InFocus Israel 2018

Israel 2018

INNOVATIONS GIVEN TO THE WORLD Cyber Park Beer Sheva

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A NEW RELIGION

The World Centre of the Bahai faith is located in the Israeli cities of Acre and Haifa. The religion actually arouse in Persia but it was persecuted there.

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BAUHAUS SPRING HILL

Tel Aviv is a Unesco heritage site in recognition of the 4,000 Bauhaus buildings that were built in the city in the 1930s and ’40s.

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I AM THE RESURRECTION

WHAT IS KOSHER?

Israel is alone in having revived an unspoken language as its national tongue. Hebrew effectively died out and was revived to the point of being spoken by millions.

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06 It is funny but it is true – many things should be kosher here.

The glue on Israeli stamps is kosher.

Israeli scientists have ruled that giraffe milk is kosher.

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THE LOWEST,

BY FAR It is well known that the Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth — less well known is that it is 850 feet lower than the next lowest place — Lake Assal, in Djibouti.

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HUMMUS, HUMMUS!

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CEMETERY FROM ANTIQUITY

The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem is the world’s oldest continuously used cemetery. It is positioned in such a manner that the dead can rise and face the Messiah when he appers at the gates.

Hummus is extremely popular in Israel and you can even buy hummus flavoured ice cream in a shop in Jaffa.

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CHESSMASTERS Beersheva has the largest number of chess grandmasters per capita of any city in the world, and most of them came from the ex-USSR.

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— Text —

Žikica Milošević

INTERVIEW

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

We want to be present in innovation and hi-tech here

H.E. ALONA FISHER-KAMM Israeli Ambassador to Serbia 4

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srael celebrates 70 years of the proclamation of the independent state this year. A lot of events and celebrations have been prepared to mark this anniversary. Also, Israel wants to expand its role in economy and innovation in Serbia, while an increasing number of the Israeli tourists visit our country every year. We are talking to H. E. Ms Alona Fisher-Kamm, the Israeli Ambassador to Serbia, about these topics.

We can easily compare Serbia to Israel nowadays. We share a few striking similarities - Israel has the population of close to 8 million people, as does Serbia, without Kosovo. Serbia's territory is much bigger, but Israel is smaller than Vojvodina. The majority of Israel's population came to the country during the last 140 years, while frequently facing a hostile environment, like the Ottoman Turkey. In spite of the British embargo on Aliyah, and the issues with the Ottoman Empire and Arab neighbours, you managed to turn desert into an oasis, and created a hi-tech society, smart cities, and educated population with a lot of optimism. How did the people maintain the perseverance and resilinece during all this harshness?

— I would like highlight one thing: it is true that the First Aliyah, i.e. the first wave of immigrants, happened at the end of the 19th century, but during the past 2,000 years, there were some Jews living in the then-Palestine. These were mostly religious people, concentrated around religious sites like Jerusalem, Tiberias and Hebron. At the end of the 19th century, the

Jews saw the rise of nationalism all over Europe, they felt a part of it, they felt they were a nation, while at the same time, suffering persecution. They started looking to implement the visions and ideas of nationalism, and of course, their first idea was their homeland. During the Ottoman and British rule, the environment was hostile and the authorities put various obstacles in place. That did not happen throughout the entire British rule, but mostly after 1936, thus coinciding with the rise of the German Nazism. It was a harsh and really unfair situation, and as a result, we had illigal immigration then. At one point in time, the Brits prevented the Jews from entering the

I THINK WE ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THE SERBS: AWARE OF OUR PAST, BUT ALSO BEING MINDFUL OF THE FUTURE British Palestine, and the Germans persecuted them, so the Jews were really frightenened. Thousands of them disappeared trying to get to their homeland. In terms of innovation, it built our country. And it's not only innovation that should be credited for that, but also the heritage of innovation. This represents very much the spirit of Israel – on one hand, we are mindful of our roots and we are very proud of our past and the history, and on the other, none of

those prevent us from creating a better future and from innovating. It all comes from the idea that we are a very old nation but a very young state – we have had to innovate and think outside the box all the time. If you are talking about similarities, I think we are very similar to the Serbs: aware of our past, but also being mindful of the future. We don't lose the sight of our past in order to focus on the future, like many countries and cultures do. We cannot forget our past, because we don't want to.

What makes us particularly proud is the fact that the grandfather of Theodor Herzl was from today's Serbia, from Zemun, and he knew that you could revive the country that once had perished, four centuries after the Turkish slavery. He witnessed it in Serbia. If the Serbs, Bulgarians and Greeks could revive their own states, so could the Jews.

— It was more than that! Herzl was very much influenced by the Jewish nationalist Alkalaj, who was a rabi in Zemun. And Alkalaj was very much influenced by the Serbian nationalism. He was an intellectual and wrote a lot about the Serbian nationalism and what Jews could learn from it. And he was a good friend of Theodor Herzl's grandfather. If you read Herzl's work, you can see that he was very much infuenced by Alkalaj. It was a mutual inspiration and influence of Serbs and Jews. It was an interconnection. I would also like to mention David Albala, a Serbian soldier who was sent to Washington, D. C. by the Serbian government, in order to lobby for the Serbian nationalism, and in the end,

SIEGE

WE ALWAYS HAD A FEELING THAT WE WERE UNDER A SIEGE AND WE HAD TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING. THIS WAS ALL INCOPORATED INTO THE STATE OF ISRAEL ISRAEL 2018

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he had a lot success in terms of both the Serbian and Jewish national issues. The more I live here, the more I learn about the Jewish heroes influencing Serbia and how Serbian heroes influenced Israel and the Jews. As for the Startup Nation, yes, we are brimming with innovations and startups, but so are the other countries. But when we talk about innovations in Israel, they are also very relevant to Serbia. The Israelis did not start with a lot of money: we started from the scratch because we are not a wealthy country like Switzerland or Scandinavia. We had to start and innovate from zero. Israel is an innovative country. In order to convert innovation into our driving force, we had to transform our state budget into a developmental one, and it had to be a straight-line progress.

It was a strategic goal, because we had to make sure that the next government would continue down the same path, not stopping it for political reasons.

