We welcome visitors to Israel. Many countries have a Visa Waiver Program with Israel, which allows their citizens to visit Israel without a need for a visa.

Israel, Arabic Isrāʾīl, officially State of Israel or Hebrew Medinat Yisraʾel, country in the Middle East, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, to the northeast by Syria, to the east and southeast by Jordan, to the southwest by Egypt, and to the west by the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is the seat of government and the proclaimed capital, although the latter status has not received wide international recognition. Israel is a small country with a relatively diverse topography, consisting of a lengthy coastal plain, highlands in the north and central regions, and the Negev desert in the south. Running the length of the country from north to south along its eastern border is the northern terminus of the Great Rift Valley.   The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period, and the region that now falls within its borders has a lengthy and rich history that dates from prebiblical times. The area was a part of the Roman Empire and, later, the Byzantine Empire before falling under the control of the fledgling Islamic caliphate in the 7th century ce. Although the object of dispute during the Crusades, the region, then generally known as Palestine, remained under the sway of successive Islamic dynasties until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, when it was placed under British mandate from the League of Nations. Even before the mandate, the desire for a Jewish homeland prompted a small number of Jews to immigrate to Palestine, a migration that grew dramatically during the second quarter of the 20th century with the increased persecution of Jews worldwide and subsequent Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany. This vast influx of Jewish immigrants into the region, however, caused tension with the native Palestinian Arabs, and violence flared between the two groups leading up to the United Nations plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors and Israel’s ensuing declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now Israel fought a series of wars against neighbouring Arab states during the next 35 years, which have resulted in ongoing disputes over territory and the status of refugees. Despite continuing tensions, however, Israel concluded peace treaties with several neighbouring Arab states during the final quarter of the 20th century. Land - Relief Despite its small size, about 290 miles (470 km) north-to-south and 85 miles (135 km) east-to-west at its widest point, Israel has four geographic regions—the Mediterranean coastal plain, the hill regions of northern and central Israel, the Great Rift Valley, and the Negev—and a wide range of unique physical features and microclimates. The coastal plain is a narrow strip about 115 miles (185 km) long that widens to about 25 miles (40 km) in the south. A sandy shoreline with many beaches borders the Mediterranean coast. Inland to the east, fertile farmland is giving way to growing agricultural settlements and the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa and their suburbs. In the north of the country, the mountains of Galilee constitute the highest part of Israel, reaching an elevation of 3,963 feet (1,208 metres) at Mount Meron (Arabic: Jebel Jarmaq). These mountains terminate to the east in an escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley. The mountains of Galilee are separated from the hills of the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the south by the fertile Plain of Esdraelon (Hebrew: ʿEmeq Yizreʿel), which, running approximately northwest to southeast, connects the coastal plain with the Great Rift Valley. The Mount Carmel range, which culminates in a peak 1,791 feet (546 metres) high, forms a spur reaching northwest from the highlands of the West Bank, cutting almost to the coast of Haifa. The Great Rift Valley, a long fissure in Earth’s crust, begins beyond the northern frontier of Israel and forms a series of valleys running generally south, the length of the country, to the Gulf of Aqaba. The Jordan River, which marks part of the frontier between Israel and Jordan, flows southward through the rift from Dan on Israel’s northern frontier, where it is 500 feet (152 metres) above sea level, first into the Ḥula Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaḤula), then into the freshwater Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee (Hebrew: Yam Kinneret), which lies 686 feet (209 metres) below sea level. The Jordan continues south along the eastern edge of the West Bank—now through the Jordan Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaYarden)—and finally into the highly saline Dead Sea, which, at 1,312 feet (400 metres) below sea level, is the lowest point of a natural landscape feature on the Earth’s surface. South of the Dead Sea, the Jordan continues through the rift, where it now forms the ʿArava Valley (Hebrew: “savannah”), an arid plain that extends to the Red Sea port of Elat. The sparsely populated Negev comprises the southern half of Israel. Arrow-shaped, this flat, sandy desert region narrows toward the south, where it becomes increasingly arid and breaks into sandstone hills cut by wadis, canyons, and cliffs before finally coming to a point where the ʿArava reaches Elat. Drainage The principal drainage system comprises Lake Tiberias and the Jordan River. Other rivers in Israel are the Yarqon, which empties into the Mediterranean near Tel Aviv; the Qishon, which runs through the western part of the Plain of Esdraelon to drain into the Mediterranean at Haifa; and a small section of the Yarmūk, a tributary of the Jordan that flows west along the Syria-Jordan border. Most of the country’s remaining streams are ephemeral and flow seasonally as wadis. The rivers are supplemented by a spring-fed underground water table that is tapped by wells. Israel has a chronic water shortage, and its hydraulic resources are fully utilized: about three-fourths for irrigation and the remainder for industrial and household water use. Soils The coastal plain is covered mainly by alluvial soils. Parts of the arid northern Negev, where soil development would not be expected, have windblown loess soils because of proximity to the coastal plain. The soils of Galilee change from calcareous rock in the coastal plain, to Cenomanian and Turonian limestone (deposited from about 99 to 89 million years ago) in Upper Galilee, and to Eocene formations (those dating from about 55 to 35 million years ago) in the lower part of the region. Rock salt and gypsum are abundant in the Great Rift Valley. The southern Negev is mainly sandstone rock with veins of granite. More … Score: https://www.britannica.com/place/Israel

