Israel Tour for You

After success of ranking world’s new seven wonders in 2007, founder Bernard Weber decides to send team to photograph candidates for list of new natural wonders; Israel’s seas currently ranked 17th, 18th

Last week the Dead Sea and the Red Sea were nominated to join the list of the “New Natural Seven Wonders” of the world. The nominations were announced by three children, environmental activists from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

The new natural wonders project follows the global success gained by Bernard Weber, who founded the New Seven Wonders election last year. Over 100 million people worldwide participated in the vote, to replace the outdated list of ancient sites.  

The list – including structures famous in the ancient world for their feats of construction, such as the pyramids of Giza in Egypt – was compiled during the Roman period in ancient Greece. The site of the pyramids is the only one of these wonders that can still be seen today.  

On July 7, 2007 the new seven wonders were announced in Lisbon, Portugal, but the vote for the seven natural wonders is still on, offering voters a chance to choose through the  New7Wonders website. There are currently 77 sites to choose from, and these will be narrowed down to 21 on July 21, 2009. Then the vote for the final seven will begin.

Warner’s team is currently touring the world in order to photograph these unique places, and it has already chosen both the Red Sea (currently ranked 17th) and the Dead Sea (ranked 18th) as finalists. They are competing with sites such as the Grand Canyon and the Ganges River.

The Dead Sea was chosen for its status as the lowest place on earth as well as its rich history, and also in order to raise global awareness for the need for its preservation. The coral reef in Eilat was chosen for its unique marine life.

A kibbutz is an Israeli commune, or intentional community. The first kibbutz was founded during the Second Aliyah, the second wave of Jewish immigration to Palestine, in 1909, and kibbutzim remain a viable Israeli institution today. Though kibbutzim have undergone many transformations over the years and have never accounted for more than seven percent of the Israeli population, the kibbutz has immense cultural significance.

The first kibbutz, “Degania,” was founded by Joseph Baratz and eleven other members, including two women, with the goal of bringing Jewish Zionst ideals to Israel. Zionists, who became active in late 19th century Russia as a result of anti-Semitic persecution, sought a homeland in Palestine in which Jews would work the land. After the First Aliyah in the 1880s, Jewish immigrants in Palestine had begun hiring Arabs to work their farms. Baratz opposed this practice and started the first kibbutz as a result.

In the early days, kibbutzim held fast to socialist ideals. There was no private property, not even tools or clothing, all work was shared, and land was owned communally. The bulk of the work was agricultural.

Kibbutzim attempted to build a self-sufficient economy, but this proved unfeasible. Instead, they were supported by subsidies from charities and later from the Israeli government. Today, most kibbutzim are no longer strictly socialist, though they do retain many communal aspects. All kibbutzim, for example, are democratic.

Over time, it became clear that agricultural work was not enough to sustain the institution of the kibbutz. Kibbutzim began to industrialize, with a large surge in that direction during the 1960s. Some kibbutzim focused on military efforts. Today, some kibbutzim have even turned to the tourism industry. The kibbutz has a long history of political and cultural contributions to Israel as well. A disproportionate amount of Israeli government and military leaders, artists, and intellectuals have come from kibbutzim.

There are many differences among kibbutzim, though they are outweighed by the similarities. The first kibbutzim were socialist, secular, and agriculturalist, whereas later kibbutzim either retained these ideals or became variously religious or militaristic, spanning different points on the political spectrum. Some kibbutzim became quite large, with as many as 1,500 members, while others remained small.

The kibbutz system has met with controversy over the years. Some groups have been criticized for elitism, while others have been accused of straying from their ideals. Nevertheless, Israeli culture would not be the same without the kibbutz. It is a specifically Israeli institution that has made invaluable contributions to the nation’s political, economic, and intellectual lie.

The Elvis Inn

 Set a bit off the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, near the Kibbutz Neveh Ilan Guest House, is the shrine of shlock, the ultra in kitsch: the Elvis Inn gas station, restaurant, bar and grill and tourist trap, run by owners and brothers Amnon and Uri, along with Uri’s son, Amir, and several staffers.
While it’s certainly not Graceland, the neo-50s and 60s décor does get you in the mood, with a 16-foot-high golden statue of Elvis in the parking lot alongside the entrance, and a second even larger one nearby, with one arm raised, seemingly waving towards Jerusalem.
There are more than 1,000 pictures, posters, and postcards covering nearly every flat surface, sent by fans and like-minded Elvis lovers worldwide. There are also four life-sized Elvis statues scattered around the premises in various poses, sitting at a table, strumming a guitar, and, in general watching over the place.Elvis certainly brings different people together: on the afternoon I visited, the Inn was hosting 24 eighth-graders and staff of Atlanta’s Greenfield Hebrew Academy. Meanwhile, a 130-member-strong Christian pilgrimage group from London sat primly at the booths and tables inside, but still gawked at the memorabilia-studded décor. Over in the corner booth overlooking the verdant Judean hills, five rowdy Israeli men and women quaffed beers over a long lunch, laughing and digging the scene.
The Elvis Inn started, “about 30 years ago, when our family took over this location, which was pretty run down,” Yoeli says. “Since my brother and I were Elvis fans, we brought over a few pictures from our house and hung them up. Soon tourists started coming around and were impressed, and we kept finding pictures of Elvis. Tourists — especially from the United States — also sent us pictures and articles,” he recalls, and says that at one stage they began holding ceremonies on Elvis’ birthday, January 8, 1935, and anniversary of his death, August 16, 1977 at age 42.

