Enshrined in the Declaration of Independence is a passage
declaring that "the State of Israel will guarantee freedom of religion and
conscience and safeguard the holy places of all religions."
This was put to the test after the Six Day War when
Jerusalem was reunited and Samaria and Judaea came within the administrative
rule of Israel. Since then every religious community has had access to its
shrines, in marked contrast to the situation during the nineteen previous years
when Jordan occupied East Jerusalem and barred Jews from praying at the Western
Wall and Arabs living in Israel from worshipping at the Dome of the Rock and
the El-Aksa Mosque.
These inalienable rights are now guaranteed by law and every
denomination is free to worship in its own way, to maintain its religious and
charitable institutions and to administer its internal affairs.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs is the arm of government
charged with liaising with leaders of religious denominations. It also works in
conjunction with the Israel Antiquities Authority in restoring and renovating
places of worship and sacred sites, and in keeping them accessible.
Following is some background to the three great monotheistic
faiths - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - which coexist in the land sacred to
all.
JUDAISM
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Judaism is the oldest of the three faiths and for the first
time since the fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE and their expulsion to the
far corners of the world, the Jews are free to apply their religion to daily
life without restriction.
The Jew in Israel does not normally have to ask for the day
off work on Saturday (the Sabbath) or on the festivals. They are national
holidays and all offices and most factories close, regardless of whether the
employees go to synagogue or on a picnic.
The fact that there are 4.52 million Jews in Israel (pop.
5.59 million) makes it the only country in the world where the Jews are the
majority population group. For this reason, yarmulkas (skull caps) and peyot
(side curls), far from being freakish, are part of the everyday scene, like the
Hebrew script and Star of David pendants.
Israel is a secular state, but political reality has put the
religious parties in an advantageous position as coalition partners without
whom neither Labour nor the Likud can form a government. So although they are a
minority (app. 15 per cent), the religious groups have been able to ensure that
there is no public transportation on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays (except in
Haifa, a city that has always been noted for its secularity).
It is for this reason that Jewish dietary laws (kashrut) are
observed in the Israel Defence Forces, and in all government and public
institutions. Bible studies and the Talmud form part of the curriculum of all
Jewish schools.
Supreme religious authority is vested in the Chief Rabbinate, comprising an
Ashkenazi and a Sephardi Chief Rabbi and the Supreme Rabbinical Council. It
decides on the interpretation of the Jewish law in matters beyond the
jurisdiction of the eight regional rabbinical courts and the Rabbinical Court
of Appeal.
Religious Jews live with the aim of sanctifying every detail
of their lives by observing 613 commandments, derived from the Torah (the first
five books of the Bible). These regulate every aspect of existence, from dress
and food to ethical behaviour and the celebration of festivals.
To be present during one of the many religious or national
holidays in Israel is an exciting and moving experience, and one that should be
considered when planning the time of a trip. One way to get to know Israel is
to be with Israelis when they celebrate or mourn during days of solemn
remembrance. Judaism observes a lunar calendar month, so that religious
holidays occur at slightly different times each year.
Sabbath - Friday evening after the setting of the
sun, until after sunset on Saturday. Shops, public transportation and most
places of entertainment close down. Traditionally, Sabbath is a time of rest
and spiritual regeneration.
Rosh Hashana - usually falls in September-October.
The beginning of the Jewish year, when many Jews attend synagogue services and
get together for family festive meals. Traditionally, honey and apples are
eaten to symbolize the entry of a sweet year.
Yom Kippur - September-October, ten days after Rosh
Hashana. The Day of Atonement, when Jews search their souls, fast and pray for
forgiveness, is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. The atmosphere in
the country is hushed and respectful. It is a day without television, radio, or
public transportation (with the exception of ambulances).
Succot - September-October. Festively decorated
succot (booths) are built in the open air, in which people eat and sometimes
sleep. The booths symbolize the life of the ancient Israelites in the
wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. Also part of the festival is the ritual
waving of the four species - palm, citron, myrtle and willow - over which a
blessing is said.
Simchat Torah - September-October, on the eighth day
of Succot. The annual reading of the Torah in synagogues begins its cycle on
this day, which is marked by singing, dancing and festivity. Children wave
special decorated flags.
Chanukah - December. Chanukah celebrates the
Maccabaean victory over the Hellenistic Seleucid empire. For eight days,
candles on a ``chanukiah'' or candelabrum are lit, adding one each night.
