The kibbutz is an original and unique Israeli creation. It is a multi-generation, rural settlement, characterized by its collective and cooperative community lifestyle, democratic management, responsibility for the welfare of each adult member and child, and shared ownership of its means of production and consumption. Degania was the first kibbutz, founded by a group of a dozen, young pioneers in 1910, along the banks of the Sea of Galilee. Since then, 273 kibbutzim (half of them prior to the establishment […]
The Israeli Holiday Calendar Weekday & Date Holiday Name & Type Saturday Jan 26, 2013 Tu Bishvat – Jewish Observant Thursday Feb 21, 2013 Ta'anit Esther (Fast of Esther) – Jewish Observant Sunday Feb 24, 2013 Purim (Deliverance of the Jews) – National Holiday Monday Feb 25, 2013 Shushan Purim – Jewish Observant Tuesday Mar 26, 2013 Pesach I (First day of Passover) – National Holiday Wednesday Mar 27, 2013 Pesach II (Passover) – Jewish Observant Thursday Mar 28, 2013 […]
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel is a spiritual authority for the Jewish people in Israel. It is headed by two chief rabbis- an Ashkenazi rabbi and a Sephardi rabbi (also known as the Rishon lesion chief rabbi), who are elected for a 10-year term. The roots of the Israeli rabbinate institute evolve through the history of the Ottoman Empire, British Mandate and the establishment of the state of Israel. There are different religious authorities in Israel resulted from the variety […]
As of September 2012, The State of Israel has some 7.8 million inhabitants. The most prominent characteristic of Israel’s the population is its high diversity. Besides the main division of the country’s inhabitants into Jews (80%) and Arabs (20%), there are many more subdivisions. The Jews, for example, are divided into religious and secular, while the latter include various immigrant communities who preserve their culture. Likewise, the Arabs are divided into Moslems, Christians and Druze. Alongside these groups, Israel has […]
As a country in the Middle East committed to the free practice of religion for all, regardless of religious affiliation, Israel stands as an oasis of religious freedom in the Middle East. The Israeli government supports religious services for communities of all faiths. That includes funding Korans and the operating costs for more than 100 mosques as well as the salaries of Muslim religious leaders; serving as a safe haven for minorities persecuted in surrounding countries; allowing citizens of any […]
Some 1.8 million people, comprising some 24 percent of Israel's population, are non-Jews. Although defined collectively as Arab citizens of Israel, they include a number of different, primarily Arabic-speaking, groups, each with distinct characteristics. Muslim Arabs – over 1.2 million people, most of whom are Sunni, reside mainly in small towns and villages, over half of them in the north of the country. Bedouin Arabs – also Muslim (estimated at approximately 250,000), belong to some 30 tribes, a majority scattered […]