In his book “The Fifth Mountain”, Paulo Coelho writes - Yahweh says to a Jew: „I will destroy this town“, and one Jew stands up and retorts: „You cannot! It is my town!“. Yahweh replies: „I am God!“, and

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the Jew replies back: „I don't care, I can object!“, so God spares the town. In the Old Testament, Jews quarreled with God all the time. In the New Testament, the Christians communicated to God through Jesus and his Disciples, and in Islam, the very word means „obedience“, so in every new Abrahamic religion God is becoming more distant. Was that the reason?

IN ORDER TO CONVERT INNOVATION INTO OUR DRIVING FORCE, WE HAD TO TRANSFORM OUR STATE BUDGET INTO A DEVELOPMENTAL ONE — I can agree with that. Judaism preserved this spirit of debate even outside its homeland, during the 2,000 years of refuge.

It is a religion based on debates. There is no one rabi that will give you orders everything is based on debates between rabies, they talk with each other, conflict

and then come out and say something.

Also, there is a debate between a rabi and the faithful. If you are an ordinary person, you can even say „I disagree!“. Furthermore, to establish the base for a debate, people must be educated. There is no gap between education and religion, it all goes together, thought yeshivas etc. This is what helped Judaism to survive all these centuries and it gives us the base for the „thinking outside the box“. Besides the fact that everything in Israel was constructed out of a necessity, we had to think outside the box. The Jews were always a minority, frequently persecuted. You have to be creative to survive in a very hostile enviroment.

I've been told by the Jews that they, contrary to popular belief, don't like people with a lot of money. Rather, they like people who can make money. If you have a business empire, or 200 banks in your possession, they can be taken away from you and you will starve, so you have to be prepared to create new wealth. Do you agree?

— This explains the creativity I mentioned earlier. We always had a feeling that we were under a siege and we had to come up

with something. This was all incoporated into the state of Israel. We had no mines, no water, no industry, no resources – we came to the desert. But there was no other place to live! Nobody wanted us, even before the Holocaust, and especially after it. Also, we did not want to go anywhere else but Zion, Palestine, Israel, whatever you want to call it. We had to create water, not only to manage it. We had to find solution for creating resources. Later, we were surrounded by enemies. Plus, we had a very small market too. You cannot develop an economy for such a small market, and our neighbours were our enemies, so trading with them was out of question. So, we had to think what to offer to the more distant markets – be it services, knowledge... Politically speaking, we are very fragile. We have to diversify our export markets, instead of relying on a specific one. Today, our export is 1/3 USA, 1/3 EU and 1/3 Asia, approximately. This is very stable! If you have a big military industry, how can commercialise it in civil sector? If you have a good university education, how can you commercialise it on the market? These were challenges we successfully turned into our advantages.

The Romanians were always the greatest mathematicians in Europe, and the Indians in the world. But until quite recently these two nations did not monetise their knowledge. The monitisation of knowlegde is something we can all learn from Israel, like a safe driving application, or the one that detects diseases. Could we boost the cooperation between the Israeli and Serbian universities in terms of practice and courses?

— I have no doubt about it. But when it comes to the sceintific research and ed-

ucation, it is all about the money, namely it requires a lot of it. You have to create funds, amounting to millions of euros, for research, but it is possible. We are also not an EU-country, so it could be challenging, but we are open mostly to ad-hoc projects which are much easier to implement. We have a cooperation agency, called MASHAV. Every year, more than 50 participants from Serbia go to Israel to engage in different areas from medicine, social sciences, entrepreneurship, agriculture, women empowerment etc. There are

ONE OF THE MAIN IMPEDIMENTS FOR THE TOURISM IS THE LACK OF INFORMATION. TOURISM IS A VERY GOOD BRIDGE BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES a total of 7 or 8 different segments. They learn about the Israeli experience and try to implement it in Serbia. MASHAV has somewhat extended it activities, so it is not just the case of „come to Israel, finish a course and go back“, or „MASHAV will hold a course in Serbia and go home“. The idea is also to create some kind of brands and to implement the knowledge you acquired in Israel. We launched an Internet of Things Lab within ICT Hub in February this year. It was built by the participants of a MASHAV course in Israel, with the knowledge acquired in Israel. The project was evaluated as sustainable in Israel and was given a grant. There will be other projects

as such to be launched in the second half of the year. We want to be involved as much as we can in the innovation and high-tech communities in Serbia. We do believe, as you said, that there are a lot of commonalities between us. We are involved in Start Tel Aviv, we collaborate in startup incubators (both private and governmental ones), and in government iniciatives, trying to be as present, as possible, in innovation but elsewhere too. We haven't had a breakthrough as yet, and the potential is much higher. We want to have a breakthrough in our relations. We have participated in almost every innovation conference, with guest speakers from Israel. Experts and potential investors came to these conferences to get to know the market, the people, and the system. For the first time ever, we participated at RENEXPO, which focuses on renewables and water management.

We have a lot to offer. This May, we are taking part in the the Novi Sad Agriculture Fair for the second time.

You have made a lot of progress in agriculture – date farms, orange farms in the desert...

— Yes, but in order to grasp the size of the project, you have to see it from air. There is a lot to be done in that segment, as well as in scientific and economic areas.

Let's talk about culture. Tito was a president who understood the power of film and culture. The Americans won the hearts of the people through cinema and music. In the last 15 years, the Israeli cinematography experienced a real boom that was accomplished also thanks to the Ministry of Culture and their funds. The Serbian side of the story can be easier

EU

WE ARE ALSO NOT AN EU-COUNTRY, SO IT COULD BE CHALLENGING, BUT WE ARE OPEN MOSTLY TO AD-HOC PROJECTS WHICH ARE MUCH EASIER TO IMPLEMENT 8

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to understand with the expansion of the Serbian film – not propaganda, but litle, heartwarming stories. And the Jews are known as very funny people – the Odessa humour, Woody Allen... The same can be said for the Serbs. They are very self-deprecating. Can we learn from Israel and emulate your model?

— Of course, we collaborate a lot with the European countries. Lots of the films you mentioned were done in cooperation with the European countries. There is plenty of room for cooperation with Serbia. Cultural events are fairly developed in Israel. I would like to mention contemporary dance, jazz bands, and literature. We have very good writers whose books are transled into many languages, including the Serbian. As for films, I am not sure that the government grasped the importance of cinema. The most important is that the government is

THE MORE I LIVE HERE, THE MORE I LEARN ABOUT THE JEWISH HEROES INFLUENCING SERBIA AND HOW SERBIAN HEROES INFLUENCED ISRAEL AND THE JEWS not involved in creating the content. Sometimes, it supports films that can be perceived as very critical of Israel. We have a tradition of self-denigration, criticism and debate.

