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Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv is a sport association in Israel, and part of the Maccabi association. It runs many sports club and team in Tel Aviv, which compete in a variety of sports, such as: soccer, basketball, judo, swimming, handball etc. Maccabi Tel-Aviv's basketball team is one of the top basketball teams in Europe, and has won the European champion's cup 5 times. Maccabi Tel-Aviv's soccer team is one of the senior clubs in Israeli football with a rich history of championships, cups and titles. Branches of Maccabi Tel Aviv:
- Maccabi Tel Aviv - Basketball
- Maccabi Tel Aviv - Football (soccer)
- Maccabi Tel Aviv - Handball
- Maccabi Tel Aviv - Volleyball Category:Tel Aviv Category:Sport in Israel

Israel

The State of Israel (Hebrew: , transliteration: Medinat Yisra'el; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ إِسْرَائِيل, transliteration: Dawlat Isrā'īl) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a parliamentary democracy and the world's only Jewish state. The name "Israel" means "One Who Struggles with God," and is rooted in the Biblical passage Genesis 32:28 wherein Jacob is renamed Israel after struggling with an unnamed assailant. Israel is bordered by Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, and Egypt and the Gaza Strip in the south-west, and has coastlines on the Mediterranean in the west and the Gulf of Eilat (also known as the Gulf of Aqaba) in the south. Israel captured the West Bank and the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War of 1967. It withdrew all troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip on September 12 2005. The future status of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights remains to be determined.

History

Historical roots

Most believe that the land on which the State of Israel now exists was the birthplace of Judaism in the 10th century BCE or earlier, although some scholars dispute this. The earliest mention of the name 'Israel' is in Ancient Egyptian accounts of conquered lands in Asia minor, dating back to about 1500 BCE. For over 3,000 years, Jews have held the Land of Israel to be their homeland, both as a Holy Land and as a Promised Land, while non-Jews have also later maintained similar claims. The Land of Israel holds a special place in Jewish religious obligations, encompassing Judaism's most important sites including the remains of the First and Second Temple. Starting around 1200 BCE, a series of Jewish kingdoms and states existed intermittently in the region for over a millennium until the failure of the Great Jewish Revolt against the Roman Empire resulted in widescale expulsion of Jews (see Destruction of Jerusalem). Under Roman, Byzantine, and (briefly) Persian rule, Jewish presence in the province dwindled, but the Mishnah and Jerusalem Talmud, two of Judaism's most important religious texts, were composed in Palestine during this period. The Arabs conquered the land from the Eastern Roman Empire in 638 CE and the area was ruled by various Arab states before becoming part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517. Throughout the centuries, the size of the Jewish population in the land fluctuated widely, with the population in the region of present day Israel numbering approximately 20-25,000 in 1881 of a total population of 470,000.

Zionism and Aliyah

Ottoman Empire on May 14 1948 in Tel Aviv.]] The first wave of Jewish emigration to Israel, or Aliyah (עלייה) started in the late 1800s as Jews fled persecution. The end of the 19th century saw the founding of Zionism, the national movement to create a Jewish political entity in Palestine, leading to the Second Aliyah during the first two decades of the 20th century with the influx of around 40,000 Jews. In 1917 the British Foreign Secretary Arthur J. Balfour issued the historic Balfour Declaration that "view[ed] with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people". In 1920 Palestine became a League of Nations mandate administered by Britain (see British Mandate of Palestine). Jewish immigration resumed in third and fourth waves after World War I. Later, the rise of Nazism in 1933 led to a fifth wave of Aliyah, and the Jews in the region increased from 11% of the population in 1922 to 30% by 1940. The subsequent Holocaust in Europe led to additional immigration from other parts of Europe. By the end of World War II, the number of Jews in Palestine was approximately 600,000. In 1939 the British abandoned the idea of a Jewish national home, and abandoned partition and negotiations in favour of the unilaterally-imposed White Paper of 1939, which capped Jewish immigration. Its other stated policy was to establish a system under which both Jews and Arabs were to share one government. As a result of impending world war, the plan was never fully implemented, but the White Paper policy was implemented well into the end of WWII, and enforced even when refugees who survived the Holocaust were fleeing from Nazi persecution. (See Struma article.)

Establishment of the State and the War of Independence

In 1947, following increasing levels of violence by militant groups, alongside unsuccessful efforts to reconcile the Jewish and Arab populations, the British government decided to withdraw from the Palestine Mandate. Fulfillment of the 1947 UN Partition Plan would have divided the mandated territory into two states, Jewish and Arab, giving about half the land area to each state. Under this plan, Jerusalem was intended to be an international region under UN administration to avoid conflict over its status. Immediately following the adoption of the Partition Plan by the United Nations General Assembly, the Palestinian Arab leadership rejected the plan to create the as-yet-unnamed Jewish state and launched a guerilla war. On May 14 1948, before the expiring of the British Mandate of Palestine on midnight of the May 15 1948, the State of Israel was proclaimed. The surrounding Arab states supported the Palestinian Arabs in rejecting both the Partition Plan and the establishment of Israel, and the armies of six Arab nations attacked the State of Israel. Over the next 15 months Israel captured an additional 26% of the Mandate territory west of the Jordan river and annexed it to the new state. Most of the Arab population fled or were expelled during the war. The continuing conflict between Israel and the Arab world resulted in a lasting displacement that persists to this day. 1948 edition of Yishuv newspaper The Palestine Post, soon renamed into The Jerusalem Post. In the news: Egyptian Air Force bombs Tel-Aviv, Transjordan shells Jerusalem. 15 May was Shabbat.]] Immigration of Holocaust survivors and Jews from Arab lands doubled Israel's population within a year of independence. Over the following decade approximately 600,000 Mizrahi Jews, who fled or were expelled from surrounding Arab countries, migrated to Israel (with another 300,000 or so settling in France and North America, leaving only a tiny remnant, mostly in Morocco and Tunisia). Israel's Jewish population continued to grow at a very high rate for some years, and was fed by further waves of Jewish immigration following the collapse of the USSR.

Wars

The refusal of Arab countries to recognize the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 has been a source of repeated wars and other conflicts with Arab nations such as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The state of war between Egypt and Israel ended with the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty on March 26, 1979. The state of war with Jordan officially ended with the signing of the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace on October 26 1994. Sporadic negotiations with Lebanon and Syria have not as yet resulted in peace treaties. Israel is currently also embroiled in an ongoing conflict with Palestinians in the territories controlled since the Six Day War in 1967, despite the signing of the Oslo Accords on September 13 1993, and the ongoing efforts of Israeli, Palestinian and global peacemakers. Palestinians want Gaza and the West Bank to become part of a (preferably contiguous) future state. Israel currently plans on expanding existing large West Bank settlement blocs, and maintains the current impasse in the peace process —negotiations toward a permanent peace treaty featuring a two-state solution— cannot be restarted until the Palestinian government dismantles terrorist groups.

Articles related to the wars

- 1948 Arab-Israeli War "The Independence War" (see also: 1949 Armistice Agreements). Also called "War of Liberation" מלחמת העצמאות או מלחמת השחרור
- 1956 Suez War "Operation Kadesh" מבצע קדש או מלחמת סיני
- 1967 Six Day War מלחמת ששת הימים
- 1970 War of Attrition מלחמת ההתשה
- 1973 Yom Kippur War מלחמת יום כיפור
- 1982 Lebanon War "Operation Peace For Galilee" מבצע שלום הגליל
- First Intifada אינתיפדה
- 1990/1 Gulf War מלחמת המפרץ
- al-Aqsa Intifada אינתיפדת אל-אקצא The Israeli Defense Forces codenamed it "אירועי גיאות ושפל" ("Ebb and Tide events") but it is unofficially referred to as the Oslo War in some Israeli circles.

Politics and law

Israel is a parliamentary democracy based on universal suffrage and proportional representation. Israel's legislative branch is a 120-member parliament known as the Knesset. Membership in the Knesset is allocated to parties based on their proportion of the vote. Elections to the Knesset are normally held every four years, but the Knesset can decide to dissolve itself ahead of time by a simple majority, known as a vote of no-confidence. The President of Israel is head of state, serving as a largely ceremonial figurehead. The President selects the leader of the majority party or ruling coalition in the Knesset as the Prime Minister, who serves as head of government.²

Constitution

Israel has not completed a written constitution. Its government is based on the laws of the Knesset, especially by "Basic Laws of Israel", which are special laws (currently there are 15 of them), by the Knesset legislature which will become the future official constitution. In mid-2003, the Knesset's Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee began [http://www.cfisrael.org drafting a full written Constitution to be proposed to the Knesset floor.] This effort is still underway as of late 2005. The declaration of the State of Israel has a significance in this matter as well. Israel's legal system is a western legal system best classified as "mixed": it has a strong Anglo-American influence, but in some parts has borrowed heavily from civil law tradition. Despite the Anglo-American influence, the jury system was not adopted in Israel, and court cases are decided by professional judges.

