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INTRODUCTION
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The Land of Israel is, and has always been, the homeland of the Jewish People.
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According to Jewish belief, over 3,800 years ago, God told Avraham to leave his homeland and go to a special place that He would show him.
Avraham did not know it at the time, but that place would be The Land of Israel. He and his wife Sarah followed God's command.
Later, Avraham was promised that he would be the father of a great nation, and that the nation would inherit the Land of Israel.
He did not know it at the time, but he and Sarah would have a son- Yitzchak. Yitzchak and his wife Rivka also had a son- Yaakov. Yaakov and his wives, Rachel and Leah, also had children. Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivka, Yaakov and Rachel and Leah were the fathers and mothers of the People of Israel.
After the Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish People received the Torah at Mount Sinai. They then wandered in the Sinai Desert for 40 years. After Moshe's death, they entered Israel with Yehoshua (Joshua) as their leader. Finally, they were in the "Promised Land"--also called the Land Flowing with Milk and Honey.
The Jewish People lived in the Land until they were sent away to Babylon. They returned, but in 70 C.E. the Romans destroyed the Jewish State. Jews went into exile. Though most Jews were away from their Land, they never gave up hope of returning.
Jews prayed for a return to the Land. In the mid-1800's, many Jews started to return. One Sephardic Rabbi, Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, wrote in the 1850's about the need for the Jewish People to return to Israel to create a Jewish home.
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At the end of the 1800's and into the 1900's, hundreds of thousands of Jews braved hatred, poverty and disease to come to the Land of Israel. They established settlements, homes, schools and literally turned the desert green.
In the year 1948 (which was the Jewish year of 5708) the Jewish People proclaimed the State of Israel. Throughout its history, Israel has had to fight to survive.
Israel is a modern state, a Holy Land and the hope of a People.
Your Web-book...
Israel is a modern country with an ancient history. This Web-book is the story of the State of Israel. You will find lots of information on how Israel became a country, as well as how Israelis live today.
 | You will also find Web Search questions that will help you use the World Wide Web to find more information. Your teacher may assign these to you (or you may want to do them on your own to find more information). To find answers to the questions, click the links by the pictures or the "HINT LINKS"! Sometimes you will find the answer quickly. Other times you may have to explore a bit. Either way, you will have fun learning a lot about Israel. |
I hope that you will like what you learn enough to want to visit yourself. Israel is still the land flowing with milk and honey!!
students studying in Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim
www.ateret.org.il
Rabbi Shmuel Jablon
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