About the Jewish Culture
The flag of Israel was adopted in 1948. It shows a blue Star of David on a white background between two horizontal blue stripes. Blue and white are the colors of Judah. White stands for the holiness of the priesthood and blue stands for the beauty of the sky.
Judaism is the oldest of the world’s four largest religions that believe in one god. It has 12 million followers around the world. The Torah (Jewish Law) is the primary document of Judaism. It was given to the Jews by the Prophet Moses (Moshe) about 3,300 years ago. Major holidays include Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles).
The State of Israel, an independent nation in southwest Asia, is located between the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Israel became a country on May 14, 1948. Israel is considered the Holy Land for Christians, Jews and Muslims.
The official language of Israel is Hebrew. English is widely used as a second language, and recently Russian has become commonplace.
Israel’s climate is Mediterranean. In summer the entire area is hot. Average summer temperatures range from 18 degrees to 32 degrees C (65 degrees to 90 degrees F) over most of the country. Winters are mild, with temperatures averaging 14 degrees C (57 degrees F) along the coast and 9 degrees C (48 degrees F) in the mountains.
The largest Jewish communities are in Israel and the United States with major communities in France, Argentina, Russian, England and Canada. There are about 13.5 million Jewish people in the world today. The three most common languages spoken by Jewish people today are Hebrew, English and Russian. French and Spanish are widely used.
There are thousands of restaurants, casual eateries, cafés and bars in Israel, offering a wide range of choices in food and culinary styles. In addition to Middle Eastern specialties, there are restaurants offering a wide selection of ethnic food, including Italian, French, Greek, Russian, Ethiopian, Balkan, Thai, Chinese and American foods.
Typical Israeli food includes falafel, hummus, salads, grilled meat and kebabs, coffee, tea, tea, fruit juices and baked goods.