Events in Israel

Israel is a country of conferences and congresses too. We might even say that the first convention in the land of Israel took place some 3000 years ago, when, as the Bible relates (I Kings: 8, 1-2), “King Solomon summoned to his presence in Jerusalem, the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families.”

Israel has developed quite a bit since those ancient times, and large, important congresses and conventions in Jerusalem have been hosted royally in the country, at the ICC Jerusalem - International Convention Center, the Israel Trade Fairs & Convention Center Tel Aviv and in hotels with congress & convention facilities that are as modern as those in most any hotel in the world.

Not too many years ago, the annual survey of the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) ranked Jerusalem in 5th place - and 1st from among all non-European cities - on the list of cities hosting international congresses and conventions. This was due in very large measure to the ICC Jerusalem’s marvelous facilities. Israel as a whole ranked 25th on ICCA’s list of 65 countries that held international congresses and conventions then. Now, when visitors from all over the world are discovering Israel once again as a viable and exciting tourism destination, organizers of international meetings and gatherings are certain to follow suit, offering their clients and members a unique and exciting tourism destination that can also supply them with everything they need to hold successful deliberations and also have an enjoyable and meaningful stay.

Facilities

Israel’s first international event in modern times was staged about 50 years ago, Since then, the country’s convention industry has been striding forward with dedication and foresight, developing a sophisticated and manifold infrastructure for meetings and conventions.
 

The ICC Jerusalem Conventions Center, which was upgraded recently, is Israel’s largest convention center, housing nearly 30 meeting halls of diverse dimensions, suitable for the requirements of conferences hosting anywhere from 100 to 10,000 participants. This unique flexibility imbues each and every gathering with the same sense of focus and fulfillment of purpose. The ICC Jerusalem offers the highest quality of technical equipment - amplification and lighting; excellently equipped translation booths, and whatever else may be required, including video conferencing and computerized presentations. Press rooms linked to all corners of the world by means of advanced computer systems, permit international video conferences and direct access to all major television networks.

The Israel Trade Fairs & Convention Center Tel Aviv, which was renovated and expanded a few short years ago, spans an area of more than 75 acres, of which 25,000 square meters are exhibition space. Approximately 15,000 square meters of the center's exhibit center are under cover and are divided up into 10 air-conditioned halls of different sizes, complemented by 40,000 square meters of outdoor exhibition space on the lush green-grassed areas. The combination of modern buildings on the one hand and the open exhibition areas on the other gives the Israel Trade Fairs and Convention Center a different and special appearance in the exhibitions and events industry and imbues the venue with a pastoral and unique atmosphere.

The International Conventions Center Haifa, a facility about 13 years old, is located at the southern entrance to the city. In addition to the thousands of square meters it offers of open spaces and modern halls, suited for conventions, exhibits and similar events, it features a central logistical system for technical support on a high professional level.

Aside from these major complexes, meetings and convention facilities exist in major tourism centers all over Israel, either as facilities standing in their own right, or as part of hotels, educational centers and convention complexes - and often with the cooperation of a number of facilities situated within a short distance from one another, for extremely large events - designed and equipped to meet just about every need. Excellent hotel facilities for conventions large and small can be found in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Eilat in particular. In other areas of the country too, such as in the Dead Sea region and in the Galilee, modern facilities exist for large gathering and these have been held there for many years.

Jewish tradition

If you are wondering how Jerusalem became such a center of religions and spirituality and a pilgrimage site for millions of tourists from around the world, the answer begins thousands of years ago. Jerusalem’s history is one of wars and struggles. Its strategic location attracted many nations that wanted to capture the city, and some of them did rule over it for various periods. This city has known war and peace, love and hate, riches and poverty, destruction and renewal, happiness and pain.

According to Jewish tradition, the creation of the world began (5766 years ago) with the foundation stone on Mount Moriah (under the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount). This is where an important royal Can’anite city was built (about 4,000 years ago), and which was conquered from the Jebusites by King David in 1004 BCE and became the capital of his kingdom and a holy city. David’s son Solomon built the First Temple and his descendents (Hezekiah, Zedekiah and the Judean Kings) continued to enlarge and fortify the city’s boundaries, and to build a water supply system (Hezekiah’s tunnel). These efforts paid off, and when King Sennacherib of Assyria besieged Jerusalem he could not subdue the city and withdrew. Only in 586 BCE did Nebuchadnezzar conquer the Jewish capital. The city was destroyed and most of its inhabitants exiled to Babylon. In 538 BCE Xerxes, the King of Persia, who has conquered Babylon, permitted the exiled Jews to return to Judea and Jerusalem, where they rebuilt the city and built the Second Temple. For 370 years Judea was an autonomous district, first under the Persians and then under the Greeks. After the Hasmonean Revolt in 168 BCE, Jerusalem again became the capital of a Kingdom, that later became under the rule of the Roman Empire. King Herod the Great further expanded the Temple in the years 73-4 BCE.

At the end of the Second Temple period Jerusalem was a city of great social and religious tension. It was during this period that Jesus was preaching in Nazareth. In 66 CE the Jews rebelled against the Roman Empire and took over Jerusalem. The suppression of this revolt ended in 70 CE, and the Romans, led by Titus, conquered the capital, destroyed the Temple completely and exiled the city’s inhabitants. For the next 60 years Jerusalem was desolate, until the Bar Kokhba Revolt, when the Jews returned for a short while. In 135 CE, the Romans rebuilt and renamed the city Aelia Capitolina and barred the Jews from living there.

After the Roman Empire accepted Christianity in 324 (and later became the Byzantine Empire), Jerusalem again became an important city. The site’s connected with Jesus’ life and death were located and declared holy, and many magnificent churches were built, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (the Church of the Resurrection) and the “Mother of all the Churches,” on Mt. Zion.

In 638 the Muslims conquered Jerusalem and built the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque over the next few centuries. Following the Muslim conquest the Jews returned to Jerusalem, and around the 10th century this city again became the spiritual capital for the Jews of the Land of Israel.

The Crusaders also wanted to rule Jerusalem. They conquered the city in 1099, massacred the Jewish and Muslim residents and made Jerusalem their own capital. Less than 100 years later, in 1187, the Crusaders were defeated by Saladin a battle at Khitin. At that time the Jews returned to Jerusalem and have been here ever since.
In 1250 the Mamluk dynasty rose to power in Egypt and its rulers conquered this region and became the new lords of Jerusalem. In 1517 the Ottoman Empire spread to Jerusalem and for 400 years was under Turkish rule. During the first 100 years the city flourished and its walls were rebuilt. In the second half of the 16th century, as the Ottoman Empire began to decline, so did Jerusalem’s fortunes.

By the beginning of the 19th century Jerusalem was a small neglected city inside its walls, and only toward the end of the century (from 1860 onward), did the New City begin to grow, thanks to the generosity of British philanthropist Moshe Montifiore, who financed the construction of Mishkenot Sha'ananim. The success of this new neighborhood led to more neighborhoods being built outside the walls. More Jews began moving to Jerusalem, becoming a majority of the population in 1873.

In 1917, with the start of the British Mandate period, Jerusalem retained its status as the capital of the land. When Israel was established in 1948, Jerusalem was declared the state capital, and all the major government institutions were built here. These including the Knesset (Israel’s parliament building), the Supreme Court and the various government offices. During the War of Independence, following bloody battles and ceasefire agreements, Jerusalem was left divided between Israel and Jordan, until the capital’s liberation in the Six Day War in 1967, when the two parts of the city were united and Jerusalem became Israel’s largest city.