Some Fun Facts about Israel

(With thanks to Israsel 21C)

1.     Israel has the highest number of altruistic kidney donations per capita in the world: 1,005 in the past 11 years, and counting.

2.     The oldest tree in Israel is a jujube tree in Ein Hatzeva on the road to Eilat, which is thought to be between 1,500 to 2,000 years old.

3.     Scientists in Israel managed to grow fresh dates from sixth-century seeds found at Masada and Qumran.

4.     At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, an old wooden ladder has been propped up against a window since the 18th century. No one can move it because the building is managed by six different churches and none can agree on who owns the ladder.

5.     The Mount of Olives is the oldest continuously used cemetery in the world. It’s been in use for over 3,000 years.

6.     85 percent of Israeli households get hot water from rooftop solar heaters, compared to less than 1 percent in the United States.