Welcome to the Israel Portal
Location of Israel The flag of Israel Map of Israel The emblem of Israel Israel State of Israel , is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia . It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, the Red Sea to the south, Egypt to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and the Palestinian territories – the West Bank along the east and the Gaza Strip along the southwest. Tel Aviv is the country's financial , economic , and technological center. Israel's governmental seat is in its proclaimed capital of Jerusalem , although recognition of Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem is limited internationally .
Israel is located in a region known historically as Canaan , Palestine , and the Holy Land . In antiquity, it was home to several Canaanite , and later, Israelite and Judahite states, and is referred to as the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition . Situated at a continental crossroad , the region subsequently came under the rule of many different empires . The late 19th century saw the rise of Zionism in Europe, a movement seeking a Jewish homeland , amid rising antisemitism in Europe , which garnered British support during World War I . During the war, British occupation led to the setting up of Mandatory Palestine in 1920. Increased Jewish immigration , combined with British colonial policy , led to intercommunal conflict between Jews and Arabs . The 1947 UN Partition Plan triggered a civil war between the two groups, which saw the expulsion and flight of most of Mandatory Palestine's predominantly Arab population , known as the Nakba . A minority remained and became Arab citizens of Israel . (Full article...
Levant The Levant lə-VANT historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of West Asia and core territory of the political term Middle East archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is equivalent to Cyprus and a stretch of land bordering the Mediterranean Sea in western Asia: i.e. the historical region of Syria ("Greater Syria"), which includes present-day Israel , Jordan , Lebanon , Syria , the Palestinian territories and most of Turkey southwest of the middle Euphrates . Its overwhelming characteristic is that it represents the land bridge between Africa and Eurasia . In its widest historical sense, the Levant included all of the Eastern Mediterranean with its islands; that is, it included all of the countries along the Eastern Mediterranean shores, extending from Greece in Southern Europe to Cyrenaica , Eastern Libya in Northern Africa.
In the
13th and
14th centuries, the term
levante was used for Italian maritime commerce in the Eastern Mediterranean, including Greece,
Anatolia ,
Syria-Palestine , and
Egypt , that is, the lands east of
Venice . Eventually the term was restricted to the Muslim countries of Syria-Palestine and Egypt. The term entered English in the late
15th century from French. It derives from the Italian
levante , meaning "rising", implying the rising of the Sun in the east, and is broadly equivalent to the term
al-Mashriq (
Arabic :
ٱلْمَشْرِق ,
[ʔal.maʃ.riq] ), meaning "the eastern place, where the Sun rises". (
Full article... )
List of selected articles
Image 1 An aerial view of
Masada in the
Judaean Desert , with the
Dead Sea and
Jordan in the distance
Image 2 An aerial view of
Makhtesh Ramon , a geological feature of Israel's
Negev desert . Located some 85 km south of the city of
Beersheba , the landform is not an
impact crater from a
meteor nor a
volcanic crater formed by a
volcanic eruption , but rather is the world's largest "erosion cirque" (
steephead valley or
box canyon ).
Image 3 A more recent section of the
Israel-Egypt barrier fence, north of
Eilat , June 2012. It is a
border barrier built by Israel along its border with Egypt. It was originally an attempt to curb
illegal migrants from African countries .
[1] Construction was approved on 12 January 2010
[2] and began on 22 November 2010.
[3]
Image 4 Diving tourism site on the southern coast of
Eilat , around a horseshoe-shaped reef. Many animal species are found in the area, including
dolphins .
Image 5 Dead Tree in Sea of Life is an installation artwork from 2017 by Amiram Dora, a travel guide from the nearby city
Arad . The work consists of a tree planted on a salt pile in the
Dead Sea . The purpose of the work is to show that as opposed to its common name, the Dead Sea is actually a place of rich tourist activity, healing and relaxation.
