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Israel trivia: 46 questions and answers

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History

  1. Which ancient Egyptian stone slab contains the earliest known written mention of a people called Israel?

    1. A. The Merneptah Stele
    2. B. The Rosetta Stone
    3. C. The Narmer Palette
    4. D. The Palermo Stone
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    The Merneptah Stele. The Merneptah Stele, set up around 1208 BC, is the earliest known text that names Israel. It is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

  2. Which king, ruling with the backing of Rome, built palaces on Masada and the harbour city of Caesarea?

    1. A. Herod the Great
    2. B. King David
    3. C. King Solomon
    4. D. King Hezekiah
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    Herod the Great. Herod the Great became king of Judea in 37 BC. He built Masada's palaces, the harbour of Caesarea and enlarged the Temple in Jerusalem.

  3. Roman legions destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    True. True. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple in AD 70, during a Jewish revolt against Rome.

  4. Which sultan took Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187, after the Battle of Hattin?

    1. A. Saladin
    2. B. Suleiman the Magnificent
    3. C. Mehmed the Conqueror
    4. D. Harun al-Rashid
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    Saladin. Saladin defeated the Crusaders at Hattin, near Tiberias, and took Jerusalem in 1187.

  5. Israel became a member of the United Nations in 1949.

    True or false?

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    True. True. Israel joined the United Nations on 11 May 1949 as its 59th member.

  6. With which country did Israel sign a peace treaty in 1979?

    1. A. Egypt
    2. B. Jordan
    3. C. Lebanon
    4. D. Syria
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    Egypt. Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979. The treaty with Jordan followed in 1994.

Food and drink

  1. Which two main ingredients make hummus?

    1. A. Chickpeas and tahini
    2. B. Lentils and yogurt
    3. C. Aubergine and cream
    4. D. Rice and butter
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    Chickpeas and tahini. Hummus is made of chickpeas and tahini (sesame paste), with lemon and garlic.

  2. What is shakshouka?

    1. A. Eggs cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce
    2. B. A braided bread for Shabbat
    3. C. A milk pudding with rose syrup
    4. D. Fried balls of ground chickpeas
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    Eggs cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce. Shakshouka is eggs cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce, a dish brought by Jews from Tunisia and Libya.

  3. Which pita sandwich with fried aubergine and hard-boiled egg comes from the Iraqi Jewish kitchen?

    1. A. Sabich
    2. B. Falafel
    3. C. Shawarma
    4. D. Bourekas
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    Sabich. Sabich joins fried aubergine, egg, salad, tahini and amba in a pita. It comes from the Shabbat breakfast of Iraqi Jews.

  4. Ptitim, known abroad as Israeli couscous, is a small toasted wheat pasta.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    True. True. Ptitim was created in 1953 as a wheat substitute for rice; it is a tiny toasted pasta.

  5. At which festival do Israelis eat sufganiyot, jam-filled doughnuts?

    1. A. Hanukkah
    2. B. Passover
    3. C. Yom Kippur
    4. D. Shavuot
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    Hanukkah. Sufganiyot are eaten at Hanukkah, when foods fried in oil recall the story of the oil that lasted eight days.

  6. The name limonana was first used for a real drink sold by a juice company in the 1990s.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    False. False. The name was invented for a 1990s advertising campaign about a drink that did not exist. The real drink caught on later.

  7. Jachnun, the rolled pastry baked overnight for Saturday breakfast, comes from which Jewish community?

    1. A. Yemenite Jews
    2. B. Polish Jews
    3. C. Moroccan Jews
    4. D. Iraqi Jews
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    Yemenite Jews. Jachnun comes from Yemenite Jews. It bakes overnight and is eaten with grated tomato, egg and zhug.

  8. Kosher restaurants do not serve meat and milk products in the same meal.

    True or false?

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    True. True. Kosher rules keep meat and dairy apart, so a kosher burger comes without cheese.

Cities

  1. Which city on the Red Sea is Israel's southernmost city?

    1. A. Eilat
    2. B. Arad
    3. C. Beersheba
    4. D. Haifa
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    Eilat. Eilat, on the Gulf of Aqaba, is Israel's southernmost city and a beach and diving resort.

  2. Which city was founded in 1909 on the sand dunes north of the old port of Jaffa?

    1. A. Tel Aviv
    2. B. Haifa
    3. C. Eilat
    4. D. Arad
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    Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 and later joined with Jaffa to form Tel Aviv-Yafo.

  3. Which mountain town in the Galilee has been a centre of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, since the 16th century?

    1. A. Safed
    2. B. Eilat
    3. C. Beersheba
    4. D. Tel Aviv
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    Safed. Safed (Tzfat) became a centre of Kabbalah in the 16th century and is also known for its artists' quarter.

  4. Nazareth is a beach town on the Red Sea.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    False. False. Nazareth is in the hills of Lower Galilee in the north. The Red Sea resort is Eilat.

Landmarks

  1. Which rock fortress high above the Dead Sea, with palaces built by Herod, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

    1. A. Masada
    2. B. Caesarea
    3. C. Tel Megiddo
    4. D. Old Jaffa
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    Masada. Masada is a flat-topped rock fortress above the Dead Sea. UNESCO listed it in 2001.

  2. The Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum holds some of which famous ancient manuscripts?

    1. A. The Dead Sea Scrolls
    2. B. The Book of Kells
    3. C. The Magna Carta
    4. D. The Codex Sinaiticus
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    The Dead Sea Scrolls. The Shrine of the Book holds some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, among the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible.

  3. Tel Aviv's White City is famous for its Gothic cathedrals.

    True or false?

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    False. False. The White City is famous for more than 4,000 buildings in the Bauhaus or International Style, mostly from the 1930s.

  4. In which city do the Bahá'í Gardens climb the slope of Mount Carmel?

    1. A. Haifa
    2. B. Nazareth
    3. C. Eilat
    4. D. Tiberias
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    Haifa. The Bahá'í Gardens are in Haifa, around the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb.

  5. The ancient mound of Megiddo gave its name to which English word?

    1. A. Armageddon
    2. B. Apocalypse
    3. C. Jubilee
    4. D. Genesis
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    Armageddon. Armageddon comes from Har Megiddo, the hill of Megiddo. The site is part of the UNESCO Biblical Tels.

  6. The