Judiciary and Legal System

The Judiciary branch of Israel is made of a three-tier system of courts: at the lowest level are the Magistrate Courts, situated in most cities. Above them, serving both as an appellate court and as a court of first instance are the District Courts (six of them, situated in the six judicial districts of Jerusalem, South, Tel Aviv, Centre, Haifa and Nazareth). At the top of the judicial pyramid is the Supreme Court seated in Jerusalem. The current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is Aharon Barak. Religious tribunals (Jewish, Sharia'a, Druze and Christian) have exclusive jurisdiction on annulment of marriages. The Israeli Supreme Court serves a dual role as the highest court of appeals and as the body for a separate institution known as the High Court of Justice. The HCOJ has the unique responsibility of addressing petitions presented to the Court by individual citizens. The respondents to these petitions are usually Governmental agencies (including the Israel Defense Forces). The result of such petitions, which are decided by the HCOJ, may be an instruction by the HCOJ to the relevant Governmental agency to act in a manner prescribed by the HCOJ. Judges are elected by a committee made of Members of the Knesset (Parliament), Supreme Courts Judges and Members of the Israeli Bar. According to the Courts Law, judges retire at the age of 70. Registrars to all courts are appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, with the approval of the Minister of Justice. Israel's legal system is part of the Western legal systems. It is a mixed system, influenced by Anglo-American, Continental and Jewish law principles. As for the Anglo-American influence, the Israeli legal system is based on the principle of stare-decisis (precedent). It is an adversarial system, not an inquisitorial one, in the sense that the parties (e.g. plaintiff and defendant) are the ones that bring the evidence before the court. The court does not conduct any independent investigation on the case. There is no jury in Israeli courts, and cases are decided upon by professional judges. As for Civil Law influences, several major Israeli statutes (such as the Contract Law) are based on Civil Law principles. Israeli statute body is not comprised of Codes, but rather of individual statutes. However, a Civil Code draft has been completed recently, and is planned to become a bill.

Military

Israel's military consists of a unified Israel Defense Forces (IDF), known in Hebrew by the acronym Tzahal (צה"ל). Historically, there have been no separate Israeli military services. The Navy and Air Force are subordinate to the Army. There are other paramilitary government agencies which deal with different aspects of Israel's security (such as MAGAV and the Shin Bet). See further discussion: Israel Security Forces. The IDF is considered one of the strongest military forces in the Middle East and ranks among the most battle-trained armed forces in the world, having had to defend the country in five major wars. The IDF's main resource is the training quality of its soldiers, but it also relies heavily on high-tech weapons systems (both developed and manufactured in Israel for its specific needs, and also largely imported from the United States), and expert manpower, rather than possession of overwhelming manpower. Most Israelis, males and females, are drafted into the military at the age of 18. Exceptions are Israeli Arabs, confirmed pacifists, those who cannot serve due to injury or disability, and women who declare themselves religiously observant. Compulsory service is three years for men, and 20 months for women. Circassians and Bedouin actively enlist in the IDF. Since 1956, Druze men have been conscripted in the same way as Jewish men, at the request of the Druze community. Men studying full-time in religious institutions can get a deferment from conscription; most Haredi Jews extend these deferments until they are too old to be conscripted, a practice that has fueled much controversy in Israel. Following compulsory service, Israeli men become part of the IDF reserve forces, and are usually required to serve several weeks every year as reservists, until their 40's.

Geography

Haredi Jews The total area of the sovereign territory of Israel —excluding all territories captured by Israel in 1967 — is 20,770 (20,330 land) square km; the total area under Israeli law —including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights — is 22,145 (21,671 land) square km; the total area under Israeli control — including the military-controlled and Palestinian-governed territory of the West Bank — is 28,023 (27,549 land) square km.

Metropolitan areas

As of 2004, The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics defines three metropolitan areas: Tel Aviv (population 2,933,300), Haifa (population 980,600) and Be'er Sheva (population 511,700) [http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton55/st02_15.pdf]. Jerusalem may also be considered a metropolitan area, though its limits are hard to define since it spans communities in Israel proper and the West Bank, both Israeli and Palestinian, and even the boundaries of Jerusalem city itself are disputed. As of 2005, the official population of Jerusalem city is 706,368.

Economy

Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of fossil fuels (crude oil, natural gas, and coal), grains, beef, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for grains and beef. Diamonds, high-technology, military equipment, software, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, and agricultural products (fruits, vegetables, and flowers) are leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Israel possesses extensive facilities for oil refining, diamond polishing, and semiconductor fabrication. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the U.S., which is its major source of economic and military aid. A relatively large fraction of Israel's external debt is held by individual investors, via the Israel Bonds program. The combination of American loan guarantees and direct sales to individual investors, allow the state to borrow at competitive and sometimes below-market rates. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-1999, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to 1 million, one-sixth of the total population, and adding scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the economy's future. The influx, coupled with the opening of new markets at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly in the early 1990s. But growth began slowing in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out. Those policies brought inflation down to record low levels in 1999.

Demographics

1999 According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2004, of Israel's 6.9 million people, 76.2% were Jews, 19.5% Arabs, and 4.3% "others".[http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton56/st02_01.pdf] Among Jews, 68% were Sabras (Israeli-born), mostly second or third generation Israelis, and the rest are olim — 22% from Europe and the Americas, and 10% from Asia and Africa, including the Arab countries.[http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton56/st02_24.pdf] Israel has two official languages; Hebrew and Arabic (See also: Languages of Israel). Hebrew is the major and primary language of the state and is spoken by the majority of the population. Arabic is spoken by the large Arab minority and by some members of the Mizrahi and Teimani Jewish communities. English is studied in school and is widely understood. Other languages spoken in Israel include Russian, Yiddish, Ladino, Romanian and French. American and European popular television shows are commonly presented. Newspapers can be found in all languages listed above as well as others, such as Farsi. As of 2004, 224,200 Israeli citizens lived in the West Bank in numerous settlements, (including towns such as Ma'ale Adummim and Ariel, and a handful of communities that were present long before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and were re-established after the Six-Day War such as Hebron and Gush Etzion). Around 180,000 Israelis lived in East Jerusalem [http://fmep.org/settlement_info/stats_data/jerusalem/east_jerusalem_population_area_2000-2002.html], which came under Israeli law following its capture from Jordan during the Six-Day War. About 8,500 Israelis lived in settlements built in the Gaza Strip, prior to their evacuation by the government in the summer of 2005 as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan.

Religion in Israel

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2004, 76.2% of Israelis were Jews by religion. Muslims made up 16.1% of Israelis, 2.1% were Christian, 1.6% were Druze and the remaining 3.9% (including Russian immigrants and some Jews) were not classified by religion.[http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton56/st02_01.pdf] Israel, however, is not a theocracy and religions other than Judaism are supported. Roughly 6% of Israeli Jews define themselves as haredim (ultra-orthodox religious); an additional 9% are "religious" ; 34% consider themselves "traditionalists" (not strictly adhering to Jewish halacha); and 51% are "secular" (termed "hiloni"). Among the seculars, 53% believe in God.[http://www.geocities.com/demokratya/dat/shavit.htm] Israelis tend not to align themselves with a movement of Judaism (such as Reform Judaism or Conservative Judaism) but instead tend to define their religious affiliation by degree of their religious practice. Of the Arab Israelis 82.6% were Muslim, 8.8% were Christian and 8.4% were Druze.[http://www1.cbs.gov.il/shnaton56/st02_01.pdf]

Culture and religion

Footnotes

¹ Jerusalem is Israel's officially designated capital, and the location of its presidential residence, government offices and the Knesset, Israel's Parliament. In 1980, the Israeli Knesset confirmed Jerusalem's status as the nation's "eternal and indivisible capital", by passing the Basic Law: Jerusalem — Capital of Israel. However, many countries dissent from this designation, and consider the status of Jerusalem as an unresolved issue, due to Israel's capture of the eastern half of Jerusalem (and subsequent reunification) from Jordan during the Six Day War. They believe that the final issue of the status of Jerusalem will be determined in future Israeli-Palestinian negotiations; Therefore, those countries locate their embassies in other major cities like Tel-Aviv, Ramat-Gan, Herzliya, etc., instead, to avoid political sensitivities. Moreover, some of the dissenting countries do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, due to what they perceive as illegal Israeli action in designating the city to be its capital in the first place (1950), as well as Israel's capture of the eastern half from Jordan, in 1967. These states instead recognize Tel-Aviv, the temporary capital for a time in 1948, when Jerusalem was under Arab control, as the continuous legitimate capital, and as a result keep their embassies there. Other entities maintain that Jerusalem must be internationalized as originally envisioned by the United Nations General Assembly. See the article on Jerusalem for more. ² For a short period in the 1990s the prime minister was directly elected by the electorate. This change was not viewed a success and was abandoned.