Journey with The Vine Studios through Israel. Join us on a video tour of some of the amazing sights of the Holy Land on our trip to Israel, including unique aerial views from our drone.

Ta starożytna żydowska fraza jest często używana w listach, które rodziny Ocalonych przysyłają z Izraela i całego świata, aby podczas organizowanych przez nas uroczystości wręczenia medali Sprawiedliwym wyrazić wdzięczność za uratowanie jednego z nich.

W Dzień Spacerów na Świeżym Powietrzu polecamy 3 wyjątkowe i mniej popularne trasy spacerowe w Izraelu – od rześkiej północy aż do pustynnego południa: Wczesna wiosna to najlepszy czas by wybrać się na Wzgórza Golan – natura budzi się do życia, wszystko kwitnie i zachwyca zielenią. Podczas spaceru koniecznie odwiedź odkryte pod koniec XIX wieku pozostałości po starożytnych synagogach. Jest ich 30 i w większości pochodzą z okresu bizantyjskiego.

Podczas uroczystości w Muzeum Polaków Ratujących Żydów/ Museum of Poles Saving Jews ambasador Izraela Yacov Livne wręczył tytuły Sprawiedliwych wśród Narodów Świata rodzinom polskich bohaterek i bohaterów, którzy w czasie Zagłady z narażeniem własnego życia nieśli pomoc Żydom.

Bardzo cieszymy się, że dzięki naszej współpracy z Żydoteka przez wiele miesięcy tego roku mieszkanki i mieszkańcy Wrocławia mieli okazję do wartościowych spotkań z literaturą izraelską!

Dialog i spotkania młodych ludzi z Izraela i Polski to klucz do budowania porozumienia między naszymi narodami – podkreślił ambasador Izraela w Polsce Yacov Livne, który 21 czerwca 2022 roku spotkał się ze społecznością akademicką na Katolickim Uniwersytecie Lubelskim Jana Pawła II. Naszym głównym zadaniem jest budowanie mostów wzajemnego zrozumienia, mostów komunikacji – podkreślił dyplomata.

Zapraszamy do kin na najnowszy film Ariego Folmana, izraelskiego twórcy nominowanego do Oscara. Jego nowy film zrealizowany został na podstawie wydanego także w Polsce komiksu i zachwyci dzieci, rodziców oraz każdego miłośnika mądrej animacji.

Journey with The Vine Studios through Israel. Join us on a video tour of some of the amazing sights of the Holy Land on our trip to Israel, including unique aerial views from our drone.

