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Israel: Home of Many Faiths

Israel: Home of Many Faiths

By Megan Taylor

With a population of over 7.7 million, Israel is home to many faiths and beliefs.  Religion in Israel is a central feature of the country and plays a major role in shaping Israeli culture and lifestyle, and has also played a key role in Israel’s history.  Israeli law officially recognises five religions, all belonging to the Abrahamic family of religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Druzeism and the Baha’i faith.  Israel has no entrenched constitution, but freedom of religion is anchored in law.    

Judaism in Israel

The land of Israel is central to Judaism.  With approximately 75.4% of the Israeli population part of the Jewish faith, Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish people since antiquity and it is the holiest city on the entire planet in the Jewish religion.  Indeed, Jewish people pray facing Jerusalem, Jewish grooms break a glass on their wedding day in remembrance of the destruction of Jerusalem, and during the Passover Seder, Jews pray to be “next year in Jerusalem”.  Given all of this, it is not surprising that Jewish Holy sites can be found all over the city.   

The Western Wall, otherwise known as the Kotel, is the main pilgrimage site in Jerusalem.   People of the faith travel to the Western Wall in order to lament the destruction of the original temple, and to place notes of prayer inside the cracks of the walls.  According to Jewish tradition, despite the temple's destruction, the divine presence never left.  The Kotel has been a place of Jewish worship for centuries, with the earliest source mentioning the holiness of the place dating from the fourth century.   The Kotel itself is part of the retaining wall of what is known as the Beit Hamikdash (The Holy Temple), the centre of Jewish life in ancient Israel.  More specifically the Kotel is a small part of the Second Temple or Second ‘Beit Hamikdash’ built by King Herod over 2,000 years ago.

Another important Jewish holy site within Jerusalem is the Mount of Olives, so named for the olive trees that once grew in abundance there, rising some 2,683 feet above East Jerusalem.   The Jewish faith teaches that Jews who are buried in the Mount of Olives will be the first to be resurrected from the dead when the messianic age ushers in.   An encampment site for Jewish pilgrims in ancient times, the Mount of Olives contains Judaism's most important graveyard.

As well as a number of influential holy sites and pilgrimages in and around Israel that members of the Jewish faith embark on, there are also numerous festivals that take place.  The most well-known of these is Chanukah.  Also known as the Festival of Lights and Feast of Dedication, Chanukah is an eight-day holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greeks. 

Christianity in Israel

Of all three Abrahamic religions, Christianity is the smallest, representing approximately 2% of Israel’s population.  Despite this, Israel remains the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population continues to grow.  The majority of Israel’s Christians are affiliated with the Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches, though other denominations are represented as well. 

Israel is considered to be the Holy Land for Christians, providing the location for many events that occur in the Old and New Testaments.  Holy sites for Christians in Israel include Bethany; the site of Resurrection of Lazarus, Jerusalem; the site of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, Mount Tabor; the site of Transfiguration, Nazareth; the hometown of Jesus, and the Sea of Galilee; the site of Jesus’ early ministry.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre; identified as the place both of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus, is the most sacred Christian site in the world, and has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century.  The Church of the Holy Sepulchre may not be what one might imagine for the holiest site in all of Christendom, but its noble history and immense religious importance is such that a visit can be the most memorable that a Christian can embark on.   

Bethlehem, as the birthplace of Christ, is also a very sacred Christian destination.  Tourism in Bethlehem peaks during the Christmas season, when Christian pilgrims flock to the Church of the Nativity.   The actual alleged site of Jesus' birth is marked with a star and located in a cave in the church, as the ‘manger’ which features in the story of the birth of Christ is actually an underground chamber, not a cradle, as popularly depicted.  The original Manger with the star marking Jesus' birth site is called the Grotto of the Nativity, and is accessible from inside the church. 

Islam in Israel

Islam is a major religion in Israel, with an estimated 16% of the Israeli population identifying as Muslim.  Jerusalem is Islam’s third holiest city after Mecca and Medina.  One important holy destination for Muslims is the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.  It is believed that the Prophet Muhammad was transported from the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to the Al-Aqsa during the Night Journey (Isra and Mi'raj).  Then he was taken up to the heavens to be shown the signs of God.
 
The Dome of the Rock, also in Jerusalem, is a gloriously beautiful Islamic shrine, built in A.D.  691 that covers the rock believed to have been the altar or foundation stone of the First and Second Temples.  According to Islamic tradition holds that it was Abraham's first son, Ishmael, the father of the Arabic people, whom Abraham was called upon to sacrifice, either at this rock or at Mecca.  The rock is also believed to have been the point from which the Prophet Mohammed ascended to glimpse heaven during the miraculous night journey described in the 17th Sura of the Koran. 

The Haram al Sharif (Temple Mount) of Jerusalem is believed by Muslims to be the location from which Muhammad ascended to Jannah (paradise).  In Islam, the Mount is called al-haram al-qudsi ash-sharif, meaning the Noble Sanctuary.  Muslims view the site as being one of the earliest and most noteworthy places of God.  A walk up to the Haram al Sharif is a time-honoured privilege sanctified by the thousands of pilgrims who have trod before you. 

During the month of Ramadan in Israel, Western visitors should be conscious of the fact that in places like Jaffa, Acre and East Jerusalem, many Muslims will be fasting and so should therefore be sensitive to that fact.  Smoking, drinking and eating in public are considered bad form, as are public displays of affection.  A proper greeting during this month is “Ramadan Kareem” meaning “generous Ramadan”.  

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