We sometimes want to provoke. The idea of being creative does not only extend to science and economy. This is the reason why Israeli films are so popular: they don't tell the narrative of the country, as they don't even focus on political situation in Israel, but rather on telling human stories. There are so many very special personal stories in Israel, maybe more than in any other country.

Once you see these stories, you will figure out the life in Israel. There are many lowbudget films about immigrants, war, terror, economic pressures, and social diversity.

Every family has a great story to tell, so it is very easy to make it into a film. We have very good film schools and the government is supportive of the film industry, as is the private sector which provides funds for it.

The National Lottery allocates almost all of

its revenue to culture, sports and education.

What are the future plans of the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade?

— Economically speaking, our agenda includes innovation sector, launching competitions and having a lot of Israeli speakers. We think there is a huge potential in agri-technology, as well as in water treatment. These are the main issues. Also, there is a strong focus on cyber technology, and medical devices, as we believe there is a great potential there too. I would also like to add tourism too. In the beginning, it was the Israeli tourists who were coming to Serbia, spurred by low cost flights, the visa-free regime, Air Serbia's direct flights and especially charter flights. They were the real game changer and there has been a huge increase in the number of Israeli tourists coming here recently. This year, and this is really encouraging, we recorded a higher number of Serbian tourists coming in Israel,

not as much as the Israeli tourists coming to Serbia (Growth by almost 40%). The numbers are still marginal, but the potential is huge. One of the main impediments for the tourism is the lack of information.

Tourism is a very good bridge. When the Israeli tourists come here, they are eager to tell everyone about Serbia when they go home. As for cultural tourism, we will praticipate in sevral events this year, namely in the Belgrade Dance Festivals with our dance troupes, cinema events, and theatre.

We will have our film week, and we will bolster the Days of Israel project. This year, in Kragujevac, we start someting much more global and universal, while in Belgrade, we will have lots of events relating to culture and innovations. If you observe these events, you will get a much more comprehensive insight of Israel. We will be more present in other cities and we want to make an impact on all the visitors. We have a lot of plans for this year!

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INTERVIEW

NEW COOPERATION AREAS Although the volume of trade between the two countries is still small, Serbia has recorded a growing interest shown by Israeli companies in agricultural / food products, while Israeli investors are increasingly interested in renewable energy sources, apart from the real estate sector, which propels the existing cooperation

JELENA JOVANOVIĆ

Director of the International Cooperation Sector at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS)

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ood political relations exist to create a good environment for development of the cooperation between Serbia and Israel, and it is up to us to facilitate as many direct contacts between business people from the two countries as possible, and let them find joint interest – says Jelena Jovanović, Director of the International Cooperation Sector at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS), to whom we talked about the dynamics of the external trade, investments and the CCIS' activities on bolstering the cooperation between the two countries.

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THE POLITICAL RELATIONS BETWEEN SERBIA AND ISRAEL HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY GOOD, AND THIS IS JUST THE BASIS FOR EXPANDING COOPERATION IN OTHER AREAS, INCLUDING ECONOMY

What are the results of the external trade in 2017 and in the first months of this year?

— According to the data collated of the State Statistics Bureau, in the period January-December 2017, the value of the total external trade in goods with Israel amounted to 66.5 million euro. The total export of goods to Israel in 2017 was valued at 27 million euro, which is an increase of 20% relative to the previous year. The volume of trade is not that high, but it is constantly increasing.

Serbia exports to Israel cigarettes, pneu-

matic tires for passenger cars, nickel-based products, dog and cat food, fruits and fruitbased products, cereal products, flour and starch products, furniture, confectionery products, etc.

In terms of the first months of this year, the largest increase was recorded in the export of fruit and fruit-based products (118%), but also in the export of furniture and furniture parts, as well as in cereal-based products, flour and starch products (111%).

What kind of effect did the increasingly better political relations in recent years have an effect on a more frequent visits of business delegations from both countries, and greater activities of business people seeking common interests?

— The political relations between Serbia and Israel have been consistently good, and this is just the basis for expanding cooperation in other areas, including economy. The visits of business delegations were not that frequent, but individual company visits have been taking place in both directions. Serbian companies that want to enter this market can, with the help of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS), and through the cooperation and support of our diplomatic representation in Israel and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, with which the CCIS has signed the Cooperation Agreement, visit Israel and present their products to potential partners. Israeli importers are mostly interested in quality agro-food products from Serbia. Serbian frozen fruits and vegetables, confectionery products, marmalades, jams, cereals and cereal-based products are mostly what interests Israeli companies that want to

import these products from Serbia. We are getting an increasing number of inquiries from Israeli companies seeking assistance in establishing contact with Serbian producers of organic food and other products from the so-called healthy food segment.

Which Israeli investments in Serbia in 2017 would you like to single out?

— Thanks to the implementation of a series of economic measures, Serbia has positioned itself as one of the leading investment destinations in our region. Many

SERBIAN COMPANIES, THAT WANT TO COOPERATE WITH THE ISRAELI ONES, ENJOY THE SUPPORT FROM BOTH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF SERBIA AND THE EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA IN ISRAEL big, world-renowned, successful companies have picked Serbia as their investment destination. Investors from Italy, Germany, Austria, USA, France and other countries, including Israel, have recognized the potential of our country. The Israeli company Africa-Israel Corporation / Tidhar Group was awared for its greenfield real estate project in the Airport City Business Park in Serbia. So far, a number

of projects have been implemented in the real estate sector, but with the entry of Israeli capital and projects in other segments, including the energy sector, especially the renewable energy sector, a new lease of life has been given to other investment plans and projects. Every project is important to us, and we hope that more and more Israeli investors will decide to implement their business plans in Serbia.

There is a great untapped potential in the economic segment – from tourism and trade to an even bigger Israeli investments in Serbia. What are the key reasons why this potential still remains untapped?

