Marcia Gresko - Israel

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gresko, Marcia S.
Israel / by Marcia Gresko.
p. cm. (Country explorers)
Includes index.
ISBN 9780822594147(lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
1. IsraelJuvenile literature. 2. Israel. I. Title.
DS102.95G73 2009
956.94dc22 2007037101
Manufactured in the United States of America
2 VI 8/15/10

Welcome!

Lets explore Israel! This country lies in the
Middle East. Israel looks like an arrow pointing
down.

Israels northern neighbor is Lebanon. To the
east of Israel sit Syria and Jordan. Egypt shares
Israels southwestern border. In the south, Israel
meets the Gulf of Aqaba. The Gulf of Aqaba is
part of the Red Sea. The Mediterranean Sea
lies to the west.

Israels western coast is on
the Mediterranean Sea.

A Colorful Land

Israel has green fields and brown deserts. It has bright blue
waters too. The Mediterranean Sea laps the flat coastal plains.
To the east, big hills line the plains.

These flowers grow in
a field in the desert
region of Israel.
delay

Past the hills are highlands. They fan
out over northern and central Israel.
Mountains stand in the highlands. The
Great Rift Valley lies to the east.

Map Whiz Quiz

Look at the map on page
Trace an outline of the map onto
a piece of paper. Trace the dotted
lines too. People do not agree who
should control the land inside the
dotted lines. Find Lebanon. Then
mark it with an N for north.
Find the Mediterranean Sea.
Mark it with a W for west. Color
the water blue. Next, find the
Negev Desert. Color the desert
brown. Mark the Negev Desert
with an S for south. Find Jordan,
and mark it with an E for east.

The Great Rift
Valley runs along
the eastern border
of Israel.

Heading South

The Sea of Galilee sits in the Great Rift Valley. The Jordan River
flows south from this big sea. The Jordan is Israels biggest river.

The Jordan River flows
from the Sea of Galilee
along the eastern border
of Israel.
delay

It winds down through the Great Rift
Valley. The Jordan empties into the Dead
Sea. That sea is the lowest spot on Earth.
The water in the Dead Sea is very salty.
Fish cant even live in it.
South of the Dead Sea is the Negev
Desert. The desert is hot and rocky. It
covers the southern half of Israel.

Wild Israel

Hundreds of different kinds of
birds and butterflies fly over Israel.
Gazelles, wild boars, and jackals
roam the hills. Foxes and wildcats
live in the wooded areas. In the
desert, snakes and lizards sun
themselves. Ibex (below) scramble
up rocky cliffs in the mountains.

The Dead Sea is so
salty, people can easily
float in it.

Dawn brings a golden glow
to buildings in Jerusalem,
including the Dome of the
Rock (center).

Golden Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The city sits on a hilltop in
the highlands. People used yellow stone to build most of
Jerusalem. It looks as if it were made of gold.
delay

The western half of Jerusalem looks modern. But the eastern
half of the city is old. Lively open- air markets pack eastern
Jerusalem. And ancient buildings
line the streets. Some buildings
are a thousand years old!

Jerusalem

Dear Aunt,
Shalom! That means hello in Israel. We
explored Jerusalem today. We played
hide- and- seek on top of the walls of
the Old City. Then we splashed through
knee- deep water in King Hezekiahs
Tunnel. That is an ancient waterway. It
cuts through rock under the city. Its
deep and dark! Im sure glad I had my
flashlight.
Shalom! (That also means good- bye here.)

Your
Your
Anyw

History Lesson

Israel was an ancient Jewish kingdom. It
was the home of the Jewish people. Then
conquering rulers sent many of them away.
They made new homes all over the world.
Centuries later, Arabs settled in Israel. They
called it Palestine. In 1948, the modern
nation of Israel was founded.

A man flies a large flag
during a celebration in
Jerusalem.
delay

Many Jewish people moved to modern
Israel. They wanted to live in their
original homeland. After a war, many
Arabs left. But others stayed. They
wanted to control part of Israel. Their
people had lived there for more than one
thousand years. These days, Jews and Arabs
in Israel do not always get along.

The Holocaust

The Holocaust was a terrible event.
It happened during World War II
(1939 1945). People called Nazis
sent millions of Jews to concentration
camps. The Nazis treated the Jews
badly at these camps. They killed
millions of Jews. After the war, many
of the Holocaust survivors moved
to Israel. Monuments and museums
help Israelis remember the Holocaust.