Israel, Arabic Isrāʾīl, officially State of Israel or Hebrew Medinat Yisraʾel, country in the Middle East, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, to the northeast by Syria, to the east and southeast by Jordan, to the southwest by Egypt, and to the west by the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is the seat of government and the proclaimed capital, although the latter status has not received wide international recognition. Israel is a small country with a relatively diverse topography, consisting of a lengthy coastal plain, highlands in the north and central regions, and the Negev desert in the south. Running the length of the country from north to south along its eastern border is the northern terminus of the Great Rift Valley.   The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period, and the region that now falls within its borders has a lengthy and rich history that dates from prebiblical times. The area was a part of the Roman Empire and, later, the Byzantine Empire before falling under the control of the fledgling Islamic caliphate in the 7th century ce. Although the object of dispute during the Crusades, the region, then generally known as Palestine, remained under the sway of successive Islamic dynasties until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, when it was placed under British mandate from the League of Nations. Even before the mandate, the desire for a Jewish homeland prompted a small number of Jews to immigrate to Palestine, a migration that grew dramatically during the second quarter of the 20th century with the increased persecution of Jews worldwide and subsequent Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany. This vast influx of Jewish immigrants into the region, however, caused tension with the native Palestinian Arabs, and violence flared between the two groups leading up to the United Nations plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors and Israel’s ensuing declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now Israel fought a series of wars against neighbouring Arab states during the next 35 years, which have resulted in ongoing disputes over territory and the status of refugees. Despite continuing tensions, however, Israel concluded peace treaties with several neighbouring Arab states during the final quarter of the 20th century. Land - Relief Despite its small size, about 290 miles (470 km) north-to-south and 85 miles (135 km) east-to-west at its widest point, Israel has four geographic regions—the Mediterranean coastal plain, the hill regions of northern and central Israel, the Great Rift Valley, and the Negev—and a wide range of unique physical features and microclimates. The coastal plain is a narrow strip about 115 miles (185 km) long that widens to about 25 miles (40 km) in the south. A sandy shoreline with many beaches borders the Mediterranean coast. Inland to the east, fertile farmland is giving way to growing agricultural settlements and the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa and their suburbs. In the north of the country, the mountains of Galilee constitute the highest part of Israel, reaching an elevation of 3,963 feet (1,208 metres) at Mount Meron (Arabic: Jebel Jarmaq). These mountains terminate to the east in an escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley. The mountains of Galilee are separated from the hills of the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the south by the fertile Plain of Esdraelon (Hebrew: ʿEmeq Yizreʿel), which, running approximately northwest to southeast, connects the coastal plain with the Great Rift Valley. The Mount Carmel range, which culminates in a peak 1,791 feet (546 metres) high, forms a spur reaching northwest from the highlands of the West Bank, cutting almost to the coast of Haifa. The Great Rift Valley, a long fissure in Earth’s crust, begins beyond the northern frontier of Israel and forms a series of valleys running generally south, the length of the country, to the Gulf of Aqaba. The Jordan River, which marks part of the frontier between Israel and Jordan, flows southward through the rift from Dan on Israel’s northern frontier, where it is 500 feet (152 metres) above sea level, first into the Ḥula Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaḤula), then into the freshwater Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee (Hebrew: Yam Kinneret), which lies 686 feet (209 metres) below sea level. The Jordan continues south along the eastern edge of the West Bank—now through the Jordan Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaYarden)—and finally into the highly saline Dead Sea, which, at 1,312 feet (400 metres) below sea level, is the lowest point of a natural landscape feature on the Earth’s surface. South of the Dead Sea, the Jordan continues through the rift, where it now forms the ʿArava Valley (Hebrew: “savannah”), an arid plain that extends to the Red Sea port of Elat. The sparsely populated Negev comprises the southern half of Israel. Arrow-shaped, this flat, sandy desert region narrows toward the south, where it becomes increasingly arid and breaks into sandstone hills cut by wadis, canyons, and cliffs before finally coming to a point where the ʿArava reaches Elat. Drainage The principal drainage system comprises Lake Tiberias and the Jordan River. Other rivers in Israel are the Yarqon, which empties into the Mediterranean near Tel Aviv; the Qishon, which runs through the western part of the Plain of Esdraelon to drain into the Mediterranean at Haifa; and a small section of the Yarmūk, a tributary of the Jordan that flows west along the Syria-Jordan border. Most of the country’s remaining streams are ephemeral and flow seasonally as wadis. The rivers are supplemented by a spring-fed underground water table that is tapped by wells. Israel has a chronic water shortage, and its hydraulic resources are fully utilized: about three-fourths for irrigation and the remainder for industrial and household water use. Soils The coastal plain is covered mainly by alluvial soils. Parts of the arid northern Negev, where soil development would not be expected, have windblown loess soils because of proximity to the coastal plain. The soils of Galilee change from calcareous rock in the coastal plain, to Cenomanian and Turonian limestone (deposited from about 99 to 89 million years ago) in Upper Galilee, and to Eocene formations (those dating from about 55 to 35 million years ago) in the lower part of the region. Rock salt and gypsum are abundant in the Great Rift Valley. The southern Negev is mainly sandstone rock with veins of granite. More … Score: https://www.britannica.com/place/Israel

