Television – Israel’s Surprising Export
You probably won’t spend much time on your gap year watching television but there is a good chance that you have already seen a number of Israeli shows. In recent years Israel has produced an impressive number of shows that have been picked up by foreign networks and remade abroad. The country has exported more […]
The Reforestation of Israel
Of Israel’s many accomplishments, one of the most impressive may be the reforestation of the land. From the turn of the twentieth century a huge amount of work has gone into planting trees and turning the land green. Since 1900 roughly 250,000,000 trees have been planted across Israel and it is the only county in […]
Israel – The Vegan Capital of the World
Across the world veganism is rapidly gaining in popularity and Israel is no exception. In fact, Israel is home to the world’s highest number of vegans per capita and around 5% of the population are vegan. One of the reasons for this is that many traditional Israeli foods are vegan. For instance, there is nothing […]
Universities in Israel
Israel has quickly built up an international reputation for academic excellence at a number of its universities. From the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, there are a number of world-class academics across the county who are leaders in their respective fields. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was founded […]
The Maccabiah Games
If you are Jewish and a sports fan then the chances are that you have heard of the Maccabiah Games. Sometimes called the Jewish Olympics, the Maccabiah games are an international sports event held every four years in Israel. The games were founded in 1932 and since then have flourished. The most recent edition was […]
Customs Unique To Israel
Like every country in the world, Israel has its own set of customs and traditions that may at first seem a bit strange to an outsider. While you are on your gap year in Israel, you are sure to come across a number of these, but here are a few to get you started. You […]
Lone Soldiers in the IDF
If you make Aliyah as a young person the chances are that you will have to serve in the IDF for at least six months. Due to this system, there are always a number of soldiers in the army without any immediate family in Israel, at present there are around 6,300 of them. These are […]
Theatre In Israel
Impressively, the history of theatre in Israel predates the creation of the state. The country’s first professional theatre group, Habimah (Hebrew for ‘The Stage’), was founded in Moscow in 1917 and then moved to Palestine in 1931 following a hugely successful product of The Dybbuk. The group changed its name to the National Theatre and […]
Haifa’s Baha’i Gardens
During your gap year in Israel you will certainly spend some time in Haifa and more likely than not you will visit the Baha’i Gardens. The gardens surround the Shine of the Bab on Mount Carmel. They are more accurately known as the Terraces of the Baha’i Faith and they attract a huge number of […]
The Nativ Military Program
In Israel the question of who is Jewish is a very delicate and sensitive area. The criteria needed for citizenship and the criteria applied by the Rabbinate are not the same, and this can lead to some very difficult situations for immigrants. For instance, it is possible that someone could move to Israel but then […]