Role of women

Since the biblical age, women have played a role in Israeli society. They may not have played a big role but there presence was known throughout society. Today however women have more rights, most have equal opportunity,allowed to participate in political jobs and armed forces. 


In Poitics women now have the have the right to vote and be able to buy and sell land just as men are. They are now also allowed to sit on the Israeli Parliament called 'Knesset'. While serving on the Knesset they also hold leadership roles in politics. Today, three women in Israel hold senior political roles. Tzipi Livini is the vice premier and minister of foreign affairs. Dalia Itzik is a Knesset speaker, and Dorit Beinisch is the president of Isreal's supreme court. Women being able to obtain such high jobs like these shows that education for women is also a change. Israeli women can now go to school and receive an outstanding education.


Since 2000 women are now allowed to join the armed forces in Israel. A law passed by the Israeli Parliament opened up all military sections for women to join. Opening up all sections allows women to pursue any military job they want. 


References: "The Advancement of the Status of Women- Israel 2001," Israel Minister of Foreign Affairs. Accessed December 30, 2011. http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/8/The+Advancement+of+the+Status+of+Women+-+Israel+20.htm


"Women's Rights in Israel," The Israel Project. Accessed December 30, 2011. http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=3918015&ct=5134255


Daniela and Claudia's Blog, http://daniandclau.blogspot.com/

Traditions and Holiday

When growing up, you are taught certain customs, traditions and holidays to celebrate according to your religious affiliation or ethnical beliefs. 

When you think of an American thirteen year olds birthday party what might come to your mind? A themed party with a color scheme, at a house or some new hip place to go have fun, with lots of cake, greasy pizza and presents. It's a day where the birthday boy or girl gets all of the attention on them, celebrating the day they were born, but in Israel they treat a 13th birthday for boys and the 12th for girls in a different way. One these days the girl or boy are becoming of age, and will now be held responsible for their own actions. During the ceremonies they read a portion of the Torah. After the ceremony a celebration party is thrown for the boy or girl. 

As for the religious holidays, Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah is also know to many other people as the Festival of Lights and is started on the 25th day of Kislev on the Jewish calendar. It is an eight day celebration remembering the rededication of the Holy Temple. Each night of the eight days a candle is lit on a menorah while reciting blessings while lighting the candles. Foods are typically made with oil, a doughnut like food filled with jam is eaten, children play with dreidels, and also now receive gifts from their parents during these eight days.

It is great to be able to see these rituals and holidays being celebrated here in the United States, it opens up your eyes to a whole new perspective on how others celebrate life and special holidays while you are still able to celebrate your own.

References: "Hanukkah," Wikipedia. Last  modified December 28, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah

History.com, "Hanukkah." Accessed December 28, 2011, http://www.history.com/topics/hanukkah

The role of Islam and controversies

Israel was founded in 1948, making it a target for Arab armies who did not agree with having a Jewish state near them. The founding of this Israel created some problems with the Jewish and Arab ancestors from Abraham. Five Arab armies decided to attack Israel on May 14, 1948 with the intent to let Israel know that they did not want to allow the Jews a state. In our modern day Israel, Islam plays a big role in their societies. Islam is known to be the second largest religious group in Israel. 


Sharia is present in Israel to a certain degree. The Israeli people who are Jewish do not follow the Sharia law but the Muslims that live in Israel do. Most of these Muslims that live in Israel are Sunni Arabs. An example of the Sharia is with marriage. "Marriages in each community are under the jurisdiction of their own religious authorities. The religious authority for Jewish marriages performed in Israel is the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Rabbinical courts."  While with the Muslim communities "Muslim marriages are conducted in accordance with Islamic law and customs, and inter-community marriages are not permitted. Sharia courts deal with personal status issues in the Muslim community." (Wikipedia.com, December 23, 2012) 


Arabs in Israel have been settled down and are mostly known to live in East jerusalem and Golan Heights, although there are Arabs that live in other areas. They do have the right to vote in Israel and have the right to government services. There are the main political parties of Arabs that are located through out Israel, the Hadash, Balad, and United Arab list. 


Land has been a major religious controversy over the Jews and Arabs. According to The Torah the children of God were promised the Land of Canaan. Although they claim to own that land Muslims also believe that they have rights to it. According to the Quran "Contrary to the Jewish claim that this land was promised only to the descendants of Abraham's younger son Isaac, they argue that the Land of Canaan was promised to all descendants of Abraham, including his elder son Ishmael, from whom Arabs claim descent." (Wikipedia, December 23, 2011)




References: "Arab-Israeli conflict," Wikipedia. Last modified December 22, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab–Israeli_conflict


"Arab citizens of Israel," Wikipedia. Last modified December 23, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_citizens_of_Israel


"11. Gog, Magog, Israel and Islam," Islam & World Events. Accessed December 23, 2011. http://www.truthnet.org/islam/Islam-Bible/11Gog-Magog-Israel/Gog-Magog-Israel.htm


"Marriage in Israel," Wikipedia. Last modified December 15, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_in_Israel

Religion..There isn't just one present.

