#3 of 5 – for more context see the main post

Home to major and minor religions

For a country known for having two major religions (the population is about 75% Jewish and 20% Muslim), Israel has a surprising variety of religions. The Bahá’í religion, which values all religions and the equality of all humans, has temples and its governing body in Israel (though it is illegal for an Israeli citizen to become Bahá’í). There are about 150,000 Druze (an offshoot of Islam which also draws on Greek philosophy and Hinduism) in Israel, mostly in the north. The Druze believe in reincarnation and so they do not put names on the headstones of the buried dead. The Samaritans are a small group, numbering only around 800; they practice a religion close to Judaism, speak Arabic and pray in ancient Hebrew.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The two holiest sites for Christians (where Jesus was crucified and buried/resurrected) are located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Christian quarter of old Jerusalem. This was a fascinating place, with splendid architecture and lots of art (mosaics, metal adornments and chandeliers) and seemingly endless dark passageways and chapels. Somewhere under the church is a room which (according to tradition) housed the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Over the centuries people have carved cross symbols into the walls and ceilings – who did this? how long did it take? The net effect is a somewhat eerie inner chamber. (see photo)

According to the Status quo of Holy Land sites (1853), the church is shared among six Christian denominations: Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic, as well as lesser rights added later for Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox. My tour guide pointed out that a Muslim family retains the keys.

Jewish groups

Within Judaism, distinct groups have their own history and traditions:

• Sephardim: Jews who were expelled from Spain and Portugal at the end of the 1400s. A traditional language of the Sephardim was Judaeo-Spanish or Ladino, a Romance language derived from Old Spanish (and other languages of the Iberian peninsula) with elements of Hebrew and Aramaic.
• Ashkenazim: Jews from Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, who spoke/speak Yiddish (a combination of medieval High German with Hebrew, Aramaic and also Slavic influences).
• Mizrahim: Jews from the Middle East and other regions including North Africa, India (Bene Israel), Uzbekistan and the Caucasus
• Haredim: ultra-Orthodox Jews who reject modern secular culture
• Beta Israel: also known as Ethiopian Jews. Many have migrated to Israel since Israeli independence
• African Hebrew Israelites: African-Americans who believe they are descended from ancient Israelites. In the late 19th century in the United States, Christian groups began to adopt customs of Judaism. About 3,000 of them live in Israel today.
• Kabbalah: a type of Jewish mysticism developed as a way to rationalize bad events including the expulsion of Jews from Spain. Followers have 613 commandments to follow in order to help repair the world from such evils

The next post in the series is about travel tips.