Annotated List of Israeli Media Sources

General references to the Israeli media:
- [http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/facts%20about%20israel/culture/the%20printed%20media-%20israel-s%20newspapers The Printed Media: Israel's Newspapers] Summary from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- List of Israeli newspapers English-language periodicals:
- Globes [http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/nodeView.asp?fid=942] English-language website of Israel's business and technology daily
- Ha'Aretz [http://www.haaretz.com/] Online English edition of the relatively highbrow Hebrew-language newspaper, Haaretz has a liberal editorial stance similar to that of The Guardian.
- IsraelInsider [http://www.israelinsider.com] - Independent, right wing outlet. Target audience is American Jewry.
- Jerusalem Newswire [http://www.jnewswire.com/ ] Independent, right-wing Christian-run news outlet
- The Jerusalem Post [http://www.jpost.com/] Israel's oldest English-language newspaper, considered to have a right-of-center editorial slant
- Jerusalem Report [http://www.jrep.com/] Left-of-center English weekly newspaper
- Maariv [http://www.maarivintl.com/] English edition of the centrist second largest Hebrew-language newspaper
- YNetNews [http://www.ynetnews.com/] English-language website of Israel's largest newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth Hebrew-language periodicals:
- Globes [http://www.globes.co.il/ ] business and technology daily
- Ha'Aretz [http://www.haaretz.co.il/] Relatively highbrow Israeli newspaper with a liberal editorial stance similar to that of The Guardian
- Hamodia Daily newspaper serving Israel's Haredi community. English editions are also published in the U.S. and the U.K. and serve local Jewish Orthodox communities in those countries. Hamodia is not available online.
- Hazofe [http://www.hazofe.co.il] daily newspaper with a religious Zionist point of view Hebrew-language periodicals (continued):
- Maariv [http://www.maariv.co.il/] Second largest Israeli newspaper, centrist.
- Makor Rishon [http://www.makorrishon.net] Conservative weekly newspaper
- Yated Ne'eman Daily newspaper serving the Haredi community
- Yedioth Ahronoth [http://www.ynet.co.il/], Israel's largest newspaper, centrist Arabic-language periodicals:
- Al-Ittihad Arabic-language daily newspaper Israeli broadcast media:
- [http://www.iba.org.il/ Israel Broadcasting Authority], TV News in Hebrew, some English.
- [http://www.radioisrael.com Radio Israel]
- [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/ Arutz Sheva] news site representing the settler community, right-wing religious (English)
- [http://www.israelradio.org/ Kol Israel - Voice of Israel] Also produced by the IBA. In Hebrew, French, English, Spanish, Ladino, Russian, Persian, Yiddish, etc.
- [http://www.isracast.com IsraCast] - Independent, multimedia broadcast and distribution network that focuses on Israeli foreign affairs and defense issues (English) Important Internet sources:
- Indymedia Israel [http://israel.indymedia.org/], primarily left-wing and anti-zionist, mostly in Hebrew Relevant non-Israeli media:
- Electronic Intifada [http://electronicintifada.net], Independent website covering Palestinian affairs and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
-
- Jewish Telegraphic Agency [http://www.jta.org/], New York-based news agency covering worldwide Jewish news, centrist (English)
- Yahoo News [http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/israel] news headline links

External links

-
- [http://www.telavivguide.net Tel Aviv travel guide with information about sightseeing and activities in and around Tel Aviv]

General information

- [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761575008/Israel_(country).html#s1 Encarta Encyclopedia entry on Israel]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/803257.stm BBC News Country Profile - Israel and Palestinian Territories]
- [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/israel.html Jewish Virtual Library Israel articles], including information on history, economics, and military issues. From the American-Israel Cooperative Enterprise, an Israel-advocacy group.
- [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/is.html CIA World Factbook - Israel]
- [http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/israel/ US State Department - Israel] includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
- [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/mideast/cuvlm/Israel.html Columbia University Libraries - Israel] directory category of the WWW-VL
- [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Middle_East/Israel/ Open Directory Project - Israel] directory category
- [http://www.sabranet.com SABRAnet - Where Israel comes alive on the Internet]
- [http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Israel/ Yahoo! - Israel] directory category

Government

- [http://www.gov.il/FirstGov/english Government Portal of Israel]
- [http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel]
- [http://www.president.gov.il/defaults/default_en.asp The President of the state of Israel]
- [http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng Prime Minister's Office]
- [http://www.cbs.gov.il/engindex.htm Bureau of Statistics]
- [http://www.idf.il/ Israel Defence Force site]
- [http://www.seamzone.mod.gov.il/pages/eng/purpose.htm Israel Security Fence Project]

The Knesset (Parliament)

- [http://www.knesset.gov.il/ The Knesset (Parliament)]

Legislation and the Legal System

- [http://62.90.71.124/eng/home/index.html The Courts]
- [http://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_yesod1.htm Basic Laws], legal code of Israel
- [http://www.israelinsurancelaw.com/ Israeli Commercial, Banking, Tort and Insurance Laws - in English]

History

Please see main article History of Israel
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/78601.stm The birth of Israel] from the BBC
- [http://www.imj.org.il/ Israel Museum, Jerusalem]
- [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/7/Israel-s%20Foreign%20Relations-%20Selected%20Documents Historical documents] from the Israeli Ministry of Public Affairs
- [http://www.isracast.com/territories.asp Authentic historical Recordings] - UN Partition Vote of 1947, Arab Rejection, "First" Hatikva, David Ben-Gurion - On Independence, Arab Countdown to Six Day War, Moshe Dayan - Six Day War, Gen. Ariel Sharon - "Move forward!", Nasser's Infamous Phonecall, Gen. Yitzhak Rabin - Six Day War, Abba Eban's "Stalingrad" Speech

Economy, science, and technology

- [http://www.standardpoor.co.il/index.html Standard and Poor's Israel Economic Information]
- [http://duns100.dundb.co.il/ DUNS 100], the hundred largest companies in Israel
- [http://www.science.co.il/ Israel Science and Technology Homepage]
- [http://www.israelinsurancelaw.com/ Translation of Israeli Laws to English]
- [http://www.isracast.com/tech.asp IsraCast: Science and Technology News From Israel] - Updated Weekly (English)
- [http://www.worldwide-tax.com/israel/indexisrael.asp Israel economy and business parameters] Israel key Data on Israeli Taxes, Income Tax, Tax Rates in Israel.

Foreign relations and the current conflicts

For links on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, see Arab-Israeli Conflict: External Links
- [http://www.mfa.gov.il Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
- [http://www.israel21c.com Israel21c: A focus beyond the conflict]
- [http://www.saag.org/papers2/paper131.html India-Israeli Relations: The Imperatives for Enhanced Strategic Cooperation]
- [http://mondediplo.com/focus/mideast/r1276 Le Monde diplomatique report on EU-Israeli relations]
- [http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/israel/intro/ European Union's relations with Israel]
- [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/ustoc.html US-Israeli Relations] from the Jewish Virtual Library.
- [http://www.cactus48.com/truth.html Jews for Justice in the Middle East] Publication detailing Arab-Israli conflict

Society

- [http://www.iwn.org.il/iwn.asp Israel Women's Network]
- [http://www.gaymiddleeast.com/country/israel Gay Middle East - Israel section]
- [http://www.fmep.org/analysis/ori_nir_israels_arab_minority.html Israeli Arabs and Israeli Society], discussion with Ori Nir, correspondent for Haaretz and the Forward.
- [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/freedom.html Freedom of Religion in Israeli Society and Politics] by Prof. Shimon Shetreet, former minister of Religious Affairs.
- [http://www.nswas.org/ Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam] the Oasis of Peace, an experimental Arab-Jewish cooperative village.
- [http://www.reform.org.il/ Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism], Reform Judaism in Israel

Photos

- [http://www.trekker.co.il/english/israel-tour.htm Pictures of various holy sites and tourist destinations].
- Israel capital - [http://www.jerusalemshots.com/en Jerusalem]. Portal of Jerusalem Photos

