Much has been talked about the past foreign invasions in the Holy Land – invasions by the Babylonians, Romans, Greeks, Ottomans, and British, among others. But apart from the Romans and the Muslims, European Christians also invaded and ruled the Holy Land. They were the Crusaders, who first captured Jerusalem in 1099 … Read more
The Russians have played a significant part in shaping Israel’s past and present history, leaving their mark and legacy in the country. Russians make up a quarter of Israel’s total population. So, it is not surprising that the Russian language is the most widely spoken non-official language in Israel (see the most … Read more
David Ben-Gurion was the principal founder of the State of Israel and the nation’s first Prime Minister and Defense Minister (1948 – 1953, 1955 – 1963). A lifelong advocate of Zionism, he became a prominent Zionist leader and served as the executive head of the World Zionist Organization (1946). Ben-Gurion delivered Israel’s … Read more
The War of Attrition refers to an inconclusive armed conflict between Israel and Egypt (and, to a lesser extent, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and their allies) from July 1967 to August 1970. The Six-Day War in June 1967 left the Egyptians overwhelmed with great losses, both in their forces and their territories. In … Read more
The Yom Kippur War was part of the long-standing Arab-Israeli conflict. It was fought between Israel and the coalition of the Arab nations from October 6 to October 25, 1973. It is also known as the “Ramadan War,” “October War,” and the “1973 Arab-Israeli War.” Hoping to avenge their severe and bitter … Read more
Golda Meir is known as the first and (so far) only woman prime minister of Israel. She was also one of the significant figures who helped establish the State of Israel in 1948. But before she went to the top echelon of Israel’s politics, Golda Meir had had her own shares of … Read more
It may sound a little biased, but there are countless reasons why everyone should visit Israel, from the most visited spots to the often-ignored gems to rising tourism stars. Jerusalem is often the first stop for people visting Israel, especially for first-time tourists. It is the holiest city in the world, and … Read more
Kursi (also known as Gergesa) is an ancient settlement and a national park on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is traditionally recognized as the place where Jesus’ “Miracle of the Swine” took place. According to the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Jesus performed an exorcism on a … Read more
Being the cradle of humanity the Middle East is considered to be the place of origin of cheese. However, the warm weather did not allow the development of gourmet cheese; and for years the regional cheeses were either very fresh or very salty like the Arab Labane (sour spread cheese made of … Read more
Yardenit is located at the northern end of the lower or long Jordan River, near where it flows south out of the Sea of Galilee. The Yardenit, (meaning “little Jordan” in Hebrew) is visited by hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims every year, many of whom revere it as the baptismal site … Read more