The State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל); Medinat Yisra'el; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ إِسْرَائِيل, Dawlat Isrā'īl) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a parliamentary democracy and the world's only Jewish state. The name "Israel" is rooted in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, wherein Jacob is renamed Israel after wrestling with a mysterious adversary ("a man", and later "God" according to Genesis 32:24-30; or "the angel", according to Hosea 12:4).
Israel is bordered by Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, and Egypt and the Gaza Strip in the south-west, and has coastlines on the Mediterranean in the west and the Gulf of Eilat (also known as the Gulf of Aqaba) in the south.
Israel captured the West Bank from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six-Day War of 1967. It withdrew all troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip on September 12, 2005. The future status of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights remains to be determined.
The earliest known mention of the name 'Israel', probably refering to a group of people rather than to a place, is the Egyptian Merneptah Stele dated to about 1210 BCE. For over 3,000 years, Jews have held the Land of Israel to be their homeland, both as a Holy Land and as a Promised Land. The Land of Israel holds a special place in Jewish religious obligations, encompassing Judaism's most important sites — including the remains of the First and Second Temple, as well as the rites concerning those temples. Starting around 1200 BCE, a series of Jewish kingdoms and states existed intermittently in the region for over a millennium. Recent archeological evidence suggests that the kingdoms of King David and King Solomon may have existed.
Under Babylonian, Roman, Byzantine, and (briefly) Sassanian rule, Jewish presence in the province dwindled due to mass expulsions. In particular, the failure of the Great Jewish Revolt against the Roman Empire resulted in widescale expulsion of Jews (see Destruction of Jerusalem). But the Mishnah and Jerusalem Talmud, two of Judaism's most important religious texts, were composed in the region during this period.
The Arabs conquered the land from the Eastern Roman Empire in 638 CE. The area was ruled by various Arab states (interrupted by the rule of the Crusaders) before becoming part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517.
Throughout the centuries, the size of the Jewish population in the land fluctuated widely. Circa 1881, in the region approximating present-day Israel, the Jewish population numbered approximately 20-25,000 of a total population of 470,000. By 1944, an official British census showed that in Jerusalem, Jews were more numerous than Muslims and Christians.
The culture of Israel, also called "Israeli culture", is inseparable from long history of Judaism and Jewish history which preceded it (i.e. dated earlier than the Israeli Declaration of Independence, on May 14, 1948). However, this article concerns only the cultural aspects of the modern Israeli state.
With a population drawn from more than one hundred countries on six continents, Israeli society is rich in cultural diversity and artistic creativity. The arts are actively encouraged and supported by the government. The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra performs throughout the country and frequently tours abroad. The Jerusalem Symphony, the orchestra of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, also tours frequently as do other musical ensembles. Almost every municipality has a chamber orchestra or ensemble, many boasting the talents of gifted performers recently arrived from the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Folk dancing, which draws upon the cultural heritage of many immigrant groups, is very popular. Israel also has several professional ballet and modern dance companies. There is great public interest in the theater; the repertoire covers the entire range of classical and contemporary drama in translation, as well as plays by Israeli authors.
Of the three major repertory companies, the most famous, Habimah, was founded in 1917.
Active artist colonies thrive in Safed, Jaffa, and Ein Hod, and Israeli painters and sculptors exhibit and sell their works worldwide. Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem have excellent art museums, and many towns and kibbutzim have smaller high-quality museums. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem houses the Dead Sea Scrolls along with an extensive collection of Jewish religious and folk art. The Museum of the Diaspora is located on the campus of Tel Aviv University. Israelis are avid newspaper readers. Israeli papers have an average daily circulation of 600,000 copies. Major daily papers are in Hebrew; others are in Arabic, English, French, Polish, Yiddish, Russian, Hungarian, and German.
Things you should know when travelling to Israel
Terrorist attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, in addition to ongoing military operations and heightened tensions throughout the region, put Canadians at risk. Travellers should maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times, as the security situation could deteriorate rapidly without notice. Exercise appropriate caution and avoid large gatherings, crowded places, and demonstrations, as well as proximity to other possible targets, including pedestrian promenades, shopping malls, open markets, restaurants, discotheques, bus stations, and public buses.
Canadians of Palestinian nationality may be affected by recent administrative changes, and there may be restrictions on their ability to enter and exit Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
Most Canadian visitors to Israel do not experience problems. However, the security situation can change rapidly. Despite the recently improved situation, there is still a risk of terrorist attacks against civilian targets. In the latest incident, on December 5, 2005, a suicide bomb attack killed five people and injured at least 65 others outside a shopping mall in Netanya. This was the first such incident since October 26, 2005 when a suicide bomber attacked a marketplace in the northern city of Hadera, killing at least five people and injuring more than 20 others. On July 12, 2005, a suicide bomber attacked a pedestrian promenade outside the same shopping mall in Netanya, killing four people and injuring more than 50. On February 25, 2005, a suicide bomber attacked a Tel Aviv nightclub, killing several people and wounding dozens. A suicide bombing at an open-air market in Tel Aviv killed three people and wounded more than 30 on November 1, 2004. Suicide bomb attacks on two public buses in Beersheva on August 31, 2004, killed 16 people and injured at least 90 others.
The crime rate is moderate. Vehicle theft is a serious problem. Visitors or residents travelling on their own should be particularly careful to keep wallets, money, and valuables out of sight. Travellers should note that thefts of passports, credit cards, and valuables from public beaches sometimes occur. Car doors should be locked at all times.