Historical Recordings

- [http://www.isracast.com/territories.asp Authentic historical Recordings] - UN Partition Vote of 1947, Arab Rejection, "First" Hatikva, Ben-Gurion - On Independence, Arab Countdown to Six Day War, Moshe Dayan - Six Day War, Gen. Ariel Sharon - "Move forward!", Nasser's Infamous Phonecall, Gen. Yitzhak Rabin - Six Day War, Abba Eban's "Stalingrad" Speech
- [http://www.isracast.com/yk/stage.swf A cry from the bunkers] - Dramatic and authentic recordings by IDF soldier Avi Yaffe from inside the IDF position, under attack at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur war. Category:Hebrew words Category:Levant Category:Near Eastern countries Category:Middle Eastern countries Category:Southwest Asian countries zh-min-nan:Í-sek-lia̍t-kok ko:이스라엘 ms:Israel ja:イスラエル simple:Israel

Tel Aviv

, was founded the same year.]] Tel-Aviv-Yafo (Arabic تَلْ اَبِيبْ-يَافَا Tal-Abīb-Yāfā Hebrew תֶּל אָבִיב-יָפוֹ (without niqqud: תל אביב-יפו)); is an Israeli city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Tel-Aviv is also part of the largest and most populous metropolitan area in Israel, known as Gush Dan (“Dan Aggregate”). Tel-Aviv is located at 32°5′ North, 34°48′ East (32.08333, 34.8). [http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html] The larger metropolitan area comprises a number of separate municipalities with around 1.8 million people living in the 14 km sprawl along the Mediterranean coast. Tel-Aviv-Yafo itself has a population of 365,000 and a land area of approximately 50,500 dunums (50.5 sq. km), making it the second largest city (in terms of population) in Israel. Bat Yam, Holon, Ramat Gan, Givatayim, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva, Rishon LeZion, Ramat Ha-Sharon and Herzliyya are the other major cities in the area known as Gush Dan .

Origin of the name

Gush Dan Gush Dan The name Tel Aviv in Hebrew means "Hill (tel) of Spring (aviv)", the title given by Nahum Sokolov to a Hebrew translation which he made of Theodor Herzl's book Altneuland, whose title means "Old-new-land". The Hebrew word aviv means the season called Spring, not source of water. There is an account that Sokolov designed the book title Tel-Aviv to suggest the destruction of the ancient Jewish state and the hoped-for restoration of a new Jewish state: aviv = "the season of Spring" to symbolize the renewal; and tel to symbolize the destruction of the ancient state, following not the usual Hebrew meaning of the word "tel" but a modern European meaning "mound of accumulated ruins". The name "Tel-Aviv" was taken by Nahum Sokolov from the Book of Ezekiel, 3:15 : "Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-Aviv, that lived by the river Chebar, and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days." The place called Tel-Aviv in the Hebrew Bible is usually spelt Tel-abib or similarly in Bible translations. The Aviv referred to may have been the season of Spring directly, or it may have referred to a god or goddess in Mesopotamian belief of the time who caused Spring to come.

History

Mesopotamian The settlement in the area of modern southern Tel-Aviv (the neighbourhoods of Neve Shalom and Neve Tsedek) was started in the 1880s as a substitute for the rather expensive Arab neighbourhoods of Jaffa. However the city of Tel-Aviv itself was established only in 1909 as Ahuzat Bayit and was later renamed to Tel-Aviv. At its founding, Tel Aviv was intended only to be a suburb, a bedroom community, with the workers commuting to Jaffa. However, a dispute broke out between the Jews of Tel-Aviv and the Arabs of Jaffa in 1921 or thereabouts, and this led the denizens of Tel Aviv to create a new central business district. Owing to its proximity to the port of Jaffa, and its status as the first Jewish community that immigrants saw when coming into the country, Tel-Aviv quickly grew to become the centre of Israeli urban life, and it remains so to this day. In 1950 Tel-Aviv and Jaffa were united in a single municipality - Tel-Aviv-Yafo. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, for a period of eight months (May-December 1948) during the Arab blockade of Jerusalem it also served as the temporary de facto capital of Israel. Israel subsequently designated Jerusalem as its capital. Some states regard Tel Aviv as the legitimate capital of Israel, due to disagreements over the status of Jerusalem. Most base their consulates and embassies in Tel Aviv, without expressing an opinion on the status of either city. Israel rejects their claims and insists that Tel Aviv ceased to be the state's seat of government in 1948 .

Culture

Jerusalem Tel-Aviv University (TAU), the second largest university in Israel, is located in a northern neighborhood named Ramat-Aviv. TAU has an excellent reputation internationally, mostly famous for its physics, computer science and chemistry departments. There are many cultural centers in Tel-Aviv, including the Opera House and the Culture Hall (with a 3,000 seat concert hall). Tel-Aviv also has many theatre companies and theatre halls, HaBima ("The Stage") is the most recognized. Tel-Aviv has many museums and art galleries.
- The Eretz Israel Museum is known for its rich collection of archeology and history exhibits.
- The major art museum in Israel is the Tel-Aviv Arts Museum.
- Batey Haosef Museum is a museum for the military history of the Israel Defense Forces. It is regarded by many experts and arms collectors as a real jewel, containing rare exhibits and authentic pieces from Israel's history as well as a wide variety of firearms and pictures.
- The Palmach Museum near Tel Aviv University offers a unique multimedia experience, as well as vast archives, depicting the lives of young self-trained Jewish soldiers who eventually became the first defenders of Israel.
- Near Charles Clore's garden in north Jaffa, Israel, there is a small museum of the Etzel Jewish millitant organization, one of whose achievements was conquering Jaffa into Israeli control in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
- In the campus of TAU is the Jewish Diaspora Museum, dedicated to Jewish history throughout the world. Carrying both historical documents and art, the museum tells the story of Jewish prosperity and prosecution throughout the centuries of exile. In July 2003, Tel Aviv's White City was announced unanimously by the UNESCO council as a World Heritage Site, due to its massive assemblage of the Bauhaus International Style buildings, the city's most precious architectural style. Tel Aviv hosts the largest Gay Pride Parade in Israel, drawing upwards of 100,000 people. Tel Aviv is known for its openness as well as superlative nightlife.

Sports

Tel-Aviv holds some of the top sports teams in Israel, and in one case even in the world. Tel-Aviv is the only city ever to have 3 clubs in the Israeli football premier league. The Maccabi Tel-Aviv Sports Club was founded in 1909 and houses over 10 sport branches, such as the Maccabi Tel-Aviv basketball club (45 times Israeli champion, 35 times Israeli cup holder and 5 times European Champions cup holder), the Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC soccer club (18 times Israeli champion, 22 times Israeli cup holder, twice Israeli Toto cup holder and twice Asia cup holder), and a Judo club (Yael Arad of Maccabi Tel-Aviv won a silver medal in the 1992 Olympic Games). The Hapoel Tel-Aviv Sports Club was founded in 1923, and over the years has included over 11 sport branches, including Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball club (5 Israeli championships, 4 Israeli cups) and Hapoel Tel Aviv soccer club (13 Israeli championships, 10 Israeli cups, one Toto cup and once Asia champion), kayaking Club, women's basketball club and more that have always been amongst the top Israeli clubs. Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv's soccer club (once Israeli champion, twice Israeli cup holder and twice Israeli Toto cup holder) is the only Israeli soccer team on the highest Israeli soccer league (Ligat Ha'al) that represents only a neighbourhood - Shechunat Hatikva ("The Hope Neighborhood") in Tel Aviv - and not an entire city. Other minor soccer clubs of mainly historical importance include Shimshon Tel Aviv and Beitar Tel Aviv.

Transportation

The main access route of Tel-Aviv is the Ayalon Highway, which goes through the city - north to south - on the Ayalon River route, which had been ordered between the 2 lanes. Tel-Aviv has 4 railroad stations along the Ayalon Highway. The stops are from north to south: Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv Merkaz (Tel Aviv Central Train Station, near the Masof 2000 Bus Depot.), Tel-Aviv Ha-Shalom (at the Azrieli Center shopping mall) and Tel-Aviv Ha-Haganah (Near the Tel-Aviv Central Bus Station). It is estimated that about 1 million people use the train from Rishon LeZion, Rehovot, and Petah Tikva to Tel-Aviv and back, per month. The Tel-Aviv Central Bus Station, not the largest central bus station in the world, is located in the south. The main bus network in Tel-Aviv belongs to the Dan Bus Cooperative. The Israeli Egged Bus Cooperative, the world's second-largest bus company, also has a bus network in the city. Tel-Aviv's airport is Dov Hoz Airport Sde Dov (code: SDV), located at the north of the city and serves as a major airport for domestic flights. Ben Gurion International Airport (code:TLV), which is Israel's main international airport and also serves the city, is located 15 km southeast of Tel Aviv near the city of Lod. A Tel Aviv Subway is expected to be completed by 2012, improving public transportation in the city dramatically.

