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Historical Highlights

Timeline of the History of Israel

 
The land of Israel is the birthplace of the Jewish nation. In the 17th century B.C.E, G-d made a covenant to Abraham in which He promised to protect Abraham and his descendants, and give them the land of Canaan (an area which today would be the equivalent of modern Israel plus the West Bank),  and in exchange, Abraham promised to worship only one G-d and to follow all of His ethical and humane laws. Canaan, a narrow strip of land, 130 kilometers wide, was bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the Arabian Desert to the east, and was the link between Egypt and Mesopotamia. At the time, it served as a centrally located trading center for caravans travelling between the Nile Valley and the Euphrates.

Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on its west, between Egypt on the south and Lebanon on the north; Syria is on the Northeast, and Jordan is east and southeast. Israel is approximately 27,000 kilometers, slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey.

                Geographic coordinates:  31 30 N, 34 45 E
                Elevation extremes:         Dead Sea  -1325 feet
                                                     The lowest spot on earth
                                                     Har Meron 1,208 m
 

        Topography

• The Coastal Plain- a narrow strip of fertile land along the Mediterranean Sea. It stretches from the Lebanese border in the north to Gaza in the south, interrupted only by Cape Carmel at Haifa Bay. It is about forty kilometers wide at Gaza and narrows toward the north to about five kilometers at the Lebanese border. The region is fertile and humid (historically malarial) and is known for its citrus. The plain is traversed by several short streams, of which only two, the Yarqon and Qishon, have permanent water flows.
• The Galilee- the northern region of Israel from the Golan Heights on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, it's an area of mountains and hills
• Judea & Samaria -- (also called Yehuda and Shomron, or The West Bank) - eastern Israel, which includes Jerusalem (the capital), the mostly barren Judean Mountains, the Samarian Hills filled with numerous small, fertile valleys, and the Rift Valley (which is a small part of the 6,500-kilometer-long Syrian-East African Rift.) In Israel the Rift Valley is dominated by the Jordan River, Lake Tiberias (known also as the Sea of Galilee and to Israelis as Lake Kinneret), and the Dead Sea. History of Judea & Samaria
• The Negev Desert -  Israel's hottest and driest region, is an area of flat lands and mountains of sand in the south - geographically, it's an extension of the Sinai Desert. It's filled with canyons and wadis (waterholes sometimes dating back to ancient times). It covers more than half of Israel's land area but is inhabited by only 8% of t he population.

• Jordan River
• Lake Tiberias - also calledSea of Galillee, or Lake Kinneret
• Dead Sea
• The Dan River
• Baniyas River
• Hasbani River

Israel's total area, including Judea and Samaria, is 27,800 sq. km.(10,800 sq. miles). It is comparable to the size of New Jersey or England (excluding Wales).
In this small country, however, the climatic differences are amazing. In general, Israel's climate is considered "temperate." Yet, during much of the winter you can ski in the far north or swim outdoors and trek through desert-like areas in the south.

There are mainly two seasons, winter and summer. Usually, winter means cold rains, which begin in late October or early November and last until April. The rainiest period is the three months between December and February. It rains most in the northern hills and mountains of the Galilee.  The driest parts of the country all year round are the southern Negev and Arava, between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Eilat.

Because Israel is located in the Middle-East, many people think it is warm there all the time. Not true. Winters can be quite cold, the kind of wet cold that chills your bones. Even during the summer, when it is usually very hot during the day, the evenings often turn quite cool and a jacket or sweater is recommended in the hilly regions, such as Jerusalem or Safed. Don't be caught off guard! If you're coming in the winter, bring an umbrella, a warm coat (down is not necessary, but it wouldn't hurt) and a few sweaters. During the summer, shorts, skirts, sandals
dress are about right.

Climate facts to remember:

•  In the far south, average rainfall is less than 100 millimeters, in the north the average rainfall is 1,128 millemeters.
• The summers are hot, dry and short (June - August).
• The rainy season is between November and March, when the weather is mild.
• The most rainfall usually occurs around January averaging 4 to 8 inches
• Natural Disasters are mostly drought.
• Large amounts of erosion occur during the wet season.

 
Israel's hot and dry subtropical climate, combined with minimal annual rainfall have contributed to "the water problem" recorded throughout the history of Israel. For example, the bible mentions that Abraham built wells in Beersheva (in the Negev) and was forced to leave when the wells dried up and there was a drought throughout the land.

