Official Name: State of Israel

Country in Western Asia on the south eastern edge of

Mediterranean Sea
Worlds only Jewish State
Considered Holy Land by the following religions:
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Bahai Faith
ISRAELS HISTORICAL ROOTS:
ISRAEL name given to JACOB after he wrestled with
God and with humans and have overcome (Gen 32:28)
EGYPTIAN MERNEPTAH STELE (1211 BCE)
Israel refers to a group of people descendants of Jacob
Kingdom of Israel established around 11
th
century
Holy Land and Promised Land for Jews

Ruled by the following Empire:
Assyrians
Babylonians
Persians
Greek
Roman
Byzantine
Sassanian
Muslim
Resulted to mass expulsion of Jews
ASSYRIANS
Ruled the northern Kingdom of Israel, as well as Philistine
city states during 722 BCE
This is due to the emergence of Babylonians
Southern Kingdom of Judah and several Phoenician city-
states was conquered in 586 BCE
BABYLONIANS
605 BCE - Babylon defeats Egypt; territory of Judah becomes
part of Babylonian Empire
597 BCE- First unsuccessful revolt of Judah vs. Babylon;
ruling elite of Judah exiled to Babylon
587 BCE- Another unsuccessful revolt of Judah vs. Babylon;
total destruction of Jerusalem city & temple by Babylonians

BABYLONIANS EXILE
587-539 BCE - most upper-
class Jews (officials, priests,
artisans) deported to
Babylon; others flee to
Egypt, etc.;
much of HB written, esp.
major prophets; final
compilation of Torah
(Genesis to Deuteronomy) &
Deuteronomistic History
(Joshua to 2 Kings) by
Judean scribes living in exile
in Babylon.

PERSIAN ERA
539 BCE Babylonian empire conquered by Persians
King Cyrus allows all exiles to return to their homelands
Urges reconstruction of city & temple of Jerusalem
Book of Ezra & Nehemiah gives account
Ca. 520 rebuilding of Second Temple in Jerusalem
Not as nice or large as Solomons Temple
Ca. 458-445 more exiles return to Jerusalem
Led by priest Ezra & governor Nehemiah
Some Jews stay in other parts of the Middle East,
sometimes in conflict with other nations.
Book of Esther


GREEK ERA
334 Alexander the Great begins conquest of
Persian Empire (cf. Daniel 11:1-4)
Hellenization = establishment of Greek language, religion,
culture, government throughout East (2 Macc 4:13-15)
323 Alexander dies; empire divided among four generals
(Daniel 7)
Hellenistic Empire Divides (cf. 1 Maccabees 1-7)
Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt controls Palestine 323-198 BCE
Seleucid dynasty from Syria rules Palestine 198-141 BCE
Ca. 250 BCE Septuagint (LXX)
HB translated into Greek in Alexandria, Egypt
More books added; categories rearranged

ROMANS ERA
Bar Kockba Revolt against Roman Empire resulted in the
large-scale expulsion of Jews
During this time Romans gave the name SYRIA
PALESTINA to the geographic area
An attempt to erase Jewish ties to the land
MISHNAH and JERUSALEM TALMUD
Two of Judaisms most important religious text were composed
in the region during this period

ROMAN ERA
63 BCE ca. 650 CE
63 Roman army under General Pompey takes over Middle
East
40-4 BCE King Herod the Great
Named King by Roman Senate
Fights to gain control over Israel
Builds cities with Roman temples, fortresses;
expands Jerusalem Temple.
4BCE Herod dies;
Kingdom divided between three sons and one sister
MUSLIM
Conquered the land from Byzantine Empire in 638 BCE
Remained under MUSLIM control for the next 1300
years
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
In 1516, they conquered the region
BRITAIN
After the World War I, Britain defeated the Ottoman
forces and set-up a military administration across the
former Ottoman Syria
Diasphora
Means: scattered population with a common origin in a smaller
geographic area
Brought by the colonization of different empires
Since diasphora, Jews have aspired to return to ZION and the
Land of Israel
16
th
Century
Jewish communities struck roots in the Four Holy Cities
Jerusalem
Tiberians
Hebron
Safed
1697: Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid led a group of 1,500 Jews to
Jerusalem
First Aliyah (1881)
First wave of modern Jewish migration to Ottoman-ruled
Palestine
ZIONIST MOVEMENT
Movement which sought to established a Jewish state in the
Land of Israel
Founded by Austro-Hungarian journalist Theodor Herzl
In 1896: Herzl published Der Judenstaat (The State of Jews)
Offering his visions of a future Jewish state
Second Aliyah (1904 1914)
Began after Kishinev Pogrom, some 40,000 Jews settled in
Palestine
Third Aliyah (1919 1923) and Fourth Aliyah (1924 -
1929) brought additional 100,000 Jews to Palestine
Fifth Aliyah
Increased persecution of Jews brought by the rise of
Nazismand in 1930s
Lead to influx of 250,000 Jews
Causes Arab-Revolt of 1936-1939
Led British to introduced restrictions on Jewish immigration to
Palestine with the White Paper of 1939
Jewish Terrorist organization formed by prominent
members of the Israeli political movement Gush
Emunim that existed from 1979 to 1984
Gush Emunim founder of Haim Drukman, hearing that Arabs
are greatly injured during the attacks of Jewish underground
exclaimed Songs of Deborah lines:Thus may all Israels
enemy perish!
Highest profile plot was to destroy the Dome of the
Rock in Jerusalem
Aims to expulse Arabs from Israel
1948 Israeli War for Independence
Jews announce the creation of Israel on May 14, 1948
Arab nations declare war at once, and military forces
are sent.
1949 - Israel defeats Arab forces with the help from the
U.S. Armistice is called by UN. UN annexes almost half
the area set aside for Arabs under the UN partition plan
+ half of Jerusalem. Jordan gets West Bank, Egypt gets
Gaza Strip, and Syria gets Golan Heights.
Arab refugees flee to those three areas.


