the language of the Bible,

and Arabic are the official

languages of Israel.

Israel is located in the

Middle East, bounded by the

Mediterranean sea the

Great SyriaB - African Rift valley

to the east and the Red Sea

to the south, sharing its borders

with ‘Lebanon, Syria,

Jordan and Egypt.

Of its more than 5.5 million population,

81.5% are Jews (over half are native born

and mostly first and second generation),

while the rest come from some eighty

countries around the world; about 17% are

Arabs (most of them are Moslem) and the

remaining 1.5% are Christians, Druze,

Circassian and other small communitites.

The currency of Israel is

New Israeli Sheqel (NIS)

pluralsheqalim).

Each sheqel is divided into 100

agorot (singular agora).

Only a few hours travelling time separates

the sun-warmed sea- shores and the snow-

capped mountains, the lush forests and the

scenic desert landscapes. Israel is indeed a

rich and varied bouquet of attractions.

This is the kind of physical contrasts which

Israel offers.

the country is home to a

diverse population from many

ethnic, eligious, cultural and

social backgrounds.

Tel Aviv was in a great rush to be

built-eyes focused on the new.

Within 15 years, it had grown

into a full-fledged town.

Jerusalem is Israel’s

largest city, with 670,000 residents .

The heterogeneous nature of

the residents make for a

special and fragile human

mosaic.The echoes of the past

still reverberate amid this

dynamic rebirth.

The Kotel -the Western Wall of the Second Temple -

highlights the rich experience of the Jewish Quarter

In the walled Old City.

Jerusalem, the Holy City

and eternal Capital of Israel,

retains its aura of sanctity and

welcomes the constant

stream of pilgrims of all faiths

Tel Aviv-Jaffa and the

Mediterranean - Proclaiming

itself the”non-stop city”,

cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, the

first modern Jewish city in

the world, is simultaneously

a resort and Israel’s undisputed

center of entertainment,

culture and commerce.

An outline of historical roots

is in the place here, presenting

the city as I saw it, from within

its ancient walls.

Jerusalem has been the

object of reverence, hope and

prayer of the Jewish people for

thousands of years, and is a holy

city to millions of believers of the

monotheistic religions.

The spiritual center of Judaism is also a

thriving, ultra-moderncity and Israel’s

capital, with Infinite facets to Its character.

But Jerusalem is much more than the sum

of its landmarks, old and new. It is a city of

people, as diverse as the four corner of the

globe from whence they came.

To Jews, Jerusalem has always been

“The Holy City”, and it has been revered

by Christians and Muslims for centuries.

No wonder Jerusalem has such a

tremendous impact, both locally

and internationally.

the Kotel -the Western Wall of the Second Temple -

highlights the rich experience of the Jewish

Quarter In the walled Old City, while the

modern city offers world-famous museums,

arts-and-crafts lanes and lively

entertainment, together with the

Institutions of government.

As I walk its streets

on our way to explore

this ancient city, I encounter,

It is a place where the first

century rubs shoulders

with the twenty-first century,

each jostling for

legitimacy and space,

and where picturesque

currently has somewhat

more than four million names

of victims that are accessible.

Yad Vashem is a vast complex of museums,

unique outdoor monuments, exhibition

halls along with a major archives, library

and other resource centers

extending over 45 acres.

“ cattle car”at Yad vashem

in the cattle car to the death camp

The Jews were not the only victims of Hitler’s regime,

but they were the only group that the Nazis sought

to destroy entirely.

The Holocaust was the murder of approximately

six million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators.

Distinguishing moments,

that I could capture of the

the young running

towards the new and

the aged preserving the old.

By virtue of its location on the

Mediterranean shore and the

modern, secular concepts on

which it was founded, Tel Aviv-

Jaffa has a multitude of facets.

The city is simultaneously

Israel’s commercial center and

largest resort; its cultural

capital and the arbiter of all

that’s hot or not. It’s vibrant

and brash. Cosmopolitan but

personal. Casual - yet never

fully at rest. What is important

is that it has come of age; not

only embracing the new, but

no longer neglecting the old.

When I was in Israel as a visitor, I saw and then

there doesn’t seem to be much to recommend it.

At first blush, one sees a lot of blocky, boring

buildings, some in sore need of repair or tidying;

as if the energy being channeled into the new

( skyscrapers ) is leaching out of the old.

Then I look up and notice an old facade, lovingly

restored, or profusion of flowers cascading from

a window-box garden ... a vest-pocket park

created out of an unused plot or a sculpture

installed on a leafy boulevard... and I observe

how the old is finally being revered and renewed.

And then one thing if you ask me, what’s so

amazing about this heterogeneity and diversities

which also exist in many other countries, it’s the

strength, strength of the people,

coming together, on this single piece of land,

a land of contrasts, called “ Israel. “

Toda*