Judaism is one of the world's oldest religions. Jews believe in one God and follow the teachings of the Torah , the first five books of the Bible. At prayer, many Jewish men wear blude-edged prayer shawls and small boxes called phylacteries, or tephillin , which contain verses from the Torah . Saturday is the Jewish holy day, or Sabbath. Almost half of Israel's food is grown on large communal farms, called kibbutzim , on which many families live and work together.
People share everyday tasks such as cleaning and cooking, as well as work on the farm.
Use of computerised irrigation to water the land has made large areas of barren desert fertile. Because of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and repeated wars with neighbouring countries, the army plays a crucial part in Israeli life. From the age of 18, Israeli men and women must serve in the army for a number of years. Women receive the same training as men, but do not take part in direct combat.