Mixed Israel Trivia

1. The Arab Christians in Israel constitute a minority within a minority. To which Christian denomination do most of Israel's native Christians belong?

From Quiz Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Israel

Answer: Greek Orthodox

The Greek Orthodox bishop of Jerusalem considers himself to be the direct descendant of St. James the Apostle, the first bishop of Jerusalem. There are approximately 60,000 Greek Orthodox Christians in Israel. They pray according to the Byzantine liturgy in Greek, and celebrated their holidays according to the Julian calendar. Many of the clergy are sent by the Church from Greece to Israel.

From Quiz Israel Potpourri

Answer: Chaim Weizmann

Chaim Weizmann was a chemist by profession. Interestingly enough, another scientist, the great theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, was offered the position of President of Israel on Weizmann's death, but refused. Ben-Gurion was Israel's first Prime Minister. Ezer Weizmann, seventh President of Israel and a former commander of Israel's much vaunted Air Force, was the nephew of Chaim Weizmann. With that notable exception, Israel does not have Presidential dynasties.

From Quiz Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Israel

Answer: Baha'i

The Baha'i faith was founded in Persia by the Baha'ulla'h, (1817-1892). Baha'i is a monotheistic religion, and believes that "humanity is one single race". The Baha'ulla'h was persecuted in his native Persia and fled, only to be imprisoned by the Ottoman authorities in Acre. His followers eventually constructed a magnificent copper-domed tomb on a hill in Haifa over-looking the Mediterranean , and later planted a garden consisting of nineteen terraces that descends a full kilometer down the length of the hill, as part of their world headquarters. There are approximately five million followers of Baha'i living in countries all over the globe. (Information for this question came from the web site of the Baha'i International Community)

From Quiz Israel Potpourri

Answer: ICQ

ICQ (I Seek You) was invented by four Israeli computer-mad teenagers in the 1990s. MIRC is an internet relay chat programme. SMS is a short message service for use on cellular phones. As for IMXpress, I just made that one up.

From Quiz Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Israel

Answer: During the Byzantine period

Armenians have lived in Jerusalem and other places in the Holy Land for close to a thousand years. Archeologists have uncovered inscriptions in Armenian that can be dated to the Byzantine period, pre-dating even the Crusades. Like the Greek Orthodox Christians, the Armenians use the Julian calendar. The heart of the Armenian community is the St. James Monastery, located in the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem's Old City. The library in the monastery houses the second largest collection of Armenian books in the world, and the seminary trains young Armenians for the priesthood. Today, there are fewer than two thousand Armenians living in Israel.

From Quiz Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Israel

Answer: Islam

A Gypsy community arrived in Jerusalem about one hundred years ago, and settled in the neighborhood known as "Wadi Joz", which lies between Mt. Scopus and the Old City. The "Dom", as they call themselves, later settled in the proximity of the Lion's Gate, within the walls of the Old City. According to their web site, "The Domari Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem",Gypsies generally adopt the religion and language of the local population. In this case, the Gypsies of Jerusalem became Muslims, and speak Arabic, as well as their own language, known as "Domari". A small community number only a thousand, the Jerusalem Gypsies are scorned by the local population, uneducated and poor. In 1999 a community leader named Amoun Sleem formed a community organization to improve the life of the "Domari". You can read about this small but fascinating ethnic group on their web site, "The Domari Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem".

From Quiz Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Israel

Answer: The Caucasus Mountains

The Circassians are Muslims who originally came from the north Caucasus Mountains. Following a war against Russia that lasted for almost a hundred years(from the mid Eighteenth century to the middle of the Nineteenth), they were exiled from the homeland, and some of them eventually settled in the Mid-East. In Israel the Circassians live in two villages in the Galilee, Kfar Kama and Rehaniya, and number about three thousand people. Despite their small size, the Circassians are recognized as an independent community, and maintain their own language.

From Quiz Israel Potpourri

Answer: S.Y. Agnon

S.Y. Agnon was born in Galicia, but eventually made his home in Israel, settling in Jerusalem. In 1966, he shared the Nobel Prize for literature with the German-Jewish writer Nelly Sachs. After he died, his home in the Talpiot neighbourhood of Jerusalem was turned into a museum. It's not far from where I live :-)

From Quiz Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Israel

Answer: They accept only the written law (Torah) and the not the oral law (Talmud)

The Karaite tradition developed in eighth century Iraq. The Karaites reject the Talmud, or Oral Law, and base their religious belief and practice strictly on what is written in Bible. As a result, their customs are quite different from mainstream Judaism. For instance, while they do not eat non-kosher foods like pork or shrimp, they do not separate dairy foods from meat, as other Jews do. Their Sabbath observance and their calendar are also quite different. About 30,000 Karaites live in Israel today, primarily in the coastal city of Ashdod. In addition, there are Karaite communities in other places around the world. (Information for this question came from the December 1999 bulletin of the Jewish Community of North California.)

From Quiz Israel Potpourri

Answer: 28 years

Theodor (Teddy) Kollek (1911-2007) was mayor from 1965-1993, serving no less than 6 consecutive terms and finally losing to Ehud Olmert, who later became Prime Minister. Teddy died in 2007 at the age of 95. His name is commemorated in the Teddy Stadium, one of the biggest sports venues in the country and home to the capital's two football teams, Beitar Yerushalayim and Hapoel Yerushalayim.

From Quiz Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Israel

Answer: Chicago, USA

The Black Hebrews are a group of African-Americans from Chicago, who arrived in Israel via Liberia in 1969, under the direction of their charismatic leader, Ben Ammi Ben-Israel. Claiming that they were the genuine descendants of the tribe of Judah, the Black Hebrews were originally greeted with suspicion by Israeli authorities. Over time both sides have mellowed, and in 2003 the two-thousand plus members of the community were finally granted permanent residency visas. The Black Hebrews have a kibbutz where they produce organic soy products, and they maintain a vegan restaurant in Tel Aviv. Members of the community are also involved in the music industry, and have represented Israel twice in the Eurovision song contest. (Information for this question came from the Israel Foreign Ministry web site.)

From Quiz Israel Potpourri

Answer: Ilan Ramon

Col. Ilan Ramon (1954-2003) was one of the seven crew members of the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia, which left earth on 16 January 2003 for what was to be a 16-day mission. Tragically, the shuttle exploded on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere on 1 February 2003, with the loss of all on board. She was only 16 minutes away from home. Many people have looked for esoteric meaning in the constant recurrence of the number 16 in this tragedy. Haim Ramon is an Israeli politician blessed with extraordinary resilience - or extraordinary good luck - since his conviction in 2007 for indecent assault doesn't seem to have done his political career the slightest harm. Haim Barlev was the 8th Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces (1968-1972). Ilan Barlev is my own invention.

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