Children are traditionally given gifts or money, special games are played with
a top, and fried jelly-filled doughnuts and potato pancakes are eaten.
Tu B'Shvat - January-February. The new year for
trees, when saplings are planted all over Israel.
Purim - February-March. To commemorate the victory of
Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai over the evil machinations of Haman in
ancient Persia, children dress up in costumes and everyone parties. In
synagogues, the book of Esther is read. Holiday food includes triangular filled
pastries called ``Oznei Haman'' or ``Haman's ears''.
Passover (Pesach) - March-April. A ``Seder'' or
family gathering and feast is held at which the traditional ``Haggadah'' text
is read and sung, telling the story of the exodus from Egypt. Since unleavened
products are not eaten for the eight-day holiday period, bread is generally not
available. Instead, unleavened bread (matza) is eaten.
Shavuot - May-June. The festival commemorates both
the giving of the Torah and the harvest of the first fruits. On kibbutzim
particularly, the harvest parade is a favourite tradition. Dairy foods are
traditionally eaten.
Tisha B'Av - August. A day of mourning and fasting
for the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
Other significant days include Holocaust Day , in
April-May during which television and radio feature only solemn programmes and
the country marks its memory of the greatest disaster to befall its people; Remembrance Day , in April-May, in memory of fallen
soldiers, and Independence Day , on the day
following Remembrance Day, during which most cities and towns hold festive
street parties with entertainment and fireworks.
CHRISTIANITY
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Unlike Judaism, Christianity owes its presence and most of
its shrines in Israel to the existence of one man alone. For this reason
pilgrims find themselves following a well-charted course first trodden by their
saviour, Jesus of Nazareth.
Bethlehem is the inevitable starting point for those who prefer to follow the
chronological sequence of events in the life of Jesus. Then to Nazareth, where
he grew up to be rejected as a false prophet. Kafr Cana, the site of his first
miracle at the wedding feast, is close by, as are Capernaum and the Mt. of
Beatitudes on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where fishermen became apostles
and where multitudes thronged to witness miracles and hear immortal words.
The final acts in his brief life were played out in
Jerusalem, where he was arrested, summarily tried and crucified. Here, too, is
the Via Dolorosa, along which he stumbled while carrying his cross to Calvary,
and a veritable plethora of shrines.
The visitor to the Holy Land will see at a glance how
Christianity, alone among the major monotheistic religions, spawned centuries
of reclusive monks, spending their lives in meditation and prayer in the
wilderness. The Judaean desert is dotted with caves and precariously perched
monasteries to which hermits have withdrawn, from the beginnings of
Christianity. As Christians also revere Mt. Sinai, tourists will find the ruins
of many Byzantine churches and chapels within ancient Negev settlements
guarding the pilgrims' route south.
The Christian population of Israel is small compared with
the number of sites holy to them. The vast majority are Christian Arabs. Of the
thirty denominations, the principal ones (in terms of numbers) are Greek
Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Latin and Maronite. There are also Protestants
(Anglicans, Presbyterians, Baptists. and Lutherans) and members of Eastern
Monophysite Churches (including Armenian Orthodox, Coptic, Ethiopian and Syrian
Orthodox). About 14,000 Christians live in Jerusalem; there are several
Christian villages in the Galilee.
Most of the Roman Catholic shrines are supervised by the
brown-garbed Franciscan friars who remained custodians of many Christian sites
in the Holy Land in the face of intermittent harassment and persecution at the
hands of the Moslems.
It may come as something of a surprise for you to learn of
the delicate relationship between many of the Christian denominations. They
stem from early squabbles that led on occasion to physical blows among the
prelates for the rights and privileges connected with major holy sites. Order
is maintained through rigid adherence to the status quo. If you visit the
Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in
Jerusalem, you will witness the daily ritual of Greek Orthodox, Armenian
Orthodox and Latin churchmen walking along well-defined routes to specified
altars for tightly controlled schedules of services.
The Christian pilgrim would do well to time a visit to
Israel for Easter or Christmas. The colourful Palm Sunday procession down the
Mt. of Olives recreates the triumphal return of Jesus to Jerusalem. Christmas
Eve in Bethlehem's Manger Square, amid carollers of all denominations, is
undeniably the peak of any Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Ministry
of Tourism has a special pilgrims' department for Christians.
