the village of Ein Hod near Haifa and Safed in the

The camel is well adapted toits surroundings. The Arabiancamel eats the thorny plantsthat grow in the desert andstores fat in its hump. It cansurvive for days withoutwater. Thick, broad pads onits soles and calluses on theknees and chest, upon whichthe camel rests in a kneelingposition, enable it to with-stand the heat of the sand.The camel can close its nostrils against flying dustand its eyes are shielded byvery long eyelashes. It canalso cover more than 161km(100 miles) in a day. Theflesh and milk of the camelcan be used as food, and thehide for leather, while thelong hair, which is shed everysummer, is made into finebrushes and camel-hair cloth.

SHIP OF THE DESERT

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Galilee region. Important galleriesinclude the Israel Museum inJerusalem, which houses works ofcontemporary Israeli art, JewishEuropean art and sculpture, a vastnumber of European works andalso a modern section. In Tel Aviv,don’t miss the Helena RubensteinPavilion, which includes Europeanand American art from the 17th tothe 20th centuries, or the wonder-ful Tel Aviv Art Museum, with itsfantastic contemporary collection.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is world famousand often features well-known guest performers. Theorchestra’s home is the Mann Auditorium in Tel Avivand tickets are usually hard to come by. In Jerusalem,try to see the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, whichperforms weekly throughout the winter. Its home is theHenry Crown Hall at the beautiful Jerusalem Centre forthe Performing Arts.

There are numerous theatre groups in Tel Aviv andJerusalem, although if you’re travelling around, nothingquite beats the romance of theatre at dusk in the beautiful Roman amphitheatre at Caesarea, 50km fromTel Aviv, as the sun sets across the waves. There are theatre performances here as well as an annual jazzfestival. In Tel Aviv, the Habima Theatre is the home ofthe National Theatre of Israel, while performances arealso staged at the Suzanne Dellal Center for Dance andTheater at Neve Tzedek. The city’s flagship venue,though, is the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Centre, hometo the famous Israeli Opera. Jerusalem has several theatres, the main one being the Jerusalem Centre forthe Performing Arts.

Also worth a visit is the Red Sea Jazz Festival inAugust and the Akko Fringe Theatre Festival in Septem-ber. Spring brings the Rubenstein Piano Competition,attracting talent from all over the world, and in Haifa,there is the colourful International Folk Festival.

� Above: Relaxing at thesunny resort of Eilat by theRed Sea.� Opposite: In Tel Aviv youcan windsurf off the white-sand beaches.

Not to be confused withreligious holidays, there arenumerous colourful culturalfestivals in the Israelicalendar.March: Ein Gev MusicFestival; classical and folkmusic is played at the KibbutzEin Gev on the Sea of Galilee.May: Israeli Festival of Musicand Dance in Tel Aviv,Jerusalem, Caesarea and Beit Shean.June: Jerusalem InternationalFilm Festival.July: International MusicFestival, Netanya and KarmielDance Festival, Galilee.August: Red Sea Jazz Festival.October: Haifa InternationalFilm Festival.

FABULOUS FESTIVALS

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NightlifeTel Aviv has the liveliest nightlife, with a cutting-edgelounge bar and club scene to rival Ibiza or Ayia Napa,only cooler. The New Port and Lilienblum Street arethe hottest spots for nightlife. Pop concerts are held inTel Aviv’s Ha-Yarkon Park, under the stars. Jerusalem isless exciting for clubbing but has a lively café societyand a growing bar scene in the side streets off the JaffaRoad. Eilat, meanwhile, is a more typical holiday resortwith a mixture of clubs and pubs focusing on the bighotels on North Beach.

Sport in IsraelIsraelis are generally active, outdoor types and there arecountless opportunities to indulge in sports from theeveryday to the extreme.

Hiking is very popular, some of the best areas beingthe Negev Desert and the Galilee region. In the Negev,there are marked trails in the national parks like EinGedi, overlooking the Dead Sea,although many locals prefer to hikeaway from the tourist areas, campingout overnight. Mountain biking, rap-pelling and off-road driving are allpopular in this area, too.

Around the Sea of Galilee, there aregentle walking trails taking in the reli-gious sites and others covering moreremote areas, including the spectacularGolan Heights. A guide is essential out-side the designated park areas on theGolan Heights as danger still existsfrom unexploded landmines.

Water sports abound around thelake, from water skiing to canoeing.White-water rafting is popular on theRiver Jordan, which is rated as one ofthe most exciting in the world.

For a gentler experience, try innertubing; in other words, drifting down a

Israel is a rewarding countryfor both the keen and thereluctant cyclist. Distancesbetween towns are short and the scenery is always fascinating. What’s more,motorists are tolerant of thoseon two wheels and the ruralroads are safe. Mountainbikes can be hired from mostmajor tourist areas and willenable you to explore themany cross-country trails,avoiding, of course, areaspatrolled by the army. Dodrink plenty of water – itseasy to get dehydrated in the hot, dry climate. Otheressentials include a goodsunscreen, a sunhat and apair of sunglasses.

