"Shalom. Ma shlomcha." Israel by seagoingJLW

Political Notes

The independent State of Israel, also known as Medinat Yisra'el, was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. It is a parliamentary democracy consisting of three branches of government: the Legislature (the Knesset), the Executive (the Government) and the Judiciary (the court system.) It is based on the principle of separation of powers with checks and balances built into the system. The government is administered by the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. The official head of state is the President, elected by the Knesset for a 5 year term.

Israel is divided into six districts (mehozat) which are Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, and Tel Aviv.

There is no formal constitution. Its functions are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of the parliament (Knesset,) and the Israeli citizenship law.

We were lucky that we visited this area before the outbreak of hostilities. And everyone should visit here. It is our heritage.

I never thought that we would be living under the same circumstances as the citizens of Israel. But we have been since Tuesday, September 11, 2001. To the citizens of Israel-- We share your grief.

Kibbutz

Israel is located in the Middle East, south of Lebanon and east of Egypt. It shares its western border with Syria, and Jordan. Its western border is the Mediterranean Sea and a tiny bit of its south is on the Red Sea.

Israel is roughly 20,770 sq km. Disputed territories comprise an additional 7,477 sq km distributed as follows: West Bank - 5,879, Gaza Strip - 378, East Jerusalem - 70, and the Golan Heights - 1,150. As of August 1994 there were 199 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, 42 in the Golan Heights, 24 in the GazaStrip and 25 in East Jerusalem.

The coastal plain is fertile, humid and thickly populated. The central highlands include the Hills of Galilee in the north and the arid Judean Hills in the south. The Jordan Rift Valley has its lowest point, 399 meters below sea level at the Dead Sea. The Negev Desert accounts for about half of Israel's area.

The Capital is located in Jerusalem, but many countries keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.

The population as of July 2001 was 5,938,093 of whom about 80.1% are Jews (Europe/America born - 32.1%, Israel born - 20.8%, Africa born - 14.6%, Asia born - 12.6%.) About 14.6% of the population are Sunni Muslims. Smaller Christian and Druze communities make up the rest.

Judaism is not a monolithic cultural entity in contemporary Israel. The first category of Jew is "dati" or religiously observant. It can be divided into "haredi" or ultra orthodox groups such as the Neturei Karta who live in enclaves such as Mea Shearim and the Neo Orthodox who adhere to halaka but do not cut themselves off from society.

Conservative and Reform Judaism does not really exist in Israel except for certain immigrants.

"Lo dati" are not religiously observant, a category which can be further divided into agnostic or atheistic secularists. Individuals who are committed to Judaism in principle are called traditionalists.

Hebrew is the major official language and is most widely used in daily life. Arabic is also considered an official language and may be used in the Knesset and the courts. English is widely spoken and is taught in the state schools. Yiddish is spoken by older Ashkenazim.

Jews have come to Israel from more than 103 countries and speak more than 70 different languages. There has been a persistance of Jewish ethnic groups and a related class structure. The two dominant Jewish ethnic groups are the Ashkenzim (Jews from northern and eastern Europe) and the Sephardim (Jews from Mediterranean, Balkan, Aegean, and Middle Eastern lands.) Sephardim are also referred to as the Edot Mizrah (Oriental Jews.) Oriental Jews are overrepresented in the blue collar professions. Ashkenazim are generally professional and technical with representation in the sciences and academia.

The Druzes belong to an eleventh century offshoot of Shia Islam, which originated in Egypt. Druzes often suffer presecution and discrimination on the part of Muslims.

Masada

The Exodus Song

This land is mine. God gave this land to me
And when the morning sun reveals her hills and plains
Then I see a land where children can be free.
So take my hand and walk this land with me
And walk this lovely land with me.
Tho' I am just a man, when you are by my side
With the help of God I know I can be strong
So take my hand and walk this land with me
And walk this golden land with me.
Tho' I am just a man, when you are by my side
With the help of God I know I can be strong.
To make this land our home.
If I must fight, I'll fight to make this land our own.
Until I die this land is mine.

• Pros:Wonderful country blooming out of the desert
• Cons:War and terrorism
• In a nutshell:When the hostilities stop, you must visit Israel