Mayors of Tel Aviv

- Meir Dizengoff (1921–1925)
- David Bloch (1925–1927)
- Meir Dizengoff (1928–1936)
- Israel Rokach (1936–1952)
- Chaim Levanon (1953–1959)
- Mordechai Namir (1959–1969)
- Yehoshua Rabinowitz (1969–1974)
- Shlomo Lahat (1974–1993)
- Ronnie Milo (1993–1998)
- Ron Huldai (1998–)

Footnote

- Ramat Ha-Sharon and Herzliyya, though neighbouring Tel Aviv, are not considered part of Gush Dan, but rather of an area named Sharon.
- Jerusalem is fully accepted as Israel's capital by three countries, the United States of America, Costa Rica and El Salvador. Other countries assert that Israel's control of the entire city of Jerusalem is illegal under international law and therefore its granting if capital status is invalid. Most states avoid taking a stance on the issue and so de facto locate their embassies in Tel Aviv. These states leave the issue of the status of Jerusalem to a final solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

External links

- [http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/english/index.htm Tel-Aviv official website (English)] [http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/ (Hebrew)]
- [http://www.telavivguide.net Tel Aviv Travel Guide (English)]
- [http://www.telaviv4fun.com Tel Aviv 4 Fun (English)]
- [http://194.90.126.5/iview/viewer.htm Interactive detailed city map (Hebrew)]
- [http://www.tau.ac.il/ Tel-Aviv University]
- [http://www.timeout.co.il TimeOut Tel-Aviv (Hebrew)]
- [http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/Airports/BenGurion/ Ben Gurion International Airport]
- [http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/Airports/SdeDov/ Dov Hoz Airport (Sde Dov)]
- [http://www.telaviv-marina.co.il/ Tel-Aviv Marina]
- ja:テルアビブ simple:Tel-Aviv

Basketball

Basketball is a ball sport in which, under organized rules, two teams of five players each try to score points by throwing a ball through a hoop. It is primarily an indoor sport, played in a relatively small playing area, called the court. The speed and grace of the game, combined with the close proximity of the spectators to the action, make basketball an exciting spectator sport. Since its invention in 1891, it has developed and become a truly international sport.

History

Early basketball

Basketball is unique in that it was invented by one man, rather than evolving from a different sport. In 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian-born American minister on the faculty of a college for YMCA professionals (today, Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, sought a vigorous indoor game to keep young men occupied during the long New England winters. Legend has it that, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules, and nailed a peach basket onto the gym wall. The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium on January 20 1892. Then, there were nine players on the court in a court just half the size of an NBA court. "Basket ball", the name suggested by one of his students, was popular from the beginning, and with its early adherents being dispatched to YMCAs throughout the United States, the game was soon played all over the country. Interestingly, while the YMCA was responsible for initially developing and spreading the game, within a decade, it discouraged the new sport, as rough play and rowdy crowds began to detract from the YMCA's primary mission. Other amateur sports clubs, colleges, and professional clubs quickly filled the void. In the years before World War I, the Amateur Athletic Union and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association (forerunner of the NCAA) vied for control over the rules of the game. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball. The first balls made specially for basketball were brown, and it was only in the late 1950s that Tony Hinkle, searching for a ball that would be more visible to players and spectators alike, introduced the orange ball that is now in common use.

College basketball and early leagues

Naismith himself was instrumental in establishing the college game, coaching at University of Kansas for six years before handing the reins to renowned coach Phog Allen. Naismith disciple Amos Alonzo Stagg brought basketball to the University of Chicago, while Adolph Rupp, a student of Naismith at Kansas, enjoyed great success as coach at the University of Kentucky. College leagues date back to the 1920s, and the first national championship tournament, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in New York, followed in 1938. College basketball was rocked by gambling scandals from 1948-1951, when dozens of players from top teams were implicated in game fixing and point-shaving. Partially spurred by the association of the NIT with many of the cheaters, the NCAA national tournament surpassed the NIT in importance. Today, the NCAA tournament is rivaled only by the baseball World Series and the Super Bowl of American football in the American sports psyche. In the 1920s, there were hundreds of professional basketball teams in towns and cities all over the United States. There was little organization to the professional game, as players jumped from team to team, and teams played in armories and smoky dance halls. Leagues came and went, and barnstorming squads such as the New York Rens and the Original Celtics played up to two hundred games a year on their national tours.

US high school basketball

Before widespread school district consolidation, most US high schools were far smaller than their present day counterparts and during the first decades of the 20th century basketball quickly became the ideal interscholastic sport due to its modest equipment and personnel requirements. In the days before widespread television coverage of professional and college sports, the popularity of high school basketball was unrivaled in many parts of America. Today, virtually every high school in the United States fields a basketball team in varsity competition, and its popularity remains high, both in rural areas where they carry the identification of the entire community, as well as at some larger schools known for their basketball teams where many players go on to participate at higher levels of competition after graduation. In the 2003-04 season, 1,002,797 boys and girls represented their schools in interscholastic basketball competition, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. The states of Indiana and Kentucky are particularly well known for their residents' devotion to high school basketball; the critically acclaimed film Hoosiers shows high school basketball's depth of meaning to these rural communities.

National Basketball Association

Hoosiers In 1946, the National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed, organizing the top professional teams and leading to greater popularity of the professional game. An upstart organization, the American Basketball Association, emerged in 1967 and briefly threatened the NBA's dominance until the rival leagues merged in 1976. The NBA has featured many famous players, including George Mikan, the first dominating "big man"; ball-handling wizard Bob Cousy and defensive genius Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics; Wilt Chamberlain (who originally played for the barnstorming "Harlem Globetrotters"); all-around stars Oscar Robertson and Jerry West; more recent big men Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, playmaker John Stockton; and the three players who many credit with ushering the professional game to its highest level of popularity: Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. The NBA-backed Women's National Basketball Association began play in 1997. As in the NBA, several marquee players (Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Sue Bird among others) have helped the league improve its popularity and level of competition. Other professional women's basketball leagues in the United States have folded in part because of the success of the WNBA.

International basketball

Sue BirdThe International Basketball Federation was formed in 1932 by eight founding nations: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland. At this time, the organisation only oversaw amateur players. Its acronym, in French, was thus FIBA; the "A" standing for amateur. Basketball was first included in the Olympic Games in 1936, although a demonstration tournament was held back in 1904. This competition has usually been dominated by the United States, whose team has won all but three titles, the first loss in a controversial final game in Munich in 1972 against the Soviet Union. In 1950 the first World Championships for men were held in Argentina. Three years later, the first World Championships for women were held in Chile. Women's basketball was added to the Olympics in 1976, with teams such as Brazil and Australia rivaling the American squads. FIBA dropped the distinction between amateur and professional players in 1989, and in 1992, professional players played for the first time in the Olympic Games. The United States' dominance briefly resurfaced with the introduction of their Dream Team. However, with developing programs elsewhere, other national teams have now caught up with the United States. A team made entirely of NBA players finished sixth in the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis, behind Serbia and Montenegro, Argentina, Germany, New Zealand and Spain. In the 2004 Olympics, the United States suffered its first Olympic loss while using professional players, falling to the Puerto Rican national basketball team and eventually came in third after Argentina and Italy. World-wide, basketball tournaments are held for all age levels, from five- to six-year-olds (called biddy-biddy), to high school, college, and the professional leagues. Tournaments are held at each level for both boys and girls. The global popularity of the sport is reflected in the nationalities represented in the NBA. Players from all over the globe can be found in NBA teams. Steve Nash, who won the 2005 NBA MVP award as the Most Valuable Player in the NBA, is a South African-born Canadian player. Dallas Mavericks superstar, Dirk Nowitzki, was born in Germany and plays for the German national team. The all-tournament team at the most recent World Basketball Championships, held in 2002 in Indianapolis, demonstrates the globalization of the game equally dramatically. The team featured Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic of Serbia and Montenegro, Manu Ginobili of Argentina, Yao Ming of China, and Pero Cameron of New Zealand; all except Cameron were or became NBA players.

