Handbook and Guide to Israel 2011

An authoritative handbook and guidebook on Israel has been missing from the bookstands for some time.
As a solution we have decided to take the wealth of knowledge, photographs, maps, and insight that has been accumulated at ERETZ Magazine over the last 25 years and encapsulate it, for the first time, in a convenient and long-needed  handbook and guide to Israel.
The handbook includes in-depth background chapters on history, archaeology, geography and more - needed to really get a feel and understanding for this special land.
Written by Yadin Roman and the staff of ERETZ Magazine this is a travel guide produced by a team with an intimate knowledge of the Land of Israel.

Text: Yadin Roman
Editor: Heidi J. Gleit
ERETZ Magazine Guide
Published: Sept. 2010
Second Edition
Publisher: ERETZ Magazine
 

Geography
There are no vast geographical features in the 10,000 square miles that make up the Land of Israel. Nothing extends fro miles and miles in all directions: the lay of the land is finite and compact. But considering that it extends over such a small area, the large number of different geographical regions is one of the country's major characteristics.

History
Trying to figure out what happened thousands of years ago is not an easy task. In the last decades, prehistory has added two million years to human existence; our understanding of biblical history has changed, and even the history of the War of Independence is being rewritten. Israel has 5,500 years of recorded history and 2.5 million years of prehistoric human existence, understanding the changing historical perceptions is an important part of any visit to Israel.

The Fight for Survival
The War of Independence lasted for 16 months. The 650,000-strong Jewish community in the Land of Israel managed to field 108,000 fighters - men, women, and children. They faced five regular Arab armies and volunteers from all over the Arab world. The battle for survival has lasted through 5 major wars and dozens of battles and terror attacks. It is one of the major factors in shaping the character of Israel and the outlook of its people.

The Israelis
As of the end of the 1990s over 60% of the Jewish population of Israel was born in Israel - and a third of that population has parents who were also born in Israel. Out of the Sephardic Jews who make up a third of the population - two thirds of them were born in Israel to Sephardic parents. Ashkenazi Jews make up 40% of the population - two thirds of them were born abroad, mostly in Russia. The number of Israeli Arabs has also grown dramatically since the founding of the state. Out of the 7.4 million Israelis nearly 1.5 million are Arabs - 20% of the total population.

Political System
Israel was born in battle and its democratic institutions have arisen and developed in the shadow of the threat to its security. The current political system, which has gone through a number of phases, is not perfect and various political parties and non-governmental organizations are actively trying to reform it and create a less divisive system.

Economy
The Israeli economy was born of a need to develop a viable and modern country with no natural resources. The first development was the creation of a modern, innovative and vibrant agriculture in a semi-arid geographical zone. Industrialization soon followed fueled by the need to supply material, tools and weapons to an embattled nation. The major result of this was the creation of the Israeli high-tech industry, Israel's most innovative and productive sector.