Following the declaration of the Minister of the Interior dated March 13, 2022, the following is the updated policy for the entry of citizens of Ukraine into Israel. Holders of valid Ukrainian passports will be able to board a flight to Israel if one of the requirements below is met.

W tym trudnym czasie Przemyśl znajduje się w centrum zainteresowania nie tylko mediów, ale także dyplomatów chcących zobaczyć, jak wygląda pomoc uchodźcom w naszym mieście, dla których jest ono pierwszym przystankiem po przekroczeniu granicy. Dzisiaj (3 marca) gościem Prezydenta Wojciecha Bakuna był Ambasador Izraela w Polsce Yacov Livne.

Rozmowy o książkach to jedna z naszych ulubionych czynności, dlatego wraz z Żydoteka organizujemy we Wrocławiu literacki klub dyskusyjny! Spotkajmy się 23 lutego 2022 roku w Przejściu Dialogu, by się poznać i porozmawiać o literaturze żydowskiej. Spotkania będą się odbywać w kameralnej atmosferze i w miłej przestrzeni, dodatkowo zimowy czas umili nam kawa, herbata i coś słodkiego.

Take a moment (or two) to enjoy the breathtaking beauty and diversity of Holy places in Israel. How many of these do you know?

Społeczność żydowska w Izraelu i diasporze obchodziła 28 września Święto Radości Tory! . O tradycjach związanych z tym świętem przeczytaj na stronie Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN.

Irit Yakhnes, Chargé d'affaires a.i., wzięła dziś udział w uroczystości upamiętniającej ofiary zbrodni dokonanej w lesie koło Rudzicy. Serdecznie dziękujemy Sołtys Rudzicy pani Magdalena Nowacka za zajęcie się zniszczonym pomnikiem i osobistą troskę o miejsce spoczynku tamtejszej społeczności żydowskiej, zamordowanej podczas drugiej wojny światowej przez nazistów.

Chargé d'affaires a.i. Irit Yakhnes wzięła udział w obchodach 80. rocznicy zagłady tykocińskich Żydów oraz w odsłonięciu tablicy poświęconej pamięci żydowskiej społeczności miasta. W trakcie wizyty spotkała się z przedstawicielami władz miasta, powiatu oraz dyrekcją Muzeum W Tykocinie. 25 i 26 sierpnia 1941 r. Żydzi, którzy stanowili połowę mieszkańców Tykocina, zostali zamordowani przez nazistów i złożeni w masowych grobach w Lesie Łopuchowskim. Nieliczni zdołali przeżyć.