Israel can be considered yet another melting pot for religions, although the religions present are not as many as you may find here in he united States they still have a good number. Religions you can find in Israel are Judaism which consists of 80% of the population, Arabs and Christians. The Arabs you would find in Israel are mostly Sunni Muslims, and the Christians consist of Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholics. 

As shown in the pie chart above Judaism practiced by the Jews is the primary religion in Israel. 


In the Islamic law, all religions are welcome in the land, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a great example. The Church is in the city of Jerusalem and built where Jesus Christ was said to have been crucified and buried. The Church is shared by the Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholic. This is a great example of religions in the same area being able to act civil and really appreciate what they share together. 


Photo from: "PBS Global Connections the Middle East maps," accessed Dec 22, 2011, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/maps/demotext.html


References: Sacred Destinations, "Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem." Accessed Dec 22, 2011, http://www.sacred-destinations.com/about



Encyclopedia of the Nations, "Israel-Religions." Accessed Dec 22, 2011, http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Israel-RELIGIONS.html

Cuisine and Hospitality

I think it is safe to say that when someone thinks of Jewish food (or food from Israel) they normally automatically think of "kosher" or "felafel." Well yes, those are two traditional dietary items in which the Israeli eat and go by, but there are other dietary laws and traditional foods to eat. A traditional soup item is Tarato. Tarato is a yogurt soup, deriving from the Jews in Bulgaria. This soup is served cold, and found to be eaten on hot summer nights. A traditional main dish that you would find for dinner is Malawach. Malawach was originated by the Jews living in Yemen. A traditional dessert is Baklava. Baklava was brought to Israel by the Arab Jews, and is a sweet pastry covered with honey and a variety of nuts. I myself have tried Baklava before and absolutely loved it!

Photo: Franco, Jim. Baklava Recipe. JPEG, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-symon/baklava-recipe/index.html

When researching the hospitality of Israeli's as a whole it had seemed to be very hospital and welcoming to visitors but one ethnic group that had stood out were the Druze. The Druze have become very well known for there hospitality to visitors of their villages. The Druze living in very few villages through out Golan Heights and the Carmel Region. Over the years the Druze have set up hospitality tents for visitors of the villages. While staying in one of these tents you can experience traditional foods, and see first had the authentic lifestyle of the villages. If you really would like to get more of an experience visit the villages in Usfiya and Daliat El-Carmel where you can stay overnight in a guest house while experiencing open markets, and special dining experiences.

Research from: thinkisrael.com "Druze Themes." Accessed December 21, 2011. http://www.thinkisrael.com/Tourism_Euk/Articles/Attractions/Druze+hospitality.htm

Geography of the land

Photo from: "World Maps," accessed December 20, 2011, http://www.worldmapsinfo.com/map-of-israel-asia.html

Israel is located to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.  Above is geographical map of Israel. Three major geographical features in Israel are Mt. Hermon, the River Jordan, and Negev Desert. 

Mt. Hermon is the tallest mountain in Israel reaching 7,336 ft. tall in elevation. The mountain is between the boarders of Syria and Lebanon.

River Jordan is the longest and most famous river in Israel. This river reaches 320 kilometers long, which makes it 199 miles. The River Jordan flows south, going through the Sea of Galilee, and ending up in the Dead Sea. 

The Negev Desert contains 4,633 square miles of land in Israel. The desert has three major canyons that run throughout the desert, Makhtesh Ramon, Makhtesh Gadol, and Makhtesh Katan. 

References: "Geography of Israel," Wikipedia. Last modified December 21, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Israel

Stereotypes: Jews are cheap people

Whether you believe it or not, stereotyping is just of the many things that come natural to your brain. We have all grown up watching movies, reading books, cartoons, and listening to music with hidden subliminal messages of stereotyping and portraying certain ideas of specific groups of people. For those of you who might not know stereotyping is a "preconceived, standardized idea about a specific group of people." (Hudson 2010:18)


So what are stereotypes for Israeli people or more know to us as Jews. Well, when talking to a friend I asked "what would you say the most common stereotype is for Jews?" they replied with "Jews are cheap people."  How do we know this to be true? Where did this even come from?


The answer: Jews were not allowed to own land and have many jobs. One job they were allowed to have was to be a merchant  "to manipulate money as the ruling class considered such activities beneath upper class dignity." (Answers.com December 19, 2011) By having these jobs we can assume that they were very well aware of how to manage and handle money.






Reference: 


Answers.com. Latest Revisions: September 20, 2010. [Why are Jew's called cheap?] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_are_Jews_called_cheap (19 Dec, 2011)