Shalom! (Hello!) Israel is full of important religious and historical sites, such as the City of David and Jerusalem. At the Israel Museum, we saw the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are written records that date back to the year 125.
We learned about some of the holidays and traditions of Israel, and we also swam (well, floated) in the salty Dead Sea. Find out how we stayed afloat in the Dead Sea by printing the Salt Water Experiment below. Check out our photos, too!
Sam and Sofia
The hamsa hand is an ancient Middle Eastern symbol of protection and good luck. This five-fingered hand image sometimes has an eye in the center and may be pointing up or down. Since the symbol is a part of many cultures, some other names for it are hamesh, chamsa, and khamsa.
Israel revived Hebrew from ancient times and made it an official national language.
Israel is the only country in the world with a majority Jewish population.
Cows in Israel produce more milk per cow than any other country in the world.
Red Canyon in Eilat, Israel
What is your school like?
Israel is a small country, and I’m in a small school. Although I’m in 5th grade, I have been in the same class with my friends since we were little.
What’s the best part of your week?
On Fridays, at nightfall, a siren goes off through our city to announce the start of Shabbat. This is a time for rest. Our family eats a simple meal of chicken soup with challah bread and hummus. Abba (Dad) lets me pick a stick of rosemary from the bushes in the courtyard to season the hummus. Everyone in our building is also eating at home, so delicious smells fill the hallways!
What is the best trip you've taken in Israel?
My family went on vacation to Eilat, a resort town on the coast of the northern tip of the Red Sea. On this trip, we drove to Red Canyon, which is close to the border of Egypt. We hiked and climbed through smooth, wavy red sandstone rocks. I felt like a tiny ant crawling on giant boulders.
I didn’t want to leave, but Ima (Mom) promised me the next day we’d have fun too. She was right. We snorkeled in the Gulf of Aqaba, the part of the Red Sea that Israel touches. There were colorful fish everywhere!