CYCLING IN ISRAEL

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quiet stretch of the river sitting in a rubber tube, soak-ing up the peace and quiet.

Horse riding is also very popular and some of thebest rides are from ranches located around the lake.Horses tend to be trained Western-style and many havethoroughbred blood.

A visit to Eilat is an ideal opportunity to try scubadiving in the Red Sea’s warm, clear waters with theirspectacular coral reefs. A starter course takes just oneday. For those who prefer not to dive, the snorkelling isalmost as good. On the Mediterranean coast, mean-while, sea kayaking and sailing are popular sports.

Food and DrinkA biblical law that ‘a kid shall not seethe in its mother’smilk’ led to the rule that meat and milk should not bemixed. A kosher restaurant or home will keep two setsof crockery and utensils, one for milk and one for meat.Scavenging creatures like pigs and shellfish are con-sidered unclean and are not eaten, although all sorts ofcrafty imitations do appear, like ‘prawns’ and crabsticksmade of fish. Many Jews (Orthodox) will eat vegetarianfood in a restaurant where the kosher observance isslightly suspect. Coming to terms with all the complex-ities of kosher and non-kosher takes a while but mostvisitors are amazed at the variety they find in Israeli cui-sine: a breakfast buffet groaning under cheese plattersand mounds of fruit or a candlelit feast of chateaubriandwashed down with a very palatable red wine.

Many restaurants and most hotels observe Jewishlaw, selling either meat or dairy products, but neverboth. A meat restaurant will serve margarine – notbutter – non-dairy cream and no cheese sauces. Veget-arians will love the dairy restaurants, which are great forpasta, delicious cheeses, salad bars and creamy desserts.Most hotels have one outlet of each type.

‘Typical’ Israeli cuisine does not really exist. Like thepeople, Israeli food is a collection of cultures. If any-thing does typify eating in Israel, however, it’s dishesfrom the Middle East region, which include falafel –

� Above: One of Jerusalem’smany popular bakeries.� Opposite: For excellentdishes in a splendid setting,Jaffa’s restaurants are hard to beat.

‘Kosher’ comes from theHebrew kasher, meaning ‘fit’or ‘proper’. It is appliedespecially to the food thatJews are permitted to eat.According to the Bible onlyanimals that have clovenhooves and are ruminant (thatis, chew the cud) are con-sidered kosher. These animalsmust be killed according tothe traditional rabbinical ritual and soaked, salted, andwashed to remove any tracesof blood. Milk or milk prod-ucts must not be eaten withmeat, and shellfish is to beavoided. During the PassoverFestival, only unleavenedbread is to be eaten.

KEEPING KOSHER

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tiny balls of lentils, deepfried and stuffed into pittabread – with salad; hum-mus, a garlicky chickpeadip; and smooth tahini, apaste made of sesameseeds. Kebabs of veal,chicken, lamb or beef aresold everywhere, usuallywith a vast salad. Try theharit, a spicy condimentthat peps up the blandestfalafel. Eastern Europeancooking, often regarded(wrongly) as ‘typical’ Jewish food, features in someIsraeli homes: gefilte fish, chopped liver, borscht andHungarian goulash.

Fish is sold everywhere. Grilled sardines are servedon the beaches, and fishermen in Galilee still bring inplump, freshwater trout and the tasty St Peter fish, asthey did in biblical times.

Of course, not all restaurants are kosher. An influx ofChinese, Vietnamese and Filipinos has led to theestablishment of many Asian restaurants, with pork andprawns in abundance. Israel has its fair share of fast-food outlets, too, particularly in the big cities.

Fruit in Israel is magnificent and the markets havespectacular fruit displays. Kiwi, mango, pomegranate,passion fruit, custard apple and papaya are grown here,as are the world’s largest strawberries and endless varieties of citrus.

Fruit juices from street vendors are wonderfullyrefreshing. Coffee is served black, strong and sweet(Turkish) or creamy and frothy (Viennese). Botz is thestrong Israeli version of Turkish coffee.

Israelis are not big drinkers but the country producessome good wines (red and white) from the Carmelregion, the Galilee and Rishon le-Zion, southeast of TelAviv. Local beers, bottled and draft, are available, andthe local aniseed-flavoured firewater is called arak.