Image 6 The
Jerusalem Railway Station c. 1900. The locomotive on the
turntable is "Ramleh" (J&J No. 3), a
Baldwin 2-6-0 . The station was the terminus of the
Jaffa–Jerusalem railway until its closure in 1998. Today, the station is abandoned and suffering from neglect and vandalism, although it is one of 110 buildings selected for preservation in
Jerusalem .
Image 7 Ceramic tile on the
Dome of the Rock , an Islamic shrine located on the
Temple Mount in the
Old City of Jerusalem
Image 8 A view of
Jaffa , from the beachfront of
Tel Aviv
Image 9 Paratroopers at the Western Wall , an iconic photograph taken on June 7, 1967 by
David Rubinger .
Image 10 "The
Nile and the
Sinai , to
Israel and beyond. One sweeping glance of human history." Caption by astronaut
Chris Hadfield on board the
International Space Station .
Image 11 Reading Power Station , built in
Tel Aviv in 1938, was named for
Rufus Isaacs , the 1st Marquess of Reading.
Reading Light is pictured on the left.
Image 12 Southern aerial view of the
Temple Mount , a hill located in the
Old City of Jerusalem that for thousands of years has been venerated as a holy site, in
Judaism ,
Christianity , and
Islam .
Image 13 A view of
Jerusalem from southeast, showing the
Walls of Jerusalem , the
Dome of the Rock , and the
Al-Aqsa Mosque . This image was taken sometime between 1900 and 1940.
Image 14 David Ben-Gurion's room at
Ben-Gurion's Hut , the retirement home of Israeli Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion and his wife
Paula (Pola) from the years 1953 until Ben-Gurion's death in 1973.
Image 15 Young
Nubian ibex (
Capra nubiana ) on a stone wall by the edge of
Makhtesh Ramon in Mitzpe Ramon.
Image 17 Northeast exposure of
Al-Aqsa Mosque on the
Temple Mount , in the
Old City of Jerusalem . Considered to be the third holiest site in
Islam after
Mecca and
Medina .
This is a Good article , an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards. Chaim Topol Hebrew : חיים טופול ; September 9, 1935 – March 8, 2023), mononymously known as Topol , was an Israeli actor, singer, and illustrator. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye , the lead role in the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof 1971 film adaptation , performing this role more than 3,500 times from 1967 through 2009.
Topol began acting during his
Israeli army service as a member of the
Nahal entertainment troupe. He later toured Israel with
kibbutz theatre and satirical theatre companies. He was a co-founder of the
Haifa Theatre . His breakthrough film role came in 1964 as the
title character in
Sallah Shabati , by Israeli writer
Ephraim Kishon , for which he won a
Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer—Male . Topol went on to appear in more than 30 films in Israel and the United States, including
Galileo (1975),
Flash Gordon (1980), and
For Your Eyes Only (1981). He was described as Israel's only internationally recognized entertainer from the 1960s through the 1980s. He won a
Golden Globe for Best Actor and was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Actor for his 1971 film portrayal of Tevye, and was nominated for a
Tony Award for Best Actor for a 1991 Broadway revival of
Fiddler on the Roof . (
Full article... )
Kreplach (from
Yiddish :
קרעפּלעך ,
romanized : Kreplekh ) are small
dumplings in
Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine filled with ground
meat ,
mashed potatoes or another filling, usually boiled and served in
chicken soup , though they may also be served fried. They are similar to Polish
pierogi , Polish and Ukrainian
uszka , Russian
pelmeni , Italian
ravioli or
tortellini , German
Maultaschen , and Chinese
jiaozi and
wonton . The dough is traditionally made of
flour ,
water and
eggs , kneaded and rolled out thin. Some modern-day cooks use frozen dough sheets or wonton wrappers. Ready-made kreplach are also sold in the
kosher freezer section of supermarkets. (
Full article... )
List of fare/cuisine articles
The following are images from various Israel-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 2 Tzofim Israeli scout movement fire ceremony in Tel Aviv (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 3 "
Hezekiah ... king of
Judah " –
Royal seal written in the
Paleo-Hebrew alphabet , unearthed in Jerusalem (from
History of Israel )
Image 5 Kingdoms of
Israel and
Judah (from
History of Israel )
Image 6 A
Bookplate done for Martin Buber; The plate is adorned with the walls of Jerusalem in the shape of a Shield of David, viewed from above (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 8 Ofek-7 satellite launch through
Shavit vehicle (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 9 Protest in
Tel Aviv on 6 August 2011 (from
History of Israel )
Image 11 Sermon on the Mount . The New Testament was authored by Christian Jews during
Roman-ruled Judea (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 12 Simulated view of a
black hole .
