IsraelFacts

Israel is the only country in the world that started the 21st century with a growth in the number of trees  - this is especially remarkable with it being in an area geographically considered a desert

• An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functioning generating plant
• In Israel, it is against the law to pick a flower in undesignated areas.
• Israel has the largest number of vegetarians and vegans per population in the world.
• Kosher slaughtering is widely known for being a more humane way to obtain meat from cattle since it immediately desensithizes the animal to pain.
• Israel is one of the only countries to have and actively enforce extensive nature preservation laws.
• Every year, an award is granted by the Minister of Environment and National Parks to an IDF unit that has achieved outstanding accomplishments in protecting the environment or preventing pollution. Among the winners were the creators of the “Green Lung” device in a communications base, that limits the pollutants in the air in a 2 mile radius.
• In 2007, an outstanding sum of 80% of Israel’s beaches were deemed “outstandingly clean” by the Israeli Coastline Authority.
• Since water has always been sparse in Israel, Israelis have counted on an exemplary irrigation system since the early 1970’s which allows them to properly cleanse otherwise undrinkable salt water from the Mediterranean Sea.

Despite its small geographical size, Israel is home to an incredibly diverse animal and plant world – due to its unique position in the middle of three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa) causing the landscape and climate to change enormously throughout its territory.

Amazing Accomplishments from the country ranked 100th in it’s size in the world
Containing less than 0.0001% of the world’s population

Israeli Youth

1. Roughly 47% of Israeli youth are involved in youth groups.
2. There are 391 youth organizations – initiated and maintained by youths – dedicated to ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
3. The most common words used by Israelis to describe themselves following their army service are “mature”, “responsible” and “proud”.

4. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has a guiding document called The Spirit of the IDF which includes core values every soldier must adhere to. No other military in the world has this, and it includes: comradeship, purity of arms, professionalism, human life, discipline, personal example, trustworthiness and more.
5. There are more politically involved youths in Israel, in relation to the total population, than in any country in the world (youths registered with a political party/political youth group/organization).
6.  17% of Israeli youths volunteer on a regular basis (once a week or more).
7. There are currently 278 Kibbutzim in Israel, and the vast majority of them were founded by Zionist youth movements such as the Scouts, the Noar Ha’Oved ve’Ha’Lomed, and the Shomer HaTzair.
8. Currently, there are numerous methods by which an Israeli youth can visit Poland and the Death Camps once they turn 17- either with their High School or with their youth movement. If, by chance, they did not have this opportunity at the time, there is also the opportunity to visit once they are in the army. The purpose is to have every Israeli familiarized with the horrors that happened to the Jewish people in Europe, not just through text books.

Want to know more? Call Dana at Hillel @ ASU – 480-967-7563