— We are making one step at a time. A long road is in front of us, but we are not at the very beginning. When it comes to trade, specifically exports to the Israeli market, it should be noted that Israel is more focused on cooperating with the EU and the US and a large percentage of Israeli imports come from the US and EU. The country is also focused on trading with the EFTA and other countries with which Israel has concluded free trade agreements. It is not easy for products from other markets to be competitive there. The value of our exports is not that high, but it should be underlined that since 2013, there has been a constant growth, both in the total external trade and the value of our exports.

Positive results are also recorded in the tourism sector. The distance between the two countries is not that big, and with the establishment of direct flights, it has become even shorter. According to the NBS, the foreign currency income from tourism in 2017, when Israel was concerned, amounted to about 88 million

INQUIRIES

WE ARE GETTING AN INCREASING NUMBER OF INQUIRIES FROM ISRAELI COMPANIES SEEKING ASSISTANCE IN ESTABLISHING CONTACT WITH SERBIAN PRODUCERS OF ORGANIC FOOD AND OTHER PRODUCTS FROM THE SOCALLED HEALTHY FOOD SEGMENT ISRAEL 2018

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euro, ranking this country second. The number of visits and overnight stays of Israeli tourists in 2017 increased by about three times compared to the previous year.

In 2017, 35,882 Israeli tourists visited Belgrade and had 110,697 overnight stays, again ranking second. The Serbia and Belgrade tourist boards are actively working on further promotion of tourist destinations in our country and we expect the results to be even better.

How many Israeli companies are present in the construction sector, and what are the most important ongoing projects?

— So far, Israeli companies have mostly been focusing on investing in the real estate sector. Many projects have been implemented, and some are ongoing, since they are implemented in stages. Shopping malls, business and residential complexes, and so-called retail parks have become an inseparable part of the life of citizens and visitors not only in Belgrade, but also in many other cities throughout Serbia. We hope that we are going to see more Israeli investors recognizing the untapped potential of other sectors that they can invest in.

Israeli companies investing in the energy sector is giving a new lease of life to other investment plans and projects.

What positive examples would you like to also mention, not related to the construction sector?

— Israeli investments in other sectors, such as the metal industry, food industry, transport and logistics, energy, and information technology sector are less visible than those in the construction industry, but they are present. Naturally, there is an increasing number of positive examples of foreign investments in Serbia, especially after further improvements in investment environment in Serbia have been made.

We expect even more successful stories, and that Israeli capital investments will be made in even more segments.

How much is the CCIS engaged in merging the resources of domestic IT companies and the Israeli market?

— The significance of the information and telecommunications sector in the 21st century is unquestionable. Connection, education, and digitalization are the three focal points that are recognized as the key to the development of the society

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POSITIVE RESULTS ARE ALSO RECORDED IN THE TOURISM SECTOR. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES IS NOT THAT BIG, AND WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIRECT FLIGHTS, IT HAS BECOME EVEN SHORTER and the Serbian economy. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia has an Association for Electronic Communications and Information Society that assembles key companies in the field of software, computers and related equipment and electronic commerce, which is actively working on improving the Serbian information and communication technologies market, business environment, and the promotion of export of information and communication services, as well as supporting the development of startup companies.

Israel is often called the "Startup Nation" and we can learn a lot from it. As the country of only 8.5 million inhabitants, Israel is home to the impressive number of extremely successful high technology companies. Google, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft all have their research centers in Israel, but a large number of local compa-

nies are much more interesting and attract the attention of foreign investors and the international IT community.

The goal of the Israeli government is to position Israel at the very top of knowledge-based economies. The ICT sector in Israel began to develop in the early 1970s, and back then, it was focused on information technology, software, communications and the Internet. The government has laid a good foundation for the development of the private sector that has supported innovation, and has invested heavily in creating the much needed human capital.

The quality of human capital is of strategic importance when it comes to knowledge-based society, and essential for innovation and economic growth. Israel's government-funded higher learning system has largely contributed to Israel's success in the high technology segment.

We have learned from Israel that the three largest drivers of the development of the high-tech community are strong universities, vibrant startup community and access to capital.

There are numerous areas in the ICT industry where we can cooperate and where we complement each other.

Both our and Israeli companies are focused on the projects abroad due to the fact that they have a small domestic market, and are therefore trying to find their place in the international market.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia is here to connect businesses with the goal of exchanging knowledge, experience, ideas, and possible joint development.

ECONOMIC COOPERATION

THE NEXT BIG THING

— Text —

Žikica Milošević

More than just shopping malls

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erbia could emulate Israel as a role model for hi-tech development since since the circumstances in which Israel has developed high technology are similar to the conditions in the Serbian economy – said the Israeli Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Ms Alona Fisher-Kamm. Also, the Serbian PM, Ana Brnabić has recently mentioned Israel as a model country that has a high-tech economy. And not only that! The potential for cooperation exists in all areas, from startups to tourism, through already wellknown investments made by Israeli companies in shopping centers.

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INVESTING IN REAL ESTATE AND ENTIRE RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS CAN BE EXPLAINED BY THE GREAT ISRAELI EXPERIENCE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL THAT IS BEING TRANSFERRED ABROAD TOO

There is an enormous potential for cooperation in all areas of the economy, such as agricultural technology, especially in the field of water treatment. Agricultural products from Serbia like meat, milk, fruit and the like are appealing to Israeli consumers. Serbia exports large quantities of furniture, wood and mechanical appliances to Israel.

SHOPPING MALLS AND REAL ESTATE Israeli companies are extremely active investors in residential and commercial

real estate, and the Israelis have invested heavily in shopping malls (BIG, as just one example, but also Aviva), thus becoming the largest investor in this segment in Serbia. Since 2000, billions of euros have been invested in the real estate sector, while, for the first six months of this year, tourism has also recorded a 300% increase compared to the first half of last year. Interestingly, the Ambassador once explained the Israeli trend of investing in shopping malls saying that "Israel has the experience because we have been building shopping malls all over the world". Of course, Jewish traders, along with the Zinzars and Armenians in our region and the Lebanese Christians elsewhere in the world, were considered the best traders in the world.

Investing in real estate and entire residential blocks can be explained by the great Israeli experience in the construction of the state of Israel that is being transferred abroad too. There is more!