On Hannukah, small jellydoughnuts, or sufganiot, areeaten throughout Israel, aswell as latkes, or potatopancakes. In January orFebruary on Arbour Day,families eat fruit from biblicaltimes such as olives, dates,pomegranates and figs.During Passover, everybodyeats unleavened bread, in the form of small waferswhich are made out of specially dry flour. The tradition stems from whenMoses and the Israelites fledfrom Egypt – there was notime to leave the bread torise, so they ate flat loaves.Tastier Passover fare includescoconut macaroons. If youdine with a Jewish family onShabbat, expect cholent, abean and meat stew that isbaked on Friday.

FESTIVAL NOSH

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INDEX

Note: Numbers in boldindicate photographs

abseiling 91Acre see AkkoAkko 14, 118Akko Fringe Theatre

Festival 26Al-Aksa Mosque 38, 39Al-Mahamoudia Mosque

73Alexander the Great 13Alone on the Walls

Museum 36Alpaca Farm 91Appollonia 77Arab Quarter 39, 39Arad 89Arafat, Yasser 18Arava Valley 92Ark of the Covenant 11,

12, 37Armenian Quarter 34, 35Arshaf 77arts 25Ashkelon 63, 76Avdat 91

Babylonians 12Baha’i religion 115Baha’i Shrine 112, 114,

115Banias 109bars 48Basilica of the

Annunciation 106Bauhaus Center 67beaches 67. 70, 71, 77,

85, 94, 94, 95Bedouin 90, 93Be’er Sheva 11, 90Beit Salur 58Ben-Gurion, David 17,

91Bethlehem 56, 56, 58Billy Rose Scupture

Gardens 53bird-watching 9, 96, 101boat trips 94borders 6botz 29, 75Burnt House 36Caesarea 119, 119

Calvary 40, 41camel rides 91camels 9, 25Camp David Accords

18Cana 107Canaan 11Capernaum 104, 105Cardo, the 35Carmel 11Carmel Centre 115Carmel Market 65, 65, 66Carmel Naval Museum

117Carmel Park 117, 117Carmel Winery 76Chapel of the Manger 57Christian Quarter 40Church of All Nations 44,

44Church of Dominus Flevit

45Church of the Dormition

34, 48, 49Church of the Holy

Sepulchre 41, 42Church of Mary Magdalene

43Church of the

Multiplication 104Church of the Nativity 56,

56Church of the

Transfiguration 107City of David 47climate 8, 33Clore Park 66Coral Beach 94, 94Crusader Castle 17Crusader City 119Crusades 14Crypt of St John 119cycling 27

Daliat al Carmel 118Damascus Gate 33, 34, 49dance 26David’s Spring 86Dead Sea 7, 8, 54, 84, 85,

85, 86, 87, 98Dead Sea Scrolls 15, 52,

83, 86Diaspora 13Dizengoff Centre 67Dizengoff Circle 66, 67Dolphin Reef 96

Dome of the Ascension 43

Dome of the Rock 14, 30, 38, 38

Donna Gracia Complex 103

Druze 23Dung Gate 33

East Jerusalem 42Ecce Homo Arch 41economy 20Eilat 5, 7, 9, 26, 27, 83,

93, 93, 94, 95Ein Feshkha 86Ein Gedi 86, 87Ein Hod 25, 119Electric Garden see Gan

Ha-HashmalElijah 12Elijah’s Cave 116Essenes 13, 86Ethiopian Folk Art Centre

108Euphrates River 12

festivals, religious 24festivals, cultural 26festival food 29flag see national flagfood 28Franciscan Church of the

Angels 58

Galilee 101, 110Gamla 109Gan Ha-Hashmal 68Gan Ha-Melekh Park

78Gan Hashlosha National

Park 107Gan Meir 66Garden of Gethsemane

35, 44, 45Garden Tomb 49Geddes, Sir Patrick 66Golan Heights 6, 19,

109Golden Gate 33, 43Golgotha see Calvarygovernment 20Great Rift Valley 6Greco-Roman Empire 13Grotto of the Nativity 57Gulf War 18Habima Theatre 26

Haganah 17Hai-Bar Nature Reserve 92Hai-Bar programme 9Haifa 113, 114, 120Haifa Educational Zoo

115Haifa Museum of Art 117Hall of Names 54hang-gliding 91Hanukkah 24, 25Harry Oppenheimer

Diamond Museum, Ramat Gan 70

Hassidic Jews 23, 108Ha-Yarkon Park 27, 66Helena Rubenstein Pavilion

26, 70Herod, King 33, 37, 58, 87Herod’s Gate 33Herzl, Theodor 14, 15Herzliya 63, 77Hezekiah’s Tunnel 48hiking 27, 90, 97history 10Hittite Empire 11holidays 24Holocaust History Museum

53horse riding 28, 91House of Simon the Tanner

74

Ilana Goor Museum 74Independence Park 66inner tubing 27International Folk Festival

