The Culture, Customs, and Traditions of Israel

Candlesticks for sale at a craft market in Israel.
Candlesticks for sale at a craft market in Israel.

The culture and traditions of Israel originated from the Jewish religion. It is stated that Israel is the origin of the Jewish culture. Therefore, to understand the culture, customs, and traditions of Israel fully, it is essential to understand the culture of the Jewish community. The Jewish culture is made up of characteristics such as philosophy, mythology, mysticism, festivals, Judaism, festivals and the Jewish festivals. The Judaism culture is described as the religion of the Jewish origin.

Judaism is an ancient monotheistic culture, and it forms the basis for the creation of Islam and Christianity. The Islamic culture is defined as a monotheistic religion of the Abrahamic origin teaching that there exists only one supernatural being, God, and His messenger, Muhammad. On the other hand, Christianity is described as a monotheistic religion of the Abrahamic origin only. Christians believe in Jesus as the son of God.

From the information above, it can be observed that Israel has diverse cultures, traditions, and customs, however, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are taken as the cultural hubs for the various cultures being practice in Israel. Israel has over 200 museums; this number of museums has made Israel be the country with the highest number of museums in the entire world per capita.

History of the Culture, Customs, and Traditions of Israel

The culture and traditions of the Israelites developed long before the country of Israel gained independence in 1948. The culture and customs of the Israelites can also be traced back to 1000 BCE. Currently, the culture of the Israelites reflects that of ancient Israel. It shows that the kingdom of Israel and that of Judah were related. Therefore, these two kingdoms shared common customs and cultures. The Judaism religion dates back to the times of the Hellenistic period when it first appeared in the Greek record. The Jewish culture, on the other hand, has links with the Kingdom of Judah. The culture and customs of the Jewish people can be defined as being either secular or religious. The term secular Jewish culture is often used to refer to various aspects such as Religion and World View, cinema, and media, architecture and art, the lifestyle of the Jewish people and their customs. Secular Judaism has somehow related to the secularization of Jewish culture, and it originated the Moses Mendelssohn philosophy.

From this description, it can be observed that Israel has different cultures and customs. The diversity of the cultures and traditions being experienced in Israel can be attributed to the fact that both the Judaism and Jewish culture have influenced the culture of this country. For instance, the Chief Rabbinate, a religious leader within the Jewish culture who is chosen by the local secular authorities, officially registers all the Jewish marriages that occur in Israel. After the marriage is registered, a traditional ceremony follows to make the marriage official. However, western culture is also very influential in Israeli culture today.

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