Author: Taylor, Tiffany

“Happy Hanukkah” from Israel !

Israel is a small country in the Middle East about the size of the state of New Jersey.
This ancient country is bordered by the Dead Sea, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt.

The major river located in Israel is called Jordan.
The capital of Israel is Jerusalem.
The currency (money) used in Israel is called “shekel”. Israeli bank notes have Braille on them so they can be read by people who are blind.
The country has a diverse climate with snowy mountains in the north and the hot desert in the south.
Israel's population is about 75 percent Jewish; most of the rest is Arab. The two official languages spoken in Israel include Hebrew and Arabic.
Israel is the only fully democratic country in the Middle East.
Traditional Jewish people take off Shabbat, or a day of rest, which begins on Friday at sundown and continues through Saturday evening. Stores are closed and work isn't permitted on Shabbat.
When Jewish boys reach 13 years old, they have a large celebration called a bar mitzvah after which they are allowed to make their own religious decisions. Girls celebrate their own version of this rite of passage called bat mitzvah when they are 12.

The Dead Sea is the lowest place on Earth. People can easily float in the Dead Sea due to its unusually high salt concentration.

The glue on Israeli stamps is kosher. Kosher means that it is prepared according to Jewish Law and does not include “forbidden” ingredients or preparation.

Soccer just edges basketball as the most popular sport in Israel. The professional soccer league, with 12 teams in the top Premier League division, is followed closely in the media and attracts crowds of up to 20,000 people at games.

Hanukkah, the "Festival of Lights," starts on the 25th day of the Jewish calendar month of Kislev and lasts for eight days and nights. In 2015, Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 6.