In 1967, Israel captured additional 7099km
2
territories
including:
West Bank 5879 km
2
East Jerusalem 70 km
2
Golan Heights 1150 km
2

Parliamentary System
Democratic country with universal suffrage
President of Israel
Head of the State
Duties largely ceremonial
Prime Minister
Parliament member supported by the majority of parliament
Chairman of largest party
Head of government
Head of cabinet
Israel is governed by 120-member parliament known as
KNESSET
Parliament elections held every four years
Israel has THREE-TIER COURT SYSTEM
1. Magistrate courts
Lowest level
Situated in most cities
2. District courts
Serves both as apellate courts and courts of first instance
Situated in five of Israels six districts
3. Supreme Court
Highest tier in Israel
Seated in Jerusalem
Serves as the highest court of appeals and the High Court of Justice
Israels legal system combines:
English common Law
Civil Law
Jewish Law
Marriage and Divorce are under the jurisdiction of the
religious courts:
Jewish
Muslim
Druze
Christians
ISRAELS BASIC LAW
Human dignity and Liberty
Seeks to defend human rights and liberties

The 2013 Freedom of the World Annual Survey Report,
ranked Israel as the Middle East and North Africas only
FREE COUNTRY
The state of Israel is divided into SIX Main Administrative
Districts or Mehozot
1. Center
2. Haifa
3. Jerusalem
4. North
5. Southern
6. Tel Aviv Districts, Judea and Samaria area in the West Bank
All of the Judea and Samaria area and parts of the eastern
Jerusalem and north districts are not recognized
internationally as part of Israel.
Districts are further divided into 15 subdistricts known as
NAFOT

1967: Six Day War
West Bank and Gaza Strip seen by the Palestinians
as the future palestinian state
East Jerusalem
Golan Heights
Sinai Peninsula but returned to Egypt as part of the
1979 Israel-Egypt Treaty
1982 2000
Southern Lebanon Security Zone
2005
Gaza Strip in this year, Israel removed all of its settlers and
forces from this area and considered it as foreign territory
Israel maintains diplomatic relations with 157 countries
and has 100 diplomatic missions around the world
Three Members of the Arab League have normalized
relations with Israel
1. Egypt signed peace treaty in 1979
2. Jordan signed peace treaty in 1994
3. Mauritania opted for full diplomatic relations with Israel in
1999
Despite the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel,
Israel is still considered an enemy country among
Egyptians
Under ISRAELI LAW, the following countries are enemy
countries:
Lebanon
Syria
Saudi Arabia
Iraq
Iran
Sudan
Yemen
Israeli may not visit them without permissions from the
Ministry of the Interior
Country with the highest percentage of the budget
allotted to MILITARY DEFENSE
ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES
Sole military wing of the Israel security forces
Headed by the Chief of General Staff, the Ramathal
Subordinate to the Cabinet
Consists of ARMY, AIR FORCES and NAVY
Founded during 1948 Arab-Israel War
One of the most battle trained armed forces in the world
Most Israelis are drafted to military at the age of 18
Men serve for 3 years
Women serve for 2-3 years
Arab citizens (except DRUZE) and those engaged in
fulltime studies are exempt from military service
Those who are exempted render national service
Hospital service
Schools
Social welfare services
Military relies heavily on high-technology weapons
designed and manufactures in Israel as well as some
foreign Imports like US
WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
ISRAEL?
Culture
Geography
Populations / Demographics
Language
Religions
Job Opportunities
Where to Stay
Currency Conversion
Food and Cuisine
Transportation
DOs and DONTs
WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
ISRAEL?
QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE AIRPORT
purpose of going
have you got friends or relatives in Israel
where are you staying (if you are booked in a hotel show
them your confirmed reservation and your travel
itinerary or if your staying with a friend, tell them where
she/he lives, what they do and their phone number)
what do you know about terrorism
what kind of things do you have in your luggage or were
you asked by somebody to carry things for them?
BACKGROUND OF THE COUNTRY
Bible
Passport
Government Issued IDs
Few Clothes
Few Cash
TRUST IN THE LORD
Country located at the eastern end of Mediterranean
Sea
Western part of Asia
Bordered by:
Syria Northeast
Lebanon North
Jordan East and southeast
Egypt Southwest
Mediterranean Sea West
Roughly the size of New Jersey