Jacob Bekenstein predicted and co-discovered
black hole entropy (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 13 Jewish workers in
Kerem Avraham neighbourhood of Jerusalem (c. 1850s) (from
History of Israel )
Image 14 Ecclesiastes is known for its
incipit vanity of vanities; all is vanity and concepts of
Vanitas (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 16 The route of the exiles to
Babylon (from
History of Israel )
Image 18 Jewish youth
dancing the Horah in the kibboutz
Ein Harod in 1936 (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 19 Jewish Yemenite bride in traditional bridal vestment, adorned with a henna wreath, 1958 (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 20 Israeli paratroopers dig in near the
Mitla Pass , 31 October 1956 (from
History of Israel )
Image 21 Illustration for the
Song of Songs . Along with the
Book of Esther , the ancient poem is an example of an ancient Israeli literature with no mention of God, and is traditionally read as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 22 A portion of the
Isaiah scroll . One of the earliest known manuscripts of biblical literature (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 23 Portion of the
Temple Scroll , one of the
Dead Sea Scrolls written by the Essenes (from
History of Israel )
Image 25 143rd Division crossing the
Suez Canal in the direction of
Cairo during the
Yom Kippur War , 15 October 1973 (from
History of Israel )
Image 26 Jewish symbols in Israeli artworks (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 28 Remains of the Roman theater in
Caesarea Maritima (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 29 Dedication ceremony of the
Embassy of the United States in
Jerusalem in 2018 (from
History of Israel )
Image 30 Gen.
Uzi Narkiss , Defense Minister
Moshe Dayan , Chief of staff
Yitzhak Rabin and Gen.
Rehavam Ze'evi in the
Old City of Jerusalem , 7 June 1967 (from
History of Israel )
Image 31 Yitzhak Rabin ,
Bill Clinton , and
Yasser Arafat during the
Oslo Accords signing ceremony at the
White House on 13 September 1993 (from
History of Israel )
Image 35 Habimah Theater in Tel Aviv (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 38 Cultural map of the world according to the World Values Survey, describing Israel as a whole at parity in "Rational-Secular Values" and also at parity in "Self-expression values". (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 39 Silver coin (
gerah ) minted in the Persian province of Yehud, dated
c. 375-332 BCE.
Obv : Bearded head wearing crown, possibly representing the Persian Great King.
