Rebbe El on Travel and Israel
Happy 70th Birthday to Israel ! I am so envious of all those lucky people who are in Israel now, celebrating Israel’s 70th birthday – many of which I know are touring on an ITC, Israel Tour Connection tour. As we celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel Independence Day, and marvel at the many incredible things our favorite 70 year old has accomplished, I wanted to make a list of 70 of my favorite things related to Israel. This list is in no particular order – I am just listing them 1-70, so I can keep track, because I truly cannot give a number to my favorite things about Israel – the number is infinite! So I will stick to 70 ! I have come up with a few categories, since it is so hard to only have 70 favorites. But for this year, I have stuck to 70! Why not come up with your own 70 favorites related to Israel and share with your family and friends. Happy Birthday Israel!
1 – History – The State of Israel has such a rich history, dating back to the Bible. One can travel the State of Israel, with the Bible in hand, visiting the locations mentioned in the Bible. It is like no other place in the world.
Places – the next list of favorites are some of this blogger’s favorite places to see in Israel – in no particular order: (and there are so many other places that I did not get to list here.)
2 – The Dead Sea – Personally, it is my favorite place to go. When in life we often feel like we may be sinking with the pressures around us, at the Dead Sea, we always can stay afloat, and our skin can get magically soft and smooth with the salt of the Dead Sea. (Just make sure you have no open wounds.)
3 – Masada – A place of history; a location to show that the people of Israel will not be defeated.
4 – The Western Wall – A connection to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
5 -10 – Great shopping, in places like Machane Yehuda,Carmel Market, Mamilla Mall, Midrechov and Ben Yehudah Street in Jerusalem, Cardo in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Mahla Mall, or basically every city has a mall now in Israel!
11- Golan Heights – Gorgeous views
12 – Old City of Jerusalem – Home to some many religions.
13 – Sea of Galilee – Beauty; history; to some magical
14 – Tzippori – Mona Lisa of the Galilee
15 – Hadassah Hospital and Chagall Windows
16 – 20 Museums, such as the Israel Museum, the Diaspora Museum, the Shrine of the Book, the Hebrew Music Museum in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, and so many more
21 – Tiberias
22 – Caseara
23 – Safed
24 – Eilat
25 – Mount Hermon – there is skiing in Israel ?? Yep !
26-27 – Kibbutzim and Moshavim
28 – 33 – Higher education – Universities – Yeshivot – Hebrew University; Tel Aviv University; Bar Ilan University; Technion, just to name a few.
34 – Har Hertzl
35 – Ammunition Hill
36-37 – Amazing Architecture – such as the Knesset and the Supreme Court
38 – Tel Aviv
39 – The Beaches all over Israel
40 – Yaffo
41 – Beer Sheva
42 – Ashdod
43 – Haifa – Bahai Shrine and Gardens
44 – Kfar Saba
45 – Hod HaSharon
46 – Rechovot
47 – Germachin Center in Beit Shean
48 – 50 – Visit Elite Chocolate Factory; Wineries; Naot Shoe outlet.
51 – 52 – Ride a camel; Eat and Sleep in a Beudoin Tent.
53 – 54 Personalities – No two people are the same; or have the same opinion. There is such diversity. It is amazing! And of course, need to mention Wonder Woman – Gal Gadot ! 
55 – 66 – Israel has had twelve Nobel Prize Laureates from the State of Israel since 1966: 6 Israelis won Nobel Prize in Chemistry – Aaron Ciechanover (2004); Avram Hershko (2004) ; Ada E. Yonath (2009); Dan Shechtman (2011); Arieh Warshel(2013); Michael Levitt (2013); 2 Israelis won Nobel Prize in Economics – Daniel Kahneman (2002); Robert Yisrael Aumann (2005); 3 Israelis won Nobel Peace Prize – Menachem Begin (1978); Yitzhak Rabin (1994); Shimon Peres (1994); 1 Israeli has won the Nobel Prize in Literature – Shmuel Yosef Agnon (1966)
66 – 70 + – Inventions, Innovation and Technology – Israel is the best when it comes to security, technology and innovation. Waze; Cell Phones; Iron Dome rocket interception system; Drip Irrigation; rooftop solar hot water systems; world’s smallest video cameron designed to fit in a tiny endoscope; first Capsule endoscopy solution to record images of the digestive tract; Azilect, a drug for Parkinson’s disease; drugs for MS; world’s smallest DNA computing machine system; USB flash drive; Intel 8088, the first PC CPU from IBM; Quicktionary Electronic dictionary; Laser keyboard; Voice over the internet protocol; Instant Messaging; Viber; GetTaxi; Mobileye; OrCam MyEye; WeCU; Wix.com; Uzi submachine gun; Python; Desert Eagle; David’s Sling; Bamba; Limonana; Rummikub; Taki; Mastermind; Guess Who?; Hidato; Krav Maga, and basically there are 70 inventions, plus that have been created in Israel, but this blog needs to come to an end at some point.
I have not even gotten to the amazing Music, Literature, Sports, and other Cultural activities that come from Israel, that we all love. There are so many more than 70 things to love about Israel. But here are some 70 plus. Make your own. Make a list of places and things you want to do in Israel, and start planning your next ITC trip to Israel! Happy Yom HaAtzmaut!