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the language of the Bible,
and Arabic are the official
languages of Israel.
Israel is located in the
Middle East, bounded by the
Mediterranean sea the
Great SyriaB - African Rift valley
to the east and the Red Sea
to the south, sharing its borders
with ‘Lebanon, Syria,
Jordan and Egypt.
Of its more than 5.5 million population,
81.5% are Jews (over half are native born
and mostly first and second generation),
while the rest come from some eighty
countries around the world; about 17% are
Arabs (most of them are Moslem) and the
remaining 1.5% are Christians, Druze,
Circassian and other small communitites.
The currency of Israel is
New Israeli Sheqel (NIS)
pluralsheqalim).
Each sheqel is divided into 100
agorot (singular agora).
Only a few hours travelling time separates
the sun-warmed sea- shores and the snow-
capped mountains, the lush forests and the
scenic desert landscapes. Israel is indeed a
rich and varied bouquet of attractions.
This is the kind of physical contrasts which
Israel offers.
the country is home to a
diverse population from many
ethnic, eligious, cultural and
social backgrounds.
Tel Aviv was in a great rush to be
built-eyes focused on the new.
Within 15 years, it had grown
into a full-fledged town.
Jerusalem is Israel’s
largest city, with 670,000 residents .
The heterogeneous nature of
the residents make for a
special and fragile human
mosaic.The echoes of the past
still reverberate amid this
dynamic rebirth.
The Kotel -the Western Wall of the Second Temple -
highlights the rich experience of the Jewish Quarter
In the walled Old City.
Jerusalem, the Holy City
and eternal Capital of Israel,
retains its aura of sanctity and
welcomes the constant
stream of pilgrims of all faiths
Tel Aviv-Jaffa and the
Mediterranean - Proclaiming
itself the”non-stop city”,
cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, the
first modern Jewish city in
the world, is simultaneously
a resort and Israel’s undisputed
center of entertainment,
culture and commerce.
An outline of historical roots
is in the place here, presenting
the city as I saw it, from within
its ancient walls.
Jerusalem has been the
object of reverence, hope and
prayer of the Jewish people for
thousands of years, and is a holy
city to millions of believers of the
monotheistic religions.
The spiritual center of Judaism is also a
thriving, ultra-moderncity and Israel’s
capital, with Infinite facets to Its character.
But Jerusalem is much more than the sum
of its landmarks, old and new. It is a city of
people, as diverse as the four corner of the
globe from whence they came.
To Jews, Jerusalem has always been
“The Holy City”, and it has been revered
by Christians and Muslims for centuries.
No wonder Jerusalem has such a
tremendous impact, both locally
and internationally.
the Kotel -the Western Wall of the Second Temple -
highlights the rich experience of the Jewish
Quarter In the walled Old City, while the
modern city offers world-famous museums,
arts-and-crafts lanes and lively
entertainment, together with the
Institutions of government.
It is a place where the first
century rubs shoulders
with the twenty-first century,
each jostling for
legitimacy and space,
and where picturesque
Yad Vashem is a vast complex of museums,
unique outdoor monuments, exhibition
halls along with a major archives, library
and other resource centers
extending over 45 acres.
“ cattle car”at Yad vashem
in the cattle car to the death camp
The Jews were not the only victims of Hitler’s regime,
but they were the only group that the Nazis sought
to destroy entirely.
The Holocaust was the murder of approximately
six million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators.
Distinguishing moments,
that I could capture of the
the young running
towards the new and
the aged preserving the old.
By virtue of its location on the
Mediterranean shore and the
modern, secular concepts on
which it was founded, Tel Aviv-
Jaffa has a multitude of facets.
The city is simultaneously
Israel’s commercial center and
largest resort; its cultural
capital and the arbiter of all
that’s hot or not. It’s vibrant
and brash. Cosmopolitan but
personal. Casual - yet never
fully at rest. What is important
is that it has come of age; not
only embracing the new, but
no longer neglecting the old.
When I was in Israel as a visitor, I saw and then
there doesn’t seem to be much to recommend it.
At first blush, one sees a lot of blocky, boring
buildings, some in sore need of repair or tidying;
as if the energy being channeled into the new
( skyscrapers ) is leaching out of the old.
Then I look up and notice an old facade, lovingly
restored, or profusion of flowers cascading from
a window-box garden ... a vest-pocket park
created out of an unused plot or a sculpture
installed on a leafy boulevard... and I observe
how the old is finally being revered and renewed.
And then one thing if you ask me, what’s so
amazing about this heterogeneity and diversities
which also exist in many other countries, it’s the
strength, strength of the people,
coming together, on this single piece of land,
a land of contrasts, called “ Israel. “
Toda*