Rev : Falcon facing, head right, with wings spread;
Paleo-Hebrew YHD to right. (from
History of Israel )
Image 40 The
Gaza–Israel barrier route built (red), under construction (pink) and proposed (white), (from
History of Israel )
Image 41 Painting of the
siege of Jerusalem during the
First Crusade (1099) (from
History of Israel )
Image 43 The opening ceremony of The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem visited by
Arthur Balfour , 1 April 1925 (from
History of Israel )
Image 44 Intel core i7-940. Intel developed its
dual-core Core Duo processor at its Israel Development Center in
Haifa . (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 45 Neo-Assyrian Empire at its greatest territorial extent. (from
History of Israel )
Image 47 David dictating the Psalms . The practice of psalms is referred to as a philosophical and theological problem (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 48 Supply convoy on its way to
besieged Jerusalem , April 1948 (from
History of Israel )
Image 49 Tiles in the
Bezalel style , 1920s (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 51 Visual History of Israel by
Arthur Szyk , 1948 (from
History of Israel )
Image 52 Menachem Begin addressing a mass demonstration in Tel Aviv against
negotiations with Germany in 1952 (from
History of Israel )
Image 53 The Bahri Mamluk dynasty 1250–1382 (from
History of Israel )
Image 54 16th-century
Safed rabbi
Joseph Karo , author of the
Jewish law book (from
History of Israel )
Image 56 Gal Fridman , winner of Israel's first Olympic gold medal (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 57 Aerial view of the Temple Mount showing the
Dome of the Rock in the center and the
al-Aqsa mosque to the south (from
History of Israel )
Image 58 The
Merneptah Stele . According to mainstream archeology, it represents the first instance of the name "Israel" in the historical record. (from
History of Israel )
Image 59 Menahem Zion synagoge,
Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 61 Buchenwald survivors arrive in
Haifa to be arrested by the British, 15 July 1945 (from
History of Israel )
Image 62 Patriot missiles launched to intercept an Iraqi Scud over Tel Aviv during the Gulf War (from
History of Israel )
Image 63 Hebrew ulpan in
Dimona , 1955 (from
Culture of Israel )
Image 65 Heraclius returning the True Cross to Jerusalem, 15th-century painting by Miguel Ximénez (from
History of Israel )
Category puzzle Select [►] to view subcategories
This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs ) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{ WikiProject Israel }} ) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.
Featured articles Featured lists A-Class articles Good articles
Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
Assess Unassessed Israel-related articles Unknown-importance Israel-related articles Categorization Diffuse articles from Category:Companies of Israel .Cleanup Cleanup listing for this project is available. See also the list by category and the tool's wiki page .Collaborate WikiProject Israel Palestine Collaboration Copyedit Timeline of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2005 Deletion sorting WikiProject Deletion sorting/Israel Expand Ayala Procaccia , Diamond industry in Israel , Edna Arbel , Levin Kipnis , Rami Kleinstein , Sephardic Haredim , Zman Tel Aviv , Nachum Heiman , Public Defence (Israel) , Prisoner of Zion , Trial of Benjamin Netanyahu , Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran , Pre-Modern Aliyah
Articles needing translation from Hebrew Wikipedia Geographical coordinates Israel articles missing geocoordinate data Infobox Israel articles needing infoboxes Maintain Israel articles needing attention Map Module:Location map/data/Israel . Add maps to articles in Wikipedia requested maps in Israel NPOV Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries Photo Wikipedia requested photographs in Israel Stubs Israel stubs Update Basic Law proposal: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People Other :
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
The time allocated for running scripts has expired. 
.png)
![Image 3A more recent section of the Israel-Egypt barrier fence, north of Eilat, June 2012. It is a border barrier built by Israel along its border with Egypt. It was originally an attempt to curb illegal migrants from African countries.[1] Construction was approved on 12 January 2010[2] and began on 22 November 2010.[3]](/wiki/File:ISR-EGY_border_6521a.jpg)
.jpg)
-Aerial-Temple_Mount-(south_exposure).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.svg){kind=small}
.jpg)
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
.jpg)
_-_Defense_Minister_Moshe_Dayan,_Chief_of_staff_Yitzhak_Rabin,_Gen._Rehavam_Zeevi_(R)_And_Gen._Narkis_in_the_old_city_of_Jerusalem.jpg)
._Visual_History_of_Nations,_Israel_(1948),_New_Canaan,_CT.jpg)
.PNG)
_-_Gold_Medalist_Windsurfer_Gal_Fridman_(1).jpg)
.jpg)
_-_Patriot_missiles_being_launched_to_intercept_an_Iraqi_Scud_missile.jpg)
1940 Mandatory Palestine v Lebanon football match
6th Airborne Division in Palestine
Commons
Wikibooks
Wikidata
Wikinews
Wikiquote
Wikisource
Wikiversity
Wikivoyage
Wiktionary