Rules and regulations

:Main article: Rules of basketball Measurements and time limits referred to in this section often vary between tournaments and organisations; international and NBA rules are used in this section. The object of the game is to outscore one's opponents by throwing the ball through the opponents' basket from above while preventing the opponents from doing so on their own. An attempt to score in this way is called a shot. A successful shot is worth two points, or three points if it is taken from beyond the three-point arc which is 6.25 meters (20 ft 5 in) from the basket in international games and 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m) in NBA games. A successful free throw is worth one point.

Playing regulations

Games are played in four quarters of 10 (international) or 12 minutes (NBA). Fifteen minutes are allotted for a half-time break, and two minutes are allowed at the other breaks. Overtime periods are five minutes long. Teams exchange baskets for the second half. The time allotted is actual playing time; that is, the clock is stopped while the ball is not in play, for example when a violation or foul is committed or during free throws. Therefore, games generally take much longer; games of the length above realistically take around two hours. free throw A time-out is a clock stoppage requested by the coach of either team, during which he can talk to the team. A time-out lasts one minute in international basketball and either 60 seconds or 20 seconds in NBA basketball; time-outs can be extended to up to 100 seconds if a television commercial break is needed. The number of time-outs allowed in a game and in each period is limited, typically to five or six in a game. The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee, one or two umpires and the table officials. The table officials are responsible for keeping track of each teams scoring, timekeeping, individual and team fouls, player substitutions, team possession arrow (except in the NBA, Euroleague, and some amateur leagues), and the shot clock.

Equipment

Other than the ball, the only essential equipment in basketball is the court: a flat, rectangular surface with two baskets at opposite ends. At competitive levels, much more equipment may be needed, including clocks, scoresheets, scoreboards, foul markers, alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated stop-clock systems. The men's ball's circumference is about 30 inches (76 cm) and weighs about 1 lb 5 oz (600 g). The women's ball's circumference is about 29 inches (730 cm) and weighs about 1 lb 3 oz (540 g). A regulation basketball court in international games is 28 by 15 meters (approx. 92 by 49 feet) and in the NBA is 94 by 50 feet (approx. 29 by 15 meters). Most courts are made of wood and have painted lines 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide to mark off the various sections. A basket and backboard hang over each end of the court. The basket consists of a cast-iron rim and a net, and is connected by supports to the backboard. At almost all levels of competition, the top of the rim is exactly 10 feet (3.05 m) above the court and 4 feet (1.21 m) inside the endline. While variation is possible in the dimensions of the court and backboard, it is generally considered mandatory for the rim to be the proper height. Even amateur players can detect a rim that is off by as little as a few inches, and practicing on a non-standard rim can cause a good shooter to lose the muscle memory necessary for a good shot.

Teams and uniforms

There are five players from each team on the court at any time. Teams can have up to seven substitutes. Substitutions are unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped. Teams also have a coach, who oversees the development and strategies of the team, and other team followers such as assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers. basketball court For both men's and women's teams, a standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a sleeveless tank top with a clearly visible number printed on both the front and back. Players also wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Often, team names and players' names and sometimes sponsors are printed on the uniforms too. For FIBA-sanctioned international tournaments, only numbers from 4 to 15 may be used. This enables referees to signal players' numbers to the scorer's table using their fingers. For domestic and continental competitions in most organised basketball, including the NBA, but excuding NFHS and NCAA competition, any number from 1 to 99, as well as 0 or 00 (but not both), are permitted. In NFHS and NCAA competition, players are limited to 0 or 00 (not both), and any number from 1-5, 10-15, 20-25, 30-35, 40-45, and 50-55. In the state of Iowa for girls only, home players must wear odd numbers and visiting players must wear even numbers. No two players of the same team may wear the same number.

Violations

The ball may be advanced toward the basket by being shot, passed between players, thrown, tapped, rolled or dribbled (bouncing the ball while running). The ball must stay within the court, though it is not considered out-of-bounds until the ball touches the ground or someone who is touching the ground that is out-of-bounds. The last team to touch the ball before it travels out of bounds forfeits possession. The ball-handler may not move both feet while he is holding the ball and not dribbling, known as travelling, nor may he dribble with both hands or catch the ball in between dribbles, a violation called double-dribbling. A player's hand must remain on top of the ball while dribbling, failure to do so is known as carrying the ball. A team, once having established ball control in the front half of the court, may not return the ball to the backcourt. No player may kick the ball or strike it with his fist. A violation of these rules results in loss of possession, or, if committed by the defense, a reset of the shot clock. There are limits imposed on the time taken before progressing the ball past halfway (8 seconds in international and NBA), before attempting a shot (24 seconds), holding the ball while closely guarded (5 seconds), and remaining in the restricted area (3 seconds -- in the NBA, this rule is for both offense and defense, as a defensive violation results in a free throw attempt). These rules are designed to reward good defense. No player may interfere with the ball or basket on its downward flight to the basket, or while it is on the ring (or, in the NBA, while it is directly above the basket), a violation known as goaltending. If a defensive player goaltends, the attempted shot is considered to have been successful. If a teammate of the shooter or dribbler goaltends, the basket is cancelled and the team loses possession.

Fouls

:Main articles: Personal foul, Technical foul An attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through personal contact is illegal and is called a foul. These are most commonly committed by defensive players; however, they can be committed by offensive players as well. Players who are fouled either receive the ball to pass inbounds again, or receive one or more free throws if they are fouled in the act of shooting, depending on whether the shot was successful. One point is awarded for making a free throw, which is attempted from a line 4.5 metres (15 feet) from the basket. There is some discretion with the referee when calling a foul — they consider if there was unfair advantage gained, for example, a player gained possession unfairly. This makes fouls sometimes controversial calls. Contact in basketball is unavoidable, and the calling of a foul can vary between games, leagues and even between referees. A player or coach who shows poor sportsmanship, for instance, by arguing with a referee or by fighting with another player, can be charged with a technical foul. The penalty involves free throws and varies between leagues; repeated incidents can result in disqualification. Blatant fouls with excessive contact or that are not an attempt to play the ball are called unsportsmanlike fouls (or flagrant fouls in the NBA, intentional fouls in the NCAA) and incur a harsher penalty; in some rare cases a disqualifying foul will require the player to leave the playing area. Effective in 2004, two unsportsmanlike fouls in a match resulted in a player being disqualified. If a team surpasses a preset limit of team fouls in a given period (quarter or half) – four for international and NBA games – the opposing team is awarded two free throws on all subsequent defensive fouls for that period. In NCAA and US high school play, one free throw is awarded for a team's seventh foul in a half, with a second awarded either if he is successful on the first attempt, or on a team's tenth and subsequent foul in a half. If a player commits five fouls (including technical fouls) in one game (in a league where a game consists of four twelve-minute periods, including the NBA, six fouls), he is not allowed to participate for the rest of the game, and is described as having "fouled out". In the NBA, however, when a team is reduced to five players, once a player commits his sixth foul, he remains in the game, and one additional free-throw is awarded to the free-throw shooter in addition to any free throw attempts awarded for the foul. In the case of an offensive foul past the limit, one free throw is still awarded. A similar rule is used if a team reduced to five players has a player who must leave the game because of injury, as he must be replaced by the last player who left the game because of committing six fouls.

Common techniques and practice

Positions

During the first five decades of basketball's evolution, a player occupied one of three positions, as follows: two guards, two forwards, and one center. Since the 1980s, more specific positions have evolved, as follows: #Point guard #Shooting guard #Small forward #Power forward #Center On some occasions, teams will choose to use a three guard offense, replacing one of the forwards or the center with a third guard. The distinction in positions is important mainly in coaching; any of the 5 players may shoot, pass or otherwise take any legal action at any time.

Shooting

Center To shoot, the player holds the ball in both hands, with the shooting hand (usually the shooter's dominant hand) under the ball and the ball resting only on the top parts of the shooter's fingers, similar to a waiter carrying a tray. The ball is shot toward the target by extending the shooting arm and wrist in a half-arc until the fingers are pointing toward the floor. The ball rolls off the finger tips while the wrist completes a full downward flex motion. The shooting elbow is extended upward, starting its extension from approximately a 90 degree flex to nearly straight. Generally, the non-shooting hand and arm are not used in the shot, except to maintain the ball's position on the shooting hand. The two most common shots are the set shot and the jump shot. The jump shot is by far the most common, with the set shot used mainly for free throw attempts. The set shot is taken from a standing position, with neither foot leaving the floor during the shot. The jump shot is taken from a mid-air position: the player flexes at the knees and jumps before shooting near the top of the jump. The power of the jump shot comes from the legs, giving the player a much longer range, and also allowing the player to elevate over the defender to get a better look at the basket. After release, the ball should have a steady backspin, deadening the ball upon impact with the rim. The ideal trajectory of the shot is somewhat arguable, but generally coaches will profess proper arch. The ball should pass well above the hoop, depending on the length of the shot, and travel downward into the basket to create the best angle for success. Most players try to shoot directly into the basket, but certain situations may call for the shooter to use the backboard to redirect the ball into the basket. The best shooters have great hand and eye coordination, excellent balance, and courage under pressure. Spotting a shooting opportunity is as important as basic technique; top players at the professional level rarely miss when given an unguarded look at the basket. Practice is a key element as well, of course. Many players will linger for hours after a practice session, taking hundreds of shots from various angles to perfect their technique.