The Inn has kept on through war and peace, tourists and terrorism, and innumerable impersonators ever since. The place has slowly grown, along with the ebb and flow of the tourist buses unloading wide-eyed visitors for a photo-op and snack.
But when they hold the memorial service, it’s not a staid affair. “Film crews from around the world show up,” according to Yoeli, with reporters from “China, Japan, the U.S. and Europe … and [Israel Radio's] Reshet Gimmel Network provides a live feed throughout the day.”
And then it’s time for the squad of Elvis impersonators to don the sequined cape, pomade the ‘do, and belt out the hits — albeit with varying degrees of success. “There’s a big party here then,” he says.
“Over the years, we’ve collected thousands of pictures and articles; gathered an entire library of books about Elvis, including many ‘proving’ that Elvis is still alive. It’s like a cult,” Yoeli says, slowly shaking his head from side to side.
“We were in communication with Priscilla [Presley], who was supposed to come for the ceremony, but cancelled out, apparently due to the intifada,” Yoeli surmises. Other guests were Elvis’ performance costume seamstress, as well as the man whose claim to fame was announcing, “Elvis has left the building” as concerts concluded.

Another group the intifada doesn’t faze, and arrives regularly, is a contingent of U.S. Marines. Yoeli says the restaurant has an informal agreement with the American authorities that whenever one of the Navy destroyers docks at Haifa, the crew visits the Inn. “When they arrive, it’s one big party. They see Elvis, feel at home, and we turn up the volume — some get up and dance,” Yoeli says.

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A dove carrying an olive branch is one of the historical symbols of the Jewish people and of the State of Israel.  The dove is a symbol of peace, and the olive branch represents the close ties between the Jewish people and the Mediterranean olive tree.  These two elements also symbolize the link between the young state and its ancient two-thousand -year-old history in which the olive tree and its oil played an important role.   

Olive presses and olive oil constitute an entire culture in Israel.  This culture began in ancient Biblical times when olive trees and oil were loved and revered.  Israel is referred to in the book of Deuteronomy Chapter 8:7 as “A land of olives, oil, and honey.”  Olive pits have been found dating back 6,000 years ago, and dozens of ancient olive presses bear witness to the many olive groves and the part that the industry played in the lives of people long ago.  Olive oil was and still remains one of the most important agricultural products and was used for food, light, heat, medicinal treatments and cosmetics, as well as cleaning and hygiene. 

Olive oil also played an important role in religious rituals, and was used for anointing priests and kings, for libations, and burials. 

During Biblical times the entire season of the olive harvest signified a time of festivities.  Today olive festivals mark this tradition and the olive harvest is celebrated in the fall with festivals and activities.  Families make excursions to visit olive groves and to harvest olives together with the farmers, and to watch the olives being pressed.  Restaurants serve special gourmet meals during the season featuring olives and olive oil. Musical events, nature walks, workshops, and other activities are held that center around the olive harvest and the production of olive oil. 

Israel is a country where olive trees are considered sacred, and where olive oil is a symbol of abundance and health.  Tourists who are in the country during the harvest season can also join in the many interesting and colorful events that accompany the olive harvest.

President tells leaders of Arab-Israeli community ‘the God that you pray to in Arabic and the one we pray to in Hebrew does not command us to throw bombs’

hosted Tuesday evening leaders of the Arab-Israeli community for a traditional dinner to break the Ramadan fast. “We are all descendents of our father Abraham and can coexist.

“The God that you pray to in Arabic and the one we pray to in Hebrew does not command us to throw bombs but to pray,” he said. “A world without Islam will be a more miserable one, as will a world without Judaism, Christianity or Buddhism.”

Among the dignitaries who attended the dinner were the Jordanian and Turkish ambassadors to Israel, Islamist Movement founder Sheikh Abdullah Nimar Darwish and Shawki Hatib, chairman of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee.

The president continued to say that “we do not aspire to be conquerors” and compared the Arab-Israeli conflict to other disputes that

were eventually resolved.

“During the 60 years since Israel’s inception we have fought seven wars, but also signed two peace agreements,” he said. “Did we not return (all of the conquered land) to Egypt? We also gave Jordan all of the water resources back. This is how we ended the occupation. I am certain that this scenario will repeat itself with the Palestinians.”

The president said the solution must entail an independent Palestinian state. “I don’t believe one state for two nations is feasible. There must be two separate states for two nations,” he said.