Area 21,946 sq km
Coastline 273 km
Highest point Mt. Meron
1,208 m/3,963 ft
Lowest point Dead Sea
408 m
1,340 ft below sea level
Days of working time in Israel
Sunday to Thursday (five day workweek)
Sunday to Friday (six day workweek)
In six day workweek, Friday is a short day if the
population is mostly Jewish which only last until:
2:00 PM in winter
4:00 PM in summer
Mid-2013:
8,015,200 people
Jews 75.1%
Arab 20.7%
Romania, Thailand, China, Africa, South America
and etc. - 4.2%
92% of Israelis live in urban areas
Yerida Israels emmigration to US and Canada
primarily is considered a major threat to Israels
future
Two Official Language
Hebrew primary language of the state
Arabic used by the Arab Minority
Many Israelis communicate reasonably well in English
Many TV programs are broadcast in English
English is taught in early grades in Elementary School
DORM
Php 906.95/night
Php 1,133.68/night
(Jerusalem and Tel Aviv)
Private Rooms
Php 1,813.89/night
Hostels
Php 700.00 to Php
1,500.00
Luxury Hotel
The David Citadel Hotel
Php 19,500.00
JUDAISM
Four Holy Cities
Jerusalem, Hebron, efat, and Tiberias
CHRISTIANITY
Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth are sacred to Christians
ISLAM
Jerusalem, as the location of the ascent of the prophet
Muhammad to heaven, is also sacred to Islam



JERUSALEM
Political and spiritual Capital
of Israel
Considered Sacred by three
Religions
Jews
Christians
Muslim
Population of 724,000 in
2006
TEL AVIV
First Hebrew City in 2000 Years
One of the three largest , the most
vibrant cities in the country
368,635 residents in 2004
center of an urban region
serves as a commercial and
industrial capital
plays an important role in the
cultural and recreational life of
modern Israel
HAIFA
Israels main port and
industrial city located in the
north of the country
World center of Bahais Faith
and home of the beautiful
Shrine of the Bab and
terraces
NAZARETH
Hometown of Jesus
Largest Arab city in Israel
AKKO (Acre)
Pilgrimage site for Bahais
MODIIN
Modern , technological city
and site of Maccabean
Revolt against the Greeks in
Ancient Times
REHOVOT
Home to the Weizmann Institute of Science
HERZLIYA
Named after Theodor Herzl
PETACH TIKVA
Israels Medical Capital
RAMAT GAN
Diamond Center
TIBERIAS
Located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee,
modern ancient town with an ancient background
NAHARIYYA
BEER SHEVA
Capital of Negev (large desert)
Desert City
DIMONA
Desert town hosting Israels nuclear facility
BETH SHEAN
EILAT
Window to the RED SEA
ASHDOD
BNEI BRAK
Filipino workers - roughly 58,000 workers total,
including both legal and illegal workers
Number of visas permitting entrance into Israel each
year via an employment-only restriction is reaching the
10,000 count
Work Visas granted to Filipinos working as caregivers
throughout Israel
Israel hires strictly Filipinos as home providers of care
giving services for the elderly
Israeli new shekel (ILS)
The shekel consists of 100 agorot
currency are marked with the shekel sign
been in use since 1 January 1986 when it replaced
the Old Israeli shekel that was in usage between 24
February 1980 and 31 December 1985
1 ILS = Php 12.98



Dome of the Rock
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea lies between Jordan and Israel and is not only
the lowest point on the surface of the Earth, but also the
saltiest.

Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, known to the people of Israel as Lake
Kinneret, is Israel's largest freshwater lake and flourishes with
fertility.

Ein Gedi
Ein Gedi is a stunning oasis
located just west of the Dead
Sea. It is one of the most scenic
and beautiful places for
tourists and religious people
who visit its astonishing,
archaeological attractions.

Bahai Garden
The Bahai Gardens in
Haifa are a geometric
splendour, characterised
by rows of blossoming
flowers and tranquil
pathways, a striking
commemoration of the
founders of the Baha'i
faith.
THE END