The State of Israel, is on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a parliamentary democracy and the world's only Jewish state. Israel is bordered by Lebanon and Syria to the north, Jordan to the east and Egypt to the south-west. As of 2005, the population was estimated at 7,205,500 people.
The name "Israel" is rooted in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, where Jacob is renamed Israel after wrestling with a mysterious adversary ("a man", and later "G-d" according to Genesis 32:24–30; or "the angel", according to Hosea 12:4). Israel means "he who has wrestled with God". The nation fathered by Jacob, were then called "the children of Israel" or the "Israelites".
Virtual Tour
Learn more about the locations we may visit on our trip to Israel.
Learn More - Resources to Israeli and Jewish news, Jewish culture, Jewish organizations and social groups, religious links and political sites.
Book list - Find a list of books both fiction and no-fiction that explore Jewish culture and Israel's history.