Introduction:Israel's diverse culture stems from the diversity of the population. Israel is the only country in the world where life revolves around the Hebrew calendar. Work and school holidays are determined by the Jewish holidays, and the official day of rest is Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. Israel's substantial Arab minority has also left its imprint on Israeli culture in such spheres as architecture, music, and cuisine.
The Israeli constitution states that every one in the country has equal rights regardless of race, skin, color or origin. Israelis are proud of their freedom. Inhabitants of Israel can move freely around the country without any limitation except military territories. There is a freedom of speech, political opinion, and religion as well. Although Israel is a highly religious country and its inner laws comply with traditions based on Judaism, any citizen of Israel is free to attend religious services in mosques and churches as well as synagogues. Yet military service is mandatory for citizens of Israel. The period that people spend in the army is the only time when they are subjected to the law of the Israeli Defense Forces. The rest of the time any one in the state is free to leave the country, come back and fully participate in any activities in Israel.
The geography of Israel is very diverse, with desert conditions in the south, and snow-capped mountains in the north. Israel is located at 31°30′N 34°45′E / 31.5°N 34.75°E / 31.5; 34.75 at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea in western Asia. The country is divided into four regions: the coastal plain, the central hills, the Jordan Rift Valley, and the Negev Desert. The standard family structure of two parents and their children is still the norm in Israel, There are 1.73 million families in Israel and the average one contains 3.7 people. More than half of the families are made up of two parents and children under the age of 17.
Israel is a free, westernized country, which recognizes the individual rights of its citizens (such as their right to liberty and freedom of speech). As citizens of the democratic country Israelis are proud of their freedom of expressing any opinion that includes freedom of publishing, freedom of broadcasting and freedom of speech. Without freedom of speech democracy cannot thrive. If an individual or a group cannot freely express himself or herself, when the right of protest is denied, if the mass media is not open to a variety of ideas and opinions, the result is not only the end of democracy, but also the beginning of intellectual stagnation.