Today, the main source of water to the entire country is Lake Kinneret (Lake Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee).  The area of the Lake Kinneret basin is 2700 sq.km., 1/4 of which is located in Lebanon. The basin's perennial average annual output is 610 million cu.m. These sources are distributed as follows:
 

• 500 million cu.m. From the Jordan River and its sources: The Hatsbani, Dan and Banias rivers
• 300 million cu.m. From streams and wadis (mostly from the Golan Heights) which drain into the Jordan and the Kinneret.
• 100 million cu.m. Rain falling directly on the Kinneret, and additional minor sources.

Allowing for evaporation from Lake Kinneret (over 250 million cubic meters per annum), the Kinneret basin supplies Israel's "water bank" with about 1/3 of its total annual supply. The importance of the Kinneret basin water lies also in its quality, permitting its use for drinking and agriculture.  Israel worked hard since its establishment in 1948 to bring the water of the Kinneret to the dry parts of the land, thus enabling settlement and agriculture in the Negev, Israel's southern dry desert land.

Water problems & solutions throughout time.

Business/Industry

        Industry generates about 30% of estimated national income.

Main Industries: food processing, diamonds, textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, high-technology electronics, tourism. (the Dead Sea produces) potash, bromide, and other salt deposits. Oil is found in the northern Negev and northwest Beersheba.

Agriculture: products: citrus and other fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products

Natural Resources:copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil

Language
 

Israel is a melting pot.  During the last 120 years Jews and non-Jews came to live there from all  corners of the earth.  There are  numerous languages spoken there.  The official language of the State of Israel is Hebrew, a Semitic language written from right to left. Hebrew is a
very ancient language, the language in which the Bible was written.  Hebrew was a dead langauge for close to 2,000 years.  It was used only for prayers, Bible study and research.  Since the return of the Jewish nation to its land, a monumental effort began to revive the language and to update it to modern reality.  Everyone can learn a bit of Hebrew.  It is a phonetic language which is easy to master.  Also, you can find out how to say important words in Hebrew (transliteration).  If you choose to look up a word in Hebrew, browse through a useful dictionary by topic.    Among all the tongues of the world, there is no other example of a language that has been "brought back to life".

•        free and compulsory for everyone between ages 5 & 16
•        both secular and religious universities
•        many study in U.S.A
•        8.6% spent on Education
•        government provides religious & secular education - people free to choose
•        also can choose if they want it taught in Hebrew or Arabic
•        Elementary school levels go through sixth grade
•        Junior high schools levels go through ninth grade
•        High schools levels go through twelfth grade
•        High school diplomas are needed to go to college and to get a job
•        Most schools and Universities are six days a week
•       Israel's Geographic Location within Its Region and Facts about The State of Israel

Israel was the homeland of the Jewish people until their exile in 68 B.C.E.  For about 2,000 years the land was mostly desolate, ruled by many tribes, empires, and trampled by strangers.  It was depleted of its natural resources and beauty and became a land of swamp or desert areas.  At the the end of the 19th century, Jewish pioneers began returning to the land, slowly but perseveringly reclaiming, redeeming, cultivating and reviving it.  In 1917 with the Balfour Declaration, it was pronounced as a place of refuge for Jewish people.  On November 29th, 1947 the United Nations voted to allow the establishment of a Jewish state, a homeland for the survivors of the Holocaust and other persecutions.  On May 5th 1948, David Ben Gurion proclaimed the Declaration of Independence.  The young state plunged into its first battle against the Arab world on that first day of its existence.  In spite of the continuous struggle for survival Israel managed to make great technological, cultural, and industrial strides in its 51 years of existence, and to establish the only democracy in the Middle East.

In order to understand the importance of the State of Israel to the region and to the Jewish Nation world-wide, we strongly recommend that an overview of the short history of the state and its monumental accomplishments is pursued before the use of this module.  Some ready-made lesson plans are available on the following topics at The Ministry of Education Site:

 
• Israel's Geographic Location within Its Region and Facts aboutThe State of Israel
• In the Land of Israel the Jewish People Came Into BeingFrom Wars to Peace
• Israel -  Science and Technology
• Israel - An Island of Democracy in the Middle East

Investigating Israel - http://www.infinet.com/~baugust/israel.html -  Excellent Interactive activities, links, and lesson plans about Biblical and modern Israel on the Internet

Geography of Israel - www.oranim.macam98.ac.il/geo/ndx_geo.htm - Teaching the geography of Israel through the Internet by Dr. Arnon Medzini and the Geographical Department of Oranim School of Education in Israel

Jerusalem Tour Game - www.agmonet.co.il/agmonet/district/shenkin/sh_photo.htm

Jewish Funland - Jewish Fun and Games Activities - created by Dr. Nurit Reshef -
http://www.bus.ualberta.ca/yreshef/funland/funland.html

More trivia about Israel

Daily News from Israel -Ha'Aretz

More news- The Jerusalem Post

Curriculum  Guide

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