Different Christian denominations in Israel observe some of
their holy days on different dates. For further information, contact the
Christian Information Centre in Jerusalem, tel. (02)272692.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Catholic services are
held at the Church of St. Catherine and in the Grotto of the Nativity in
Bethlehem, today under the control of the Palestinian Autonomy. Protestant
services are held in St. George's Cathedral. Greek Orthodox and Armenian services
in Bethlehem are held later in January, according to the Julian calendar.
ISLAM
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The religion that broke like a tidal wave over the Middle
East and half the world in the 7th century owes its origin to Mohammed (570-632
CE). Moslems regard him as the last and the greatest of a line of prophets
including Abraham and Christ. His legendary ascent to heaven from the Temple
Mount in Jerusalem makes this city the third holiest in the world to Moslems,
after Mecca and Medina.
Mohammed, who was born in Mecca to the Kuraish tribe,
claimed to have had visions of the Archangel Gabriel and to have received
revelations from Allah, the true and only God. His sayings, recorded in the
Koran (reading), are recited daily in Moslem schools and at regular services in
hundreds of mosques in Israel. The Koran contains many episodes from the Old
Testament and the New. It offers daily guidance for every Moslem (``one who
submits to the will of God''), portrays paradisiacal rewards in the after-life
for those who follow its teachings, and holds out the promise of a burning hell
for transgressors.
Like Judaism, Islam prohibits the eating of pork or carrion.
Believers are forbidden to drink alcohol or to gamble. The Koran upholds honour
and justice in all dealings and directs the faithful to honour their parents,
assist the poor and protect orphans. Daily readings from the Koran, as well as
prayers and sermons, are broadcast by the Arabic station of the Israel
Broadcasting Authority.
The overwhelming majority of Israel's Arab population are
Moslems. Their highest dignitaries are the Qadis, of the Shaari'a courts, who
have exclusive jurisdiction in matters of personal status, including marriage,
divorce and inheritance. Moslems can choose which type of Islamic Court to go
to, Sunni or Shi'a. There are four legal/traditional systems.
Wherever a Moslem lives, in Akko or in Karachi, he is
expected to observe the Five Pillars of Islam, prescribed by Mohammed. The
first of these is faith in Allah, defined thus: ``Allah is mighty; there is no
God but Allah; Mohammed is his messenger.''
The second is prayer, to which Moslems are called five times
daily by the cry of the muezzin from the minaret. Moslems need not be in a
mosque to pray, but they must face the holy city of Mecca, Mohammed's
birth-place. Before entering the carpeted mosques, they wash their hands and
feet to purify themselves and then place their shoes outside before prostrating
themselves before Allah. Women pray in separate rooms or in balconies set aside
for them. Fridays and the festivals of Islam are recognised in Israel as
official holidays for Moslems.
Almsgiving is also a pillar of the faith and every Moslem is
expected to give a part of his income for the support of the mosque and the
poor.
The fourth pillar is the month-long Fast of Ramadan,
commemorating Mohammed's first revelations, when Moslems abstain from eating
and drinking during the daylight hours. At the end of the month gifts are
exchanged between friends during the festival of goodwill.
The fifth pillar of Islam is the haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca,
which every believer is expected to make once during his lifetime. Tourists get
a glimpse of departing busloads of pilgrims from Judaea and Samaria during the
two months following Ramadan. Moslem citizens of Israel, alone among the
millions of Moslems around the world, were until recently forbidden to make the
haj by the Arab governments concerned.
Islam follows a lunar calendar and dates of holy days vary
from year to year. Some of the most important are Id el-Adha - the sacrificial
festival; Mohammed's birthday; New year; Fast of Ramadan - for one month,
devout Moslems do not eat or drink during the hours of daylight. Id el-Fitr
marks the conclusion of Ramadan.
BAHAIS
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Haifa is the spiritual and admininstrative centre of the
world Bahai faith, whose principal shrines are in Akko and Haifa. There are
more than 100,000 centres of the faith in 315 different countries and
dependencies.
The golden-topped shrine on the slopes of Mt. Carmel holds
the remains of the ``Bab,'' who was the martyr-herald of the Bahai faith. In
1850 he was executed in Tabriz, Persia, because of his religious teachings. His
remains were brought to the Holy Land and entombed in 1909.
The Bahai faith teaches that religious truth is progressive, not final: God educates the human race through a series of prophets who have appeared throughout history and will always appear to guide the destiny of Man: Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed are all examples of these ``Divine Educators.'' The last of the prophets was Baha'ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith. He is buried at Akko, where he died in 1892.