Passing

A pass is a method of moving the ball between players. Most passes are accompanied by a step forward to increase power and are followed through with the hands to ensure accuracy. One of the most basic passes is the chest pass. The ball is passed directly from the passer's chest to the receiver's chest. This has the advantage that it takes the least time to complete, as the passer tries to pass as directly straight as possible. Another type of pass is the bounce pass. In this pass, the ball bounces about two-thirds of the way from the passer. Like the chest pass, it is passed from the passer's chest to the receiver's chest, and it is passed as directly as possible, for example, there should be no downward motion of the ball between the bounce and the time the receiver catches it. In this way, it is completed in the smallest amount of time possible for this pass. It does take longer to complete than the chest pass, but it is more difficult for the opposing team to intercept (kicking the ball deliberately is a violation). Thus, in crowded moments, or to pass the ball around a defender, this pass is often used. The overhead pass is used to pass the ball over a defender. The ball is passed from behind the passer's head, coming over it and aiming for around the chin of the receiver. This pass is also a fairly direct pass and can cover more distance than a chest pass. A pass is not necessarily always between two players a distance from each other; sometimes a clever cut by a team-mate can mean that a pass is to a team-mate who is in motion but at the time of passing next to the passer. The most important aspect of a good pass is that it is difficult for the defense to intercept. For this reason, large arc-shaped passes are almost always avoided and cross-court passes, called skip passes, are only used in certain situations.

Dribbling

Dribbling is the act of bouncing the ball continuously. When a player dribbles, he or she pushes the ball down towards the ground, rather than patting it, because this ensures greater control. When dribbling past an opponent, the dribbler should dribble with the hand furthest from the player. It is therefore important for a basketballer to be able to dribble confidently with both hands. In this way, the defender will not be able to get to the ball without getting past the dribbler. Also, the dribble will be lowered so that its movement is more frequent. The dribble is also lowered when switching hands. This is because, when switching the hand that is dribbling, the ball travels in front of the player making it easier to steal. Alternatively, to switch hands, a player can dribble between his legs or behind his back. It is common for beginners to dribble into a difficult position. A player should not have to watch the ball while he is dribbling. The pushing motion means that he knows where the ball is without having to see it; and a player's peripheral vision can also track the ball. By not having to focus on the ball, a player can look for team mates or scoring opportunities, as well as steer themself away from the danger of someone stealing the ball from them.

Height

Being tall is a clear advantage in basketball. At the professional level, most male participants are above 1.90 meters (6 ft 3 in) and most women are above 1.70 meters (5 ft 7 in). Guards, for whom physical coordination and ballhandling skill are of paramount importance, tend to be the smallest players, though they can occasionally be quite tall. The shortest player ever in the NBA is Muggsy Bogues at 1.60 meters (5 ft 3 in). Forwards in the men's professional leagues are almost all 2 meters (6 ft 6 in) or taller. Most centers, and a few forwards, are over 2.1 meters (6 ft 10.5 in) tall. The tallest players ever in the NBA, Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan, are 2.31 m (7 ft 7 in). Currently, the tallest NBA player is Yao Ming, who stands at 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in), although Yao has been recently reported to be 2.30 m barefoot and 2.34 m (7 ft 8 in) in basketball shoes. At the US college level, most men are at least 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and women 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m). The smallest high school players are usually 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) in boys' play and 5 feet (1.52 m) in girl's play. Some shorter players experience success at the pro level. Anthony "Spud" Webb stood just 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall, but had an amazing 42 inch (1.07 m) vertical leap, and played for 12 years in the NBA, even winning the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Variations and similar games

There are some variations of basketball played in informal settings. In street (also known as 'pickup' or 'streetball') games, an arbitrary number of points by one team is set as the game's end point. Free throws are not used, and fouls are called, by the fouled player, only when a violation is flagrant or prevents a score. Fouls are almost always called by the player with the ball; off-ball fouls or fouls called by the defense are frowned upon unless the foul committed is especially egregious. Full court games usually only commence if there are ten players. For smaller groups of people, the game is usually played in a half-court setting. In half court games, only one basket is used, with the requirement that the ball be "cleared" - passed or dribbled behind the three-point line - whenever possession of the ball changes. A "make-it-take-it" convention, informally known as "buckets" or "winners out", is followed in some regions, whereby the scoring team retains possession of the ball. Because free throws are not generally used, baskets made in pick-up games generally count as one point. However, some courts have begun to add the three-point goal to their pick-up scenario. Some courts keep scores inside the three-point goal as one point and scores beyond it two, while others use standard basketball scoring rules: two points for scores inside the three-point goal and three points for scores outside. Both full court and half court games require an even number of players so that each team has an equal number of players. There exist, however, games for odd number of players. Twenty-one is a game that can be played with two or more players. Each player has his own score, with the winner being the first to reach twenty-one. The game begins with one of the players starting with the ball, with the objective of scoring. All other players attempt to stop the score. On a missed shot, the rebounder clears the ball by dribbling it beyond the three-point line. Whenever a basket is scored, that player receives two points and goes to the free-throw line, where each made shot tacks on another point to their score. Common variations include:
- Having the first made free throw in the game worth two points, while all others are worth just one
- Limiting a player to no more than three made free throws in a row. Upon the third consecutive free throw, the player must start with the ball and try to score a regular basket with the others playing defense.
- Having scores from behind the three-point line count as three points
- Resetting a players score back to zero if they end up with exactly thirteen points
- Resetting a players score back to zero or thirteen if their score exceeds twenty-one. This can happen if they have twenty points and are at the free throw line and miss their free throw. Since the minimum number of points they can henceforth get is two, once they hit twenty-two points rather than winning their score is reset to a lower value. Another common, less athletic game for smaller groups of players is H-O-R-S-E. In this game, players shoot in a particular order. To start, the first shooter may shoot from anywhere on the court. If they miss, the second player gets to shoot from anywhere on the court. If they make their shot, however, the second person must make the same shot made by the first; if the second player misses, they get a "letter" from the word "horse". The next player may shoot from anywhere they please. If, however, the second player makes the shot of the first, the third player must make the same shot, and so on, until the shooting cycles back to the first, in which he may take a new shot. A player is knocked out of the game once they have missed five shots, spelling out the word "horse". Oftentimes, the shots in H-O-R-S-E are trick shots that are rarely, if ever, taken in a real game. Spin-offs from basketball include baseketball, which has some elements of baseball, korfball, which was born in the Netherlands and is played by mixed teams, netball, which was informally called "women's basketball" but now includes men's teams, slamball, and ringball. 21 basketball, Horse, and Around the world are popular variants.

References

- NBA.com. [http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_index.html Official rules of the NBA]
- Reimer, Anthony (June 2005). "FIBA vs North American Rules Comparison". FIBA Assist 14, p. 40.
- International Basketball Federation (September 2004). Official Basketball Rules.

