5 things I learned in Israel

Traveling on a religious Israel tour was always on my bucket list. I found this trip to be fascinating and filled with more information than my brain could handle. For an 8 day trip, we covered a lot of ground from Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee. Here are the top 5 things I learned about Israel culture and religious backgrounds.

1. Mandatory Military Draft

 I am not sure how I had never heard this before. As we drove through different checkpoints, I noticed that most of the military looked very young and evenly distributed between male and females. We learned that at age 18, military service is mandatory. There are a few exceptions for example if you wanted to be a doctor, the military will let you go to college first. Then you need to serve as a doctor once you graduate. One main difference is that males serve for 2 years and 8 months while females only serve for 2 years. 

    2.  The Dead Sea is extremely unique
I had no idea what I was getting into when we decided to go in the Dead Sea. Did you know that if you swallow the water you will probably need to go to the hospital? It is so salty your body cannot process it. Also, the water is usually about 103 degrees Fahrenheit. When the air temperature is 107 degrees, it does not feel very refreshing. If you have any type of cut, large or small on your body, its not going to feel good! The extreme high salt content is great for cleaning the wound, but I promise that it will not feel good.

​    3.   Jesus was not born in a Wooden Manger
Some Christian Traditions have a more modern feel compared to the actual time period of these events. For example, wood mangers did not really exist during that time and would have been made of stone which was easier to build. Also, a stable was usually a cave not a wooden barn like today. Caves and even some old empty tombs were used as stables during this time. No need to build something when nature has already done the work. 

    4.  Israeli/Palestine Border is not as simple as it seems
One of the most fascinating things about our trip was learning what group controlled each city. I always assumed that there were large sections set aside for Palestine. This is not true at all. Find a map and look. The “West Bank” is now just scattered dots with different cities except for the Gaza strip. Two major cities currently held by Palestine are Jericho and Bethlehem. As the bus drove through different towns, we had to do checkpoints and stop for inspections. 

    5.  Temple Mount is a Holy Site for Muslims and Jews
I knew the importance for the Jews that the Temple Mount was where Priests could communicate with God and perform sacrifices in the Temple. Known to be an extremely holy site for Jewish history based on several biblical references, I was interested in the Muslim desire for this location. Did you know the Dome of the Rock is the third holiest site for the Muslim religion? I had no idea. The reasons are based on minimal evidence. It is more of a belief and tradition that Muhammad ascended from this location to heaven. Jerusalem is mentioned 142 times in the Bible’s New Testament while it is not mentioned once in the Koran. Truly an amazing controversy and the core to a huge conflict.