Maricela Dones

Cultural Scrapbook

Israel

Population• There are about 7,441,700 people as of 2009• 75.4% of them were Jewish, 20.8% are Arabs while

the remaining 4.3% are defined as "others”• The growth per year is about 3%

Language• As of now, there are two official

languages in Israel - Hebrew and Arabic.

• Israel has at least 33 different languages that are spoken

• Arabic language was extensively spoken by the Israeli Arabs and some Mizrahis and Yemenite Jewish people

Language Continued• Arabic: – Hello = مرحبا– How are you = حالك؟ كيف

• Hebrew: – Hello = שלום– How are you? = שלומך ?מה

Religion • They are three kinds of Israel's religion:

Jewish-freemasonic-zionism• Most Arabs are Sunni Muslims (14.6%).

Christians (2.1%) are largely Greek Catholic or Greek Orthodox, but there are also Roman Catholics, Armenians, and Protestants.

• Other religions are claimed by the remaining 3.2% of the population

• Over 50% of the population are jews

Religion Continued

Wailing Wall

Greetings and Gestures• Israeli interpersonal culture

is very informal. • People are generally on a

first name basis from the moment they meet.

• When friends greet one another, they can hug or kiss, but this is not a daily occurrence as in some European cultures. When meeting a new person, some ( though not all) shake hands.

Holidays• Every year the holidays

change • March 20 - Purim• April 19 - Pesach (Passover)• May 10 - Yom Ha'Atzmaut

(Israel Independence Day)• June 8 - Shavuot (Pentecost)• September 29 - Rosh Hashana

(New Year)• October 8 - Yom Kippur (Day of

Atonement)• December 21 - Chanukah

(Festival of Lights)

Independence Day

Holidays Continued• March 8 – Purim• April 7 - Pesach (Passover)• April 26 - Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day)• May 27 - Shavuot (Pentecost)• September 17 - Rosh

Hashana (New Year)• September 26 - Yom Kippur

(Day of Atonement)• December 9 - Chanukah

(Festival of Lights)

Food • Ashkenazic and Sephardic

are two main cuisines • Ashkenazic related to

Jewish people (immigrants) from east and west Europe and Sephardic relates to Jewish people from middle east countries

• The Israeli appropriation of falafel as what has been described as a "national snack”

Sephardic Dish

Ashkenazic Dish

Falafel

Food Continued• Fresh fruit is considered

one of the country's best meals

• Israel's orchards produce some of the world's best citrus fruits.

• U.S. grocery stores often carry grapefruit and oranges with stickers identifying them as "grown in Israel.”

Desserts

Chocolate balls

Crisp Moroccan Cookies

Halvah Parfait

Clothing• Most Israelis wear the same types of

clothing you will see in European countries and the United States except with a little more flare

• Israel is a warm country most of the year, with the temperature fluctuating a lot over the course of one day, so many Israelis layer clothing.

• They tend to wear loud creative outfits with Bold colors and funky trends

Clothing Continued

Most common clothing (casual)

Traditional Clothing

Sports and Recreation• The 1998 World Cup Final between France

and Brazil attracted an all-time record television rating of 48.3% of viewers.

• More and more Israelis are participating in sports ranging from tennis and squash to jogging, soccer and basketball.

• Particularly popular are beach and water sports, including swimming, diving, surfing and sailing.

The World Cup in 1998 was held here

Music • Yitzhak Perlman, Pinhas

Zuckerman, Daniel Barenboim and Shlomo Mintz, are a couple of famous soloist

• Popular Israeli music ranges from hard rock to hip hop, with many talented bands and musicians in every style. Israeli rock tends to be softer than American or British rock.

Yitzhak Perlman

Art• Dance in the country was

mainly folk dance, • Famous dancers are

Russian-born Rina Nikova, or the Tel Aviv-born Baruch Agadati they created a local dance idiom from a skein of Russian, Balkan, and local Arab influences, and meeting at regular folk dance festivals, beginning in 1944 at Kibbutz Dalia.

Rina Nikova

Dance

Arabic Dancing

Israel Flag• The flag of Israel was

adopted on October 28, 1948

• The blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the The Magen David it is a common symbol of the People of Israel

• The blue and white stripes represent purity, guided by the principles of the Torah 

The End