Recently, the Israeli company, Madei Taas, which is interested in investing in the Serbian energy sector, expressed a desire for a greater cooperation, and investing in this sector, which hasn't received investments for a very long time that are very much needed in Serbia. One of the biggest transactions in the first six months of 2017 was the purchase of the Belgrade Plaza shopping centre by the Israeli company BIG Shoping Centers, which announced the construction of a shopping center in Belgrade, in the Vidikovac area. The Israeli company Aviv Arlon has announced the development of retail centers around the country. Given that Aviv in Hebrew means spring, these investments symbolize the flourishing of the Israeli investments in our country.

SUBOTICA IS ALSO BECOMING AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR DESTINATION WITH THE ISRAELI TOURISTS DUE TO ITS JEWISH HERITAGE, WITH SOME ISRAELI TOURISTS EVEN ORIGINATING FROM THERE

TOURISM 40,942 Israeli tourists came to Serbia in 2017, which is a 171% hike relative to 2016.

They made 125129 overnight stays which is an increase of 195% relative to 2016. Serbia is a popular place for wealthy couples who usually stay in the most expensive hotels, go to casinos, and spend thousands of euros in shopping centres – the Serbian Tourist Board says. Since October 2016, 500 Israeli tourists have been coming to

Serbia each week on charter flights, and they now rank second in the number of overnight stays in Belgrade. The Israelis prefer travel arrangements that last for two, three days, and since the introduction of charter flights, Belgrade is only two and a half hours away. Every year, the number of Israeli tourists increases dramatically, and the potential is growing. A large number of tourists come to get to know this affordable European destination, but there are also wealthy couples who stay in the most expensive hotels and eat at the elite restaurants. Husbands usually spend their time in casinos, and wives in shopping malls, spending several thousands of euros during their four-day visit to Serbia.

When they arrive in Serbia, they want to see Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci, while sightseeing in Belgrade they usually want to go to Dorćol and see its Menorah in Flames monument, which depicts the suffering of the Jews in Belgrade during the German occupation. Another popular spot is the Zemun Cemetary where the grandparents of Theodor Herzl, the founder of Israel, are buried. Subotica is also becoming an increasingly popular destination with the Israeli tourists due to its Jewish heritage, with some Israeli tourists even originating from there. Also, it is very important to tourists that the Serbs were a nation that protected the Jews in the most difficult times, and they haven't forgotten the friendship and solidarity. Israel does not have a lot of green areas while Serbia, on the other hand, is very green, so they are also keen to visit nature. They are not interested in beaches, which they have many, so the fact that Serbia does not have a coastline does not bother the growing avalanche of tourists from this friendly country.

TOURISTS

40,942 ISRAELI TOURISTS CAME TO SERBIA IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 2017, WHICH IS A 171% HIKE RELATIVE TO THE SAME PERIOD IN 2016 ISRAEL 2018

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CORPORATE

QUALITY ON THE LONG RUN

From the very beginning, the successfully installed, modern equipment has enabled TIM Co. to adopt the motto: "Quality gets on the long run" A Serbian company TIM Co. was established in 1993, as a company engaged in the service of medical equipment.

Since year 2000, company begins to represent foreign manufacturers of medical equipment and just to mention some of them with whom we have outstanding cooperation over the past years: HOLOGIC (USA), KAVO (Germany), CODONICS (USA), PLANILUX (Germany), and BARCO (Belgium).

From the second half of 2013, Tim Co. established a new department which is responsible for the placement of digital X-ray systems for use in various industrial and security applications.

TIM Co. made exclusive contracts for representing the following companies in the field of industrial and security applications: GSSI (USA) Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc., YXLON International (Germany) and FAXITRON (USA) Especially, we would like to empha-

size very successfully cooperation with the next two Israeli companies which represent the world's top in the field of security and safety equipment: • NOVO DR (Israel), leading designer, developer and manufacturer of cutting edge portable digital X-ray systems.

NOVO DR produce flat panel-based radi-

WORLD'S TOP

ESPECIALLY, WE WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE VERY SUCCESSFULLY COOPERATION WITH THE TWO ISRAELI COMPANIES WHICH REPRESENT THE WORLD'S TOP IN THE FIELD OF SECURITY AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT

ography inspection systems for the Security, NDT and Science and Art sectors.

• Laser Detection Systems LDS (Israel), a world-leading developer of stand-off laser-based trace detection technology, Laser Detect Systems (LDS) commercializes ultra-sophisticated, reliable and advanced laser spectrometry-based trace detection technology for homeland security, law enforcement, military and environmental safety application.

Various tasks were set for TIM Co., and TIM Co. was always big enough to handle them successfully, and small enough to perform them better than anyone else. TIM Co. will continue to serve as a reliable partner of the leading world-renowned producers of industrial and security applications, as well as security and safety equipment, as well as to successfully continue to perform all tasks and goals.

TIM CO d.o.o.

Jovana Rajića 5c, 11000 Belgrade • +381 11 28 36 786 • 28 36 787 fax +381 11 28 33 342 • www.timco.rs • office@timco.rs

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ECONOMY

CELEBRATING INNOVATION How Israel changed the world

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srael has long been declared the Startup Nation and is proudly carrying this flattering nickname. This is the country with the highest number of startups per capita in the world. Over the past decades, thousands of Israeli startups have led to innovation in a range of areas, from agricultural irrigation and GPS navigation to the treatment of cancer that saves many lives.

According to Joel Landau, there are currently more than 6,000 startups in Israel.

Israel is considered the second largest technology innovator, immediately after the famous Silicon Valley in California. Here are some examples of successful Israeli startups that have changed the world lately.

Israel is the 10th most innovative economy, after Far East and Scandinavian countries, France, Germany and Switzerland.

ICECURE

From cancer to ice IceCure's cryoablation technology is one of the most groundbreaking in the treatment of the gravest illness that is cancer. This technology transforms small benign and malignant tumors of the breast and lung into the balls of the ice, eliminating the need for surgical procedures. The cryopreservation system uses low temperatures and liquid nitrogen to essentially freeze the tumor in place, in a procedure that lasts only 15 minutes and requires only a small amount of local anesthetic.

MOBILEYE Watching over you while you drive By facilitating safer driving and potentially saving lives, the Israeli company Mobileye is developing technology that can help the driver with accident prevention.