External links

- [http://www.nbajunkie.com NBA Junkie] wiki focused on basketball
- [http://www.centercourthoops.com CenterCourt Hoops] Basketball -- News and Discussion
- [http://www.freebasketball.netfirms.com Basketball fundamentals and streetball history] Official site
- [http://www.basketball-plays-and-tips.com/encyclopedia Basketball Plays, Drills and Fundamentals] Resource for coaches and players
- [http://www.nba.com NBA.com] Official site
- [http://www.playcoed.com Play Coed Basketball] Men's & Coed Hoops
- [http://www.nbawire.com NBA Basketball News]
- [http://www.bballin.com BBALLIN 1 on 1 and 3 on 3 Basketball Leagues] Official site
- [http://www.insidehoops.com InsideHoops.com]
- [http://www.hoopsstats.com Hoopsstats.com]
- [http://www.fiba.com International Basketball Federation]
- [http://www.northstarbasketball.com Northstar Basketball] Official site
- [http://www.hoopaddicts.com/modules.php?name=Forums Hoop Addicts discussion forum]
- [http://www.nbawire.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi NBA Message Boards]
- [http://www.googul.net/modules/zmagazine/article.php?articleid=1 Googul.net - The Origins Of Basketball]
- [http://games.espn.go.com/vgm Gatorade Virtual GM]
- [http://www.summerproleague.com NBA Summer Ball]
- [http://www.basketball-overseas.com Basketball Overseas USA & Europe]
- [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/papr:@FILREQ(@field(TITLE+@od1(Basket+ball,+Missouri+Valley+College++))+@FIELD(COLLID+workleis)) Movie of girls playing basketball at Missouri Valley College, circa 1904]
- [http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Sports/Basketball/ Basketball] from Yahoo!
- [http://www.pepere.org/flash_games/3_points_challenge.php?lang=1 Flash basketball three points demonstration]
- [http://www.basketball-oasis.com Basketball Oasis - basketball directory]
- [http://www.ep2005.co.yu/ Eurobasket 2005]
- [http://www.basketball.net.au Basketball Australia]
- [http://www.sacredhoops.com youth basketball]
- [http://www.quad4x.net/cswebpage/2_3zone.html 2-3 Zone Defense - most common zone used]
- [http://www.theatlasgames.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=45/ Atlas Games Basketball Competition]
- [http://www.cnbasketball.com/ Chinese basketball] Category:Ball games ko:농구 ja:バスケットボール simple:Basketball

Swimming

Swimming is the method by which living creatures move themselves through water in a method not involving simply walking on the bottom. Swimming is a popular recreational activity and a competitive sport. There are many health benefits of swimming, but it also entails risks if basic precautions are not taken. water water

Technique

The human body is composed primarily of water, and thus has a very similar density. But since only roughly 70% of the body is water, it is slightly less dense than the surrounding water, which exerts a buoyant force on it. Thus, staying afloat requires only a slight propelling of water downward relative to the body, and transverse motion only a slight propelling of water in a direction opposite to the direction of intended motion, due to generally low hydrodynamic drag. This propelling is typically accomplished by cupping the hands and using them as paddles, and by kicking the legs to push water away from the body. With practice, technique can convert a slow or average swimmer to at least a moderately fast swimmer. Since speed converts directly into distance, the same techniques that improve speed also aid one to move farther with the same effort. The torso and the legs should be kept as much as possible parallel to the surface of the water. Dropped legs or a slanted torso dramatically increase drag. The hand should be extended forward of the head, as much as possible. This increases the average length at the water-line, substantially increasing speed. This is an effect long used by boat designers, and unconsciously used by "naturally good swimmers." The time spent on the side should be maximized because the torso is smaller front-to-back than side-to-side on most swimmers. This reduces the frontal cross-section, reducing drag further, and also increasing the ratio between the body's water-line-length and width. Similar improvements are possible by orienting the narrowest direction of head, hands, legs and arms into the water. The torso is by far the most critical. The motion of the hand, arm, and leg from back to the front should be in the air as much as possible, and in the water, oriented as perfectly as possible, because the returning appendage has to move at least twice as fast as the swimmer, and in the water generates eight times the drag (drag increases with the cube of the speed) of an equal amount of torso frontal area. The basic "catch" of the water is not nearly as critical as the above items. Most swimmers simply grab water with their hand flat, or the fingers slightly spread, and then draw it smoothly down their body. None of the above techniques require improved strength. With strength training, the hands and feet can be extended further into the water, gaining more propulsion. For beginners, increased strength brings only small improvements if the above strategies (minimising drag and lengthening water-line) are not optimal. A number of swimming styles have been developed based on the implementation of some or all of these principles. The 500 yard freestyle and the 200 yard freestyle are considered to be the best events in swimming, though the 50 yard freestyle is considered the hardest.

History

Main article: History of swimming Swimming has been known since prehistoric times. Drawings from the stone age were found in "the cave of swimmers" near Wadi Sora (or Sura) in the southwestern part of Egypt. Written references date back up to 2000 B.C., including Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible (Ezekiel 47:5, Acts 27:42, Isaiah 25:11), Beowulf, and other sagas. In 1538 Nicolas Wynman, German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book "Colymbetes". Competitive swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. The front crawl, then called the trudgen was introduced in 1873 by John Arthur Trudgen, copying it from Native Americans. Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens. In 1902 the trudgen was improved by Richard Cavill, using the flutter kick. In 1908, the world swimming association Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) was formed. Butterfly was first a variant of Breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952.

Competitive swimming

Competitive swimming is swimming with the goal to maximize performance, usually the speed of swimming. Competitive swimming became popular in the 19th century, and is an event at the Summer Olympic Games. Competitive swimming's international governing body is FINA, which includes local sub groups such as USA Swimming (USAS) and United States Masters Swimming (USMS) in the United States, Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and Swimming Teachers Association (STA) in the United Kingdom. FINA regulates four swimming disciplines, swum over different distances.
- Freestyle refers to "any style", and in competitive swimming places no restrictions on what action the competitors use, except during the freestyle portion of medley swimming. In practice, almost all freestyle events are swum using front crawl. Events are held at distances of 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m. Events are held in yards at distances of 50 y, 100 y, 200 y, 500 y, 1000 y, and 1650 y.
- Butterfly events require that the swimmer's actions retain bilateral symmetry (the left side of the body has to do the same as the right). It is commonly considered the most physically challenging of the strokes. Events are held at distances of 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m. Events are also held in yards.
- Breaststroke, from which the butterfly stroke evolved, places the additional restriction that the swimmer's hands must be pushed forward together from the breast and that the elbows must remain under the water. It is the slowest stroke in competitive swimming. Events are held at distances of 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m. This stroke, as well as butterfly requires great shoulder strength. Events are also held in yards.
- Backstroke places no symmetry restrictions, but swimmers must lie on their back at all times except during turns to perform the stroke. Backstroke is performed, in essence, as an inversion of the crawl — competitors swing their arms back over their shoulder, alternately, and pull through under the water to provide motive power, with a flutter kick. Events are held at distances of 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m. Events are also held in yards. In the US all distances are swum in short course yards for NCAA and high school competition, except during Olympic years in which the NCAA championships are held in the short course meters format. Short course means that each length is 25 yards or meters. There are also world championships held in the short course meters format, however, it is not as publicised as the traditional long course (50 meters per length) world championships. The Olympic Games are competed exclusively in the long course meters format. World Championships are held each year, including both the traditional long course meters format and the less popular short course meters format. World records are tabulated separately for each event in both formats; world records are not recognized for the short course yards format. Backstroke and Freestyle are referred to as "long-axis" strokes because the body is in a much longer position than when performing breaststroke or butterfly, which are known as "short-axis" strokes. In addition to that there are a number of combination events in competitive swimming.
- Relay, where a number of swimmers swim sequentially. Events are held at distances of 4×50 m freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle and 4×200 m freestyle.
- Individual Medley, where one swimmer swims Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle in this order. Events are held at distances of 100 m (short course 25 m pools only), 200 m, and 400 m.
- Medley Relay, where four swimmers swim Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, and Freestyle in this order. Events are held at distances of 4×50 m medley and 4×100 m medley. Full rules are on the [http://www.fina.org/swimrules.html rules web page] of FINA. Competitive swimming has traditionally been dominated by the United States, but recently that dominance has been challenged by Australia , where swimming is a hugely popular recreational activity, and participant and spectator sport. The success of Australian swimmers like Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, Grant Hackett, and Kieren Perkins is reminiscent of Australia's previous golden age of swimming in the 1950s and 1960s, which saw the emergence of swimmers such as Shane Gould and Dawn Fraser. However, American swimmers, led by Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Kaitlin Sandeno, and Brendan Hansen have been holding off the Australians just like they did in the 2004 Olympics. Other countries with a great tradition in swimming are

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Israel

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- [http://62.90.71.124/eng/home/index.html The Courts] - [http://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_yesod1.htm Basic Laws], legal code of Israel - [http://www.israelinsurancelaw.com/ Israeli Commercial, Banking, Tort and Insurance Laws - in English]

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- [http://62.90.71.124/eng/home/index.html The Courts]
- [http://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_yesod1.htm Basic Laws], legal code of Israel
- [http://www.israelinsurancelaw.com/ Israeli Commercial, Banking, Tort and Insurance Laws - in English]

- [http://www.trekker.co.il/english/israel-tour.htm Pictures of various holy sites and tourist destinations].
- Israel capital - [http://www.jerusalemshots.com/en Jerusalem]. Portal of Jerusalem Photos