The Zionist Labor leader Golda Meir (1898-1978) served as Israel's foreign minister from 1956 to 1966. In 1969 she became Israel's fourth prime minister. Golda Meir was born the daughter of Moshe and Bluma Mabovitch in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 3, 1898. She immigrated in 1906 with her family to Milwaukee, Wis. After she attended grammar and high school, she went to the Teachers' Training College in Milwaukee in 1917. In the same year she married Morris Myerson (later she modified her name to Meir). For several years she taught in the local schools and was active in the Labor Zionist party. Source: Biography in Context Database
Yitzhak Rabin was an Israeli general, politician, and statesman. During his twenty-seven years as an officer in the defense establishment of the Jewish state, Rabin participated in the Palestine Jewish community's military struggle for statehood during the mid-to-late-1940s and in all the Arab-Israeli military confrontations until the 1967 War, in which he served as the chief of general staff (CGS) of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). During his two terms as prime minister, Rabin laid the foundations for peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and between Israel and the Palestinians. In 1995, in the midst of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process he was leading at the time, Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish Israeli religious right-wing extremist. Source: Biography in Context Database.
Itzhak Perlman is one of the most famous and sought-after international violin virtuosos. His warm, lyrical sound, formidable technique and musicianship, and rapport with audiences have led to his superstar status. Source: Biography in Context Database
Congressional Space Medal of Honor; Distinguished Public Service Medal; NASA Space Flight Medal. "When Ilan Ramon blasted into space on January 16, 2003, on the space shuttle Columbia, the hopes and dreams of an entire nation went with him," stated Tanya Lee Stone in Ilan Ramon: Israeli's First Astronaut. "Ramon was the first Israeli astronaut, lifting the spirits of a war-torn country, giving pride to every Israeli and to people around the world." Their elation was cut short. On February 1, Ramon (1954-2003) lost his life when the Columbia exploded just minutes before its scheduled landing. Source: Biography in Context Database.
Josephus Flavius (ca. 37-100) was an ancient Jewish historian, diplomat, and military leader, and the sole source of information concerning numerous events in the final centuries of the Jewish state. Source: Biography in Context Database
WWII labor camp survivor, Prime Minister, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Source: Biography in Context database.
Jewish author Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) founded the World Zionist Organization and served as its first president. Source: Biography in Context database.
Source: Culturegrams Database
The site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is identified as the place both of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. The church has long been a major pilgrimage center for Christians all around the world. Source: https://churchoftheholysepulchre.net/
The Dome of the Rock is a 7th-century edifice located in Jerusalem. It enshrines the rock from which Muḥammad is said to have ascended to heaven. Source: www.britannica.com
The Dead Sea has the lowest elevation and is the lowest body of water on the surface of Earth. The saline water has a high density that keeps bathers buoyant. Source: www.britannica.com
Masada (Hebrew for fortress) is a place of gaunt and majestic beauty that has become one of the Jewish people's greatest symbols as the place where the last Jewish stronghold against Roman invasion stood. Next to Jerusalem, it is the most popular destination of tourists visiting Israel. More than two thousand years have passed since the fall of the Masada fortress yet the regional climate and its remoteness have helped to preserve the remains of its extraordinary story. Source: www.jewishvirtuallibrary.com
When Rome destroyed the Second Temple in 70 C.E., only one outer wall remained standing. The Romans probably would have destroyed that wall as well, but it must have seemed too insignificant to them; it was not even part of the Temple itself, just an outer wall surrounding the Temple Mount. For the Jews, however, this remnant of what was the most sacred building in the Jewish world quickly became the holiest spot in Jewish life. Source: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
The Negev desert houses craters, valleys, gorges, and mountains. It also contains Makhtesh Ramon, the largest natural crater, and the Timna Mountains, where King Solomon mined copper. Photo source: www.lifetimediscovery.com
This church in Bethlehem marks Jesus' birthplace.
Islam's third most important place of worship, built in 720 CE.