Also, this company is one of the major developers of autonomous automotive technologies. Their systems use video cameras and advanced algorithms for identification and reaction to other vehicles, road curves, pedestrians and traffic signs, providing advance warning to drivers and thus preventing road accidents. Mobileye has already incorporated its technology into cars made by Audi, Tesla Motors and others.

SNIFFPHONE

How to literally smell your disease Professor Hossam Haick of Technion - Israel Institute of Technology presented last year a device that can sense the disease from the breath, similar to the breath-analyzer test. The device that he named SniffPhone uses nanotechnological sensors to analyze the inhalation particles and can determine the exact disease, including certain types of cancer. SniffPhone, Haick's new mobile device, contains its pre-developed NaNose breath test, which "sniffs" and smells out lung cancer before it spreads. The smartphone device is the carrier of the NaNose technology that is mobile and therefore can be used anywhere, including rural areas.

NETAFIM

How to preserve water

ACCORDING TO JOEL LANDAU, THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE THAN 6,000 STARTUPS IN ISRAEL

Netafim is synonymous with the famous Israeli invention of drip irrigation system, which now helps many countries around the world to preserve water and save money by supplying plants with just the right amount of water. The drip irrigation technique was developed in the 1960s, and it was invented by an Israeli engineer and inventor Simcha Blass in collaboration with Kibbutz Hazerim, who later began producing his original drop irrigation systems. In the wake of the growing water shortage in the world, the eyes of the world have been directed to Israel anticipating what is this country going to do about this sensitive problem, because Israel is a country located in the arid area, with the growing population and the GDP per capita, which, in translation, means that the settlements are expanding simultaneously with business facilities. A few years ago, this country carried out one of the important water conservation measures, with one of the Israeli inventions being to inject air into the tap water and thus create "oxygenated water flow."

TAKADU

Another water conservation aid Israeli startup TaKaDu has been working on developing pipe leakage solutions. The company, founded in 2009 by the Executive Director Amir Peleg, provides monitoring services for the water supply network system that helps water companies to monitor their water grids, detect leaks, explosions, inefficiencies and problems with their equipment or operational problems, all in real time. What is especially good about TaKaDu is that they use the existing data from available sensors and grid meters.

TREATMENT

ICECURE'S CRYOABLATION TECHNOLOGY IS ONE OF THE MOST GROUNDBREAKING IN THE TREATMENT OF THE GRAVEST ILLNESS THAT IS CANCER ISRAEL 2018

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CORPORATE

AMS OSIGURANJE IS HERE TO MAKE SURE YOUR HOLIDAY IS CAREFREE Do not let unplanned events surprise you, but leave it to AMS Osiguranje to take care of you because our clients come first

Y

ou would like to spend the next few days abroad, but are you stressed out that something could happen to you or your loved ones? Choosing a quality travel health insurance policy will protect you from unwanted financial loss and provide you and your loved with a carefree holiday you deserve.

Travel completely carefree and safe, and leave the care for your and your family's health in the hands of the professional AMS Osiguranje team.

A sudden illness or an accident can happen while on vacation, but the costs of medical treatments abroad are high and often exceed your budget. That's why it's smart to insure yourself on time.

We are mindful of you and your budget and therefore, we offer you the best prices and services in our market.

In AMS Osiguranje, you can obtain a travel insurance policy online, through our webshop, thus saving your precious time and money. During the promotional period, should you choose to

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obtain the travel insurance this way, we offer you a 30% discount on the insurance premium! For only 735 dinars, which is how much an individual policy premium for seven days of stay in the territory of Europe costs, discount included, you will be protected against having to pay exhuberant amounts of money for surgical interventions, hospital treatment or other health services, in accordance with the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. This is

DISCOUNT

DURING THE PROMOTIONAL PERIOD, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO OBTAIN THE TRAVEL INSURANCE VIA OUR WEBSHOP, WE OFFER YOU A 30% DISCOUNT ON THE INSURANCE PREMIUM

a real benefit for those people who are going on family holidays, because in that case, the premium amounts to only 1,617 dinars for the same period of time.

While on the road, do not forget to insure your flat or a house. We offer you the opportunity to insure your home from a range of risks at affordable prices, and if you choose to also insure the things in your home, you will be entitled to an additional 10% discount on the entire insurance premium, which further helps your budget.

Do not let unplanned events surprise you, but leave it to your AMS Osiguranje to take care of you because our clients come first. Come to our office at 16, Ruzveltova Street in Belgrade, or to one of our 250 outlets across Serbia, and consult our friendly, professional staff which combination of insurance coverage suits your needs and financial situation the best.

For more information please call us on 0800-009-009, or visit our webiste www.ams.co.rs.

TRADITIONS

THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF ALIYAH The Nation of Immigrants

T

here are no foreigners in Israel, because everyone came from somewhere. There were very few Jews living on the territory of the Ottoman Palestine 150 years ago, until the Jews from all over the world started emigrating there. The local Arabs, who populated the territory after the Jewish exile, were not too keen on seeing Jews coming back, but Aliyah (or Immigration), continues to this day.

THE BEGINNING OF ALIYAH Aliyah is the term that we use to describe the migration of Jews to Israel and Palestine which started in late 19th century,

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in 1882, to be more specific. Aliyah is a part of the Zionist Movement’s programme, and one of the main principles of the Zionist

IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 40% OF HAIFA'S CITIZENS SPEAK RUSSIAN AS THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE, AND THIS IS OFTENTIMES THE MAIN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TO USE IN COMMUNICATION

ideology. There is also a counter-movement called Yerida, or emigration out of the State of Israel. Aliyah existed even before the Zionist movement declared it one of its goals, but only after the creation of Zionism and after the adoption of the Balfour Declaration, Aliyah picked up pace.

At the time of the adoption of the Balfour Declaration in Palestine, 56,000 Jews lived there. In 1922, the number rose to 85,000 Jews, in 1931 to 174,000, and in 1944 to 529,000 Jews. Just before the creation of the state of Israel, more than 600,000 Jews lived on the Palestinian territory. The planned settlement was carried out for 40 years with a lot of effort invested in having the highest concentration of Jewish pop-

ulation around Tiberias Lake, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. On the day of the creation of the state of Israel, 1,380,000 Arabs lived on the Palestinian territory. By adopting the Balfour Declaration, the British government formalized its connection to the global Zionism.

