True or false? Test yourself: Israel’s first capital city was Tel Aviv.
The oldest Jewish symbol is the Star of David.
The lowest sweet water lake in the world is in Israel.
The Jewish cuisine or the Israeli kitchen goes back to ancient times.
A day before Independence Day we remember all of our fallen soldiers with two alarms.
Here are some interesting facts about Israel for its 68 years of independence.
During the declaration of the independence the citizens of Jerusalem already fought
against the Jordanian army. Nobody know if Jerusalem will be a part of Israel or not.
Than the first prime minster David Ben Gurion said
“there will be a Jerusalem without Israel but no Israel without Jerusalem”.
Jerusalem than became the capital city of Israel with its parliament and government.
The menorah is described in the Bible as the seven-lamp
(six branches) ancient Hebrew lampstand made of pure gold and used
in the portable sanctuary set up by Moses in the wilderness
and 300 years later in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Fresh olive oil of the purest quality was burned daily to light its lamps.
The menorah has been a symbol of Judaism since ancient times and is the
emblem on the coat of arms of the modern state of Israel.
The Star of David became representative of the worldwide
Zionist community,and later the broader Jewish community,
after it was chosen as the central symbol on a flag
at the First Zionist Congress in 1897.
It is a Jewish symbol for less than 150 years.
The lowest place in the world is off course the Dead Sea more than 400 meters below sea level.
But the Sea of Galilea or Lake Kinneret is 210 meters below sea level.
The Jordan River connects the Sea of Galilea and the Dead Sea.
The hummus or falafel that you can find in every corner
are dishes that exist in this area for centuries.
It is possible to find them in Lebanon, Syria or Egypt.
The Jewish immigrants who came to Israel toured
the end of the 19th century brought with them their traditional cuisine from their native land.
So we have traditional Jewish cuisine from East Europe or North Africa.
The first thing you will notice is the emotional transition from the sadness of Memorial Day,
Israel’s Day of Remembrance, to the happiness of Israel Independence Day.
Memorial Day opens with a one minute alarm that signs the beginning of the official ceremony
held at the Western wall. During the next day memorial ceremonies will be held in cemeteries
and public places. There will be a second alarm of two minutes.
Independence Day starts at sunset of the same day.
The official ceremony will take place in mount Herzel during Independence eve,
in the presence of politicians. Join one of the many celebrations that will be held
across the city with live music, dancing and off course our national sport- BBQ.
Join our celebration at the Post hostel in Jerusalem.