The people of Israel are as varied as the land itself. Although by the latest census 80% of the population of the State of Israel is Jewish, this doesn't mean all Jewish people have the same customs or traditions. As for the remaining 20% this part of the population are generally referred to as Arabs. I will try to briefly explain some of the differences of the various groups.

The Jewish religion was the first monotheistic religion. The main books of thought in Judaism are the Old Testaments which consist of the Five Books of Moses (Torah, or Chumash), the Prophets, and the Writings, (Book of Psalms, Chronicles, The Book of Esther, and eight additional books). Jewish people are generally divided into two different groups, the Ashkenazi's and the Sephardic Jews. In the year 587 BCE the Babylonians conquer the Land of Israel, and send the inhabitants into exile in Babylon. With this exile the Twelve Tribes of the People of Israel lose their tribal identity. After 40 years in exile Ezra and Nehemiah are given permission to return to the Land of Israel. The majority of the Jewish people remands in Babylon and eventually spread throughout the Mediterranean basin. During the time of the Crusades some of the Jews of Israel move to Europe and eventually spread to central and eastern Europe. These Jews were known as Ashkenazi Jews. A major center of Judaism also developed on the Iberian Peninsula until 1492 when the Spanish monarchy forced the Jewish populati

Most tourists visiting the Old City of Jerusalem use the Jaffa Gate when entering by foot. What they don't realize is during the time of the First and Second Temple there was no Jaffa Gate. We know there was a small inconspicuous gate here known as the Water Gate during Herod's time. This allowed the people of Jerusalem to use the water from what is today called Sultans Pool. After the Romans conquer the City of Jerusalem in 70 CE the city goes through major changes. In 1099 the city is again captured, this time by the Crusaders.

Photo credit: AllAboutJerusalem.com

The walls we see around the Old City today were built during the Ottoman Period (1517-1917) under the rule of Suliman the Magnificent. He had the walls we see today built between 1537 and 1540. These are the walls we see today. Jaffa Gate is called by this name because it's on the road that leads from the Port of Jaffa on the Mediterranean. The Port of Jaffa during the Crusader Period was called "The Port of Jerusalem". The road allowing cars and buses was only opened in 1898 with the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. The German Kaiser suffered from polio as a child and as a result had deformed left arm. In order for the Kaiser to enter the city in style and take a

Over the years, many people have asked me what my favorite place in Israel is.

This is a difficult question simple because I love touring through the entire country. I will say though, I think the Golan Heights is one of the most beautiful spots in the winter.

If we look at a map of Israel, the Golan Heights is in the upper right hand corner, to the right, or east of the Sea of Galilee up through the Hula valley ending at the top near Tel Dan.

In this sm