Judaism 101
May 9, 2008
Israel’s Water
People often think of Israel, which turned 60 yesterday, as a desert. But Israel is in fact blessed with four major bodies of water. They are the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea.
• The Mediterranean Sea, a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, forms Israel’s western border.
• The Sea of Galilee, a freshwater lake in northeastern Israel through which the Jordan River flows, is the largest body of fresh water and a popular swimming site.
• The Dead Sea is a popular tourist site –– and the Ahava beauty products that come from it are top sellers across the world. The Dead Sea is situated in the center of the great Syrian-African rift valley fault between Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan. It has the highest salt concentration of any of the world’s seas, salt lakes or any stretch of water, which makes floating in it effortless.
• The Red Sea borders Eilat, the southernmost city of Israel. Many folks like to vacation in Eilat because of the beautiful mirror-like Red Sea, its lively beaches, water sports and spectacular underwater world.
Of course, even with all those seas, Israel still has a water shortage, because the country has no rain most of the year and the seas’ water levels tend to be too low.