POST-INDEPENDENCE After the war, only 14-25% (depending on the estimates) of the Arab population remained in Israel, as they fled the country before and during the war. Over the next decade, 600,000 Sephardic Jews, who were expelled from the surrounding Arab countries, came to Israel, doubling the number of residents of this country just a year after gaining independence. Later, Jews began to arrive both from Iran and Europe. The Jewish population in Israel continued to grow at a very high rate for a few more years, due to the wave of Jewish immigration from all over the world, the most significant of which was following the recent collapse of the Soviet Union.

The deportation of Jews from Arab countries after 1967 and the conquest of Jerusalem was particularly cruel – they were persecuted from Morocco to Libya, and often they were not allowed to carry any of their assets with them. It seemed that countries were competing among each other which one would expel more Jewish citizens who apparently did not intend to move to Israel, but now they simply had to. In Libya, Gaddafi confiscated the property from the Jews, which is something that they never forgot. The USSR was very selective in issuing eviction permits to its Jewish citizens. There were even jokes in the USSR about "Jewish kidnappers" who would seize Aeroflot's planes

DUE TO THE CONSIDERABLE ISLOATION AND INERTNESS OF THESE LAST TWO GROUPS OF JEWS DURING THE ASSIMILATION PROCESS, THE RUSSIAN AND AMHARIC LANGUAGES ARE VERY PRESENT IN ISRAEL and direct them to Israel. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a huge number of Jews left Russia and other Soviet republics. Quite a few of them were famous Jews (such as Avigdor Lieberman, who is from Moldova) and who were usually more secular. They opened breweries, and did not change their surnames like the older generations, but kept the Russian" names (e.g. Igor Semyonov). They were also bigger nationalists who had less understanding for their Arab fellow citizens.

Another great shock for the Israelites was the arrival of as many as 120,000 Ethiopian Jews who nobody knew existed.

When they came to Israel and claimed that they had been Jews for two thousand years, the population was, mildly put, surprised. Black Jews? Yes, that was possible, and today, they are full-fledged Israeli citizens. Due to the considerable isloation and inertness of these last two groups of Jews during the assimilation process, the Russian and Amharic languages are very present in Israel. It has been estimated that about 40% of Haifa's citizens speak Russian as their first language, and this is oftentimes the main foreign language to use in communication.

If you see a waitress in a pub that resembles a girl from Serbia, you can order "two beers" in Serbian, because she is most likely a Russian Jew. Just because anyone can be a Jew (judging by their physical features), and because everyone has come from somewhere, the Israelis value the ability to make money and create an innovative value the most, rather than having inherited money. Because the entire Israeli population is the sons and daughters of Aliyah!

ABILITY

JUST BECAUSE ANYONE CAN BE A JEW (JUDGING BY THEIR PHYSICAL FEATURES), AND BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS COME FROM SOMEWHERE, THE ISRAELIS VALUE THE ABILITY TO MAKE MONEY AND CREATE AN INNOVATIVE VALUE THE MOST, RATHER THAN HAVING INHERITED MONEY ISRAEL 2018

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CULTURE

DREAM COME TRUE

— Text —

Žikica Milošević

70 Years of Independence

D

uring the two thousand years of persecution and exile, Jews had always dreamed of returning to the land of their ancestors - Judea, Israel, Palestine - the same place that was called different names over the centuries. In the meantime, many places have been offered as their homeland, while some other people were living in their old land. But persistence paid off!

ERETZ ISRAEL OR SOMEWHERE ELSE? For centuries, Jews were treated like “usual suspects” and blamed for

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everything that was wrong in the world, particularly starting with the Crusades (up until then, they had been viewed as

ON 14TH MAY 1948, ISRAEL WAS OFFICIALLY DECLARED A STATE IN TEL AVIV, AND FINALLY THE JEWS FOUND THEIR PLACE UNDER THE SUN, IN THEIR OLD HOMELAND, AFTER 2,000 YEARS

“similar to Christians” in most countries) and continuing with their persecution elsewhere in Europe. There were blamed for the plague or a bad harvest, and were subjected to retaliation although they did nothing wrong. They were sectioned off in ghettos and exiled. A small number of countries were tolerent towards them, including Poland, which back then also incorporated Belarus and Ukraine, which was the reason why so many Ashkenazi Jews lived in that area up until 1945.

In the meantime, various exotic destinations were suggested as their new homeland, including Uganda, i.e. its uninhabited mountainous part that they, as Europeans (most Jews lived in Europe

FOR CENTURIES, JEWS WERE TREATED LIKE “USUAL SUSPECTS” AND BLAMED FOR EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG IN THE WORLD at that time, would easily settle in. However, the Jews thought that, by agreeing to that, they would forever lose their right to Jerusalem and Israel. Other options included Stalin's Siberian Birobidzhan (with a handful of Soviet Jews settling there in order to escape the Holocaust in Europe), and even the area around Perth in Western Australia.

BALFOUR AND A STEP FORWARD After centuries of living in the diaspora, the 19th century saw the rise of Zionism, the Jewish Nation-

alist Movement, the desire to form a Jewish state in Palestine and significant immigration. The Movement was initiated by Theodor Herzl, a Hungarian Jew who came from Zemun, where his grandfather had the opportunity to see the re-birth of Serbia, which had not existed for three and a half centuries prior. "If the Serbs can do it, so can the Jews," Herzl thought to himself and came up with the idea of taking the Jews back to Zion. The movement was called Zionism, and, initially, the Jews did not think that the idea of going back to the hot desert and getting into conflict with the Arabs

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was a happy solution - they were much better off in Europe, where they finally came out of the ghetto, and began to actively engage in social life. Some had mixed marriages and even abandoned Judaism, or became so secular that they didn’t even know that they were Jewish.

Zionism remained a minority movement until the rise of Nazism in 1933 and the attempted extermination of the Jews in the Holocaust.

ONE STATE SOLUTION? Following the Great Arab Revolt in 1937, the division plan, proposed by the Peel Commission, was rejected by the Palestinian Arab leadership and the 20th Zionist Congress. As a result, in 1939, the British succumbed to Arab pressure, for the sake of the support they needed in World War II, abandoning the idea of the Jewish national homeland, the division and the negotiations in favour of the unilaterally imposed White Paper of 1939. This document stated

that it was necessary to establish a unified Palestine state in which the Jews and the Arabs would have a common government.