26Intifada 18, 19Isfiya 118Israel Museum 15, 25,

52Israel Philharmonic

Orchestra 26Israeli Defence Force 18,

19Israeli Opera 70Israelites 11, 12

Jaffa 25, 29, 63, 67, 71, 72, 73, 74

Jaffa Flea Market 74Jaffa Gate 33, 34Jericho 11Jerusalem 5, 12, 26,

30–54Jerusalem Archaeological

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Park 46, 46Jerusalem Centre for the

Performing Arts 26Jerusalem Symphony

Orchestra 26Jesus 44Jewish Quarter 35Jezreel Valley 107Jordan River 5, 6, 55, 85,

105Joseph of Arimathea 42Judean Desert 83

Kibbutz Ein Gev 105Kibbutz Ginnosar 104Kibbutz Samar 92kibbutzim 89, 101King David Hotel 50, 50King David’s Well 58Kingdom of Israel 12Kings City 96Knesset 17, 18, 20kosher 28

Law of Return 17, 20language 21, 78

Maktesh Ramon 6, 83, 91Mamelukes 14Manger Square 56Mann Auditorium 26Mary’s Tomb 45Masada 13, 83, 87, 88, 89Me’a She’arim 52Mediterranean Sea 6Meir, Golda 64Migdal 104Milk Grotto 57Mitzpe Ramon 91Mohammed 38Montefiore, Sir Moses 51Moses 11Mosque of Al-Jazzar 118Mount Hermon 6, 8, 9Mount of Olives 35, 42,

43, 46Mount of the Beatitudes

105Mount Sinai 11, 97Mount Zion 48mountain biking 27mountains 6

Mountains of Meron 108music 26

Nachal Arugot Canyon 87

Nahal Hame’arot Caves 117

Nahalat Binyamin 65National Antiquities Park

63, 76national flag 21national service 19Nazaret Illit 106Nazareth 106, 106Negev Desert 6, 7, 82, 83,

90, 90, 98Netanya 63, 77, 78Netanya Diamond Centre

78New Gate 33nightlife 27, 75

Old City, Jerusalem 31, 32, 37

Oslo Accords 19, 69Ottoman Clock Tower 73

Painted Tomb 77Palestine Liberation

Organization 18Palestinian Authority 55parliament 20Passover 25, 28people 20Persians 12, 13Petra 97, 97Pharisees 13plant life 8Pools of Bethesda 41

Qumran 83, 86

Rabin, Yitzhak 18, 64Red Canyon 97Red Sea 6, 7, 12, 95Red Sea Jazz Festival 26religion 22restaurants 29, 74Rishon le-Zion 63, 75rivers 6Roadmap for Peace 19Rockefeller Museum 50

Romans 13Rosh Hashanah 24Rothschild Boulevard 66sabras 21Sadducees 13Safed 25, 108Saladin 14Samaritans 13, 22Saul, King 12Schindler, Oskar 49scuba diving 28Sculpture Garden 115Sea of Galilee 102, 104seas 7Separate Beach 77Separation Barrier 55, 57Shabbat 22Sharm el-Sheikh 97Shefayim beach 78Sheinkin Street 68Shepherds’ Fields 58Shrine of the Book 31, 52,

53, 53Simchat Torah 24Six Day War 18Smolenskin, Peretz 15Solomon, King 12Solomon’s Pillars 92sport 27, 91, 97, 101St Anne’s Church 41St Catherine’s Monastery

97St Gabriel Greek Orthodox

Church 106St Joseph’s Church 106St Peter’s Church 73St Stephen’s Gate 33, 41Stations of the Cross 41Suez Canal 15Sukkot 11, 24Suleiman the Magnificent

32Suzanne Dellal Centre

26

Tel Aviv 27, 62–75Tel Aviv Museum of Art

26, 70Tel Aviv Performing Arts

Centre 26, 70Tel Beit She’an 108, 108Temple Mount 38, 46, 47

Tiberias 100, 101, 102, 103

Tiberias Hot Springs 103Time Elevator, Jerusalem

51Timna National Park 92,

92Touro, Judah 51Tower of David Museum

11, 34

Umariyah School 41Underwater Observatory

Marine Park 94, 95

Via Dolorosa 40

War of Independence 17

water sports 27, 94, 96West Bank 54West Jerusalem 50Western Wall 31, 36, 37White City 66white-water rafting 27wildlife 9, 86wines 76Wohl Archaeological

Museum 36World Zionist Congress

16

Yad Vashem Memorial 16, 53, 54

Yemenite Quarter 65Yemin Moshe 34, 51Yiddish 21Yitzhak Rabin Square

69YMCA 50, 51Yom Kippur 24Yom Kippur War 18

Zealots 13, 83, 88Zion Gate 33, 48Zion Square 50Zionism 14, 15Zvi Assaf Printing Museum

108

INDEX

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ISRAEL-INDEX 10/16/12 8:40 AM Page 128

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