This document was seen as a significant defeat of the Jewish side, as it brought harsh restrictions on Jewish immigration, while there were no limits imposed for the Arab immigration. As the Arab population was growing at a much faster pace than the Jewish in the years of uncontrolled migration, it was expected that this joint government would be dominated by the Arabs.

JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AN INTERNATIONAL REGION IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFLICTS OVER THEIR STATUS

Because the World War II was looming, the plan was never fully implemented. And then the Jews took the matter into their own hands.

DECLARING THE STATE In 1947, after growing violence, terrorism and unsuccessful efforts to reconcile the Jewish and Arab population, the British government withdrew from Palestine. The UN's 1947 division plan would lead to the division of the disputed territory into two states, Jewish and Arab, giving about half the territory to each side. According to this plan, Jerusalem and Bethlehem were supposed to be an international region in order to avoid conflicts over their status. A guerrilla war started immediately after the UN General Assembly adopted the division plan. On 14th May 1948, Israel was officially declared a state in Tel Aviv, and finally the Jews found their place under the sun, in their old homeland, after 2,000 years.

ZIONISM

AFTER CENTURIES OF LIVING IN THE DIASPORA, THE 19th CENTURY SAW THE RISE OF ZIONISM, THE JEWISH NATIONALIST MOVEMENT, THE DESIRE TO FORM A JEWISH STATE IN PALESTINE AND SIGNIFICANT IMMIGRATION 26

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TOURISM

PEACEFUL OASIS

— Text —

Žikica Milošević

Country for all seasons

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srael has a perfect climate if you are a tourist- as tourists love the sun and hate the rain and grey skies. The most beautiful photographs are made under the ravenously blue sky, and Israel has it almost entire year. According to the State Statistical Office, 3.6 million tourists visited Israel last year, which is 25% more than in 2016.

INVASION!

This invasion is not surprising. In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Egypt,

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Turkey, Tunisia and even in Berlin, Paris, Brussels or Nice, and because of the war in the once popular Syria, the Jewish state became one of the warm and historically important destinations in which almost nothing bad happens. The current surge of tourists is attributed to two facts - one is the Open Skies Agreement, which has resulted in an increased number of flights to Israel at cheaper rates and attracted low cost carriers (which now fly from Tel Aviv or Eilat), and the other is the already men-

THE JEWISH STATE IS ONE OF THE WARM AND HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT DESTINATIONS IN WHICH ALMOST NOTHING BAD HAPPENS

FACTS AND FIGURES Last year, tourism in Israel generated 20 billion shekels in revenue, making 2017 the best year in the history of Israeli tourism.

Israel has numerous historical and religious sites, beaches, archaeological sites, cultural sites and eco-tourism. The country also has the largest number of museums per capita in the world. In 2009, the two most visited locations were the Wailing Wall and the Grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yonah, which is rather surprising for non-Jews. The most popular tourist attraction is Masada,

LAST YEAR, TOURISM IN ISRAEL GENERATED 20 BILLION SHEKELS IN REVENUE, MAKING 2017 THE BEST YEAR IN THE HISTORY OF ISRAELI TOURISM

tioned relative peace in Israel in recent years, unlikein many other global tourist destinations. What scares the Israelites, as Haaretz writes, is that the hotel and hostel network is developing too slowly in relation to the growing number of tourist

visits, and often there is no place for tourists to stay, so they are forced to stay in smaller towns. Bearing in mind that Israel is smaller than Vojvodina, everything is pretty close, even if you are staying 30km away from Jerusalem.

and the most visited city is Jerusalem. The biggest percentage of tourists originate from the United States (19% of all tourists), followed by Russia, France, Germany, Great Britain, China, Italy, Poland and Canada. Religious tourism is one of the most important branches of tourism - hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world visit Israel each year, and the main pilgrimage destinations are the cities of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem. The Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Grave, and the Golden Dome of the Rock all attract pilgrims from all three Abramic religions to Jerusa-

TOURISTS

YOU CAN GET WHATEVER YOU WANT IN ISRAEL RELIGION, MOUNTAINS, SEA, HEALING, DESERTS, CULTURE, NIGHT CLUBS! SO, WHY DOES SUCH A SURGE OF TOURISTS COME AS A SURPRISE TO YOU?!

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lem; the most sacred of the holy cities, Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, Jerusalem of Gold.

Furthermore, the Israeli coastal city of Haifa is the spiritual center of the Baha'i-Bahaiism religion, where the tomb of the religion's founder, Seyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi is located. The Bahá'ís deem that all prophets are, in a way, true and that they have seen and presented only a part of the truth, each speaking of it in their own way. They also believe that the prophets are not in conflict with one another, but rather their non-englightened followers are.

The Dead Sea is the nature's hospital that helps in treatment of many diseases, especially skin and rheumatic diseases. The combination of minerals and the warm, sunny weather, mud baths and clean air, saturated with oxygen, contribute to successful treatment of many diseases, including skin diseases. The Dead Sea resorts are unmatched in the world due to the exclusivity of this water reservoir. The cold air in Arad helps patients with asthma and other respiratory illnesses. The hot springs of Hamat Gader help alleviate pain in the joints. It was here that the ancient Romans built their baths. Pools with thermomineral water in Hamei Gaash are the main balneological resort of Israel. The coral reefs and warm tropical climates of Eilat attract tourists from all over the world.

Tel Aviv is a coastal city and a world centre of beach tourism. Tel Aviv is not only a cultural hub, but also a youth centre. The city is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, with excellent beaches and

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THE ISRAELI COASTAL CITY OF HAIFA IS THE SPIRITUAL CENTER OF THE BAHA'IBAHAIISM RELIGION, WHERE THE TOMB OF THE RELIGION'S FOUNDER, SEYID ALI MUHAMMAD SHIRAZI IS LOCATED

a vibrant nightlife. Tens of thousands of young tourists visit Tel Aviv every year. "A City That Never Sleeps" is a motto that has already become a synonym for Tel Aviv, along with the celebration called “White Night” that takes place on the last Thursday in June. During the White Night, restaurants and cultural institutions are open until late night, many places offer discounts, and there are beach parties and street performances. You can get whatever you want in Israel - religion, mountains, sea, healing, deserts, culture, night clubs!

So, why does such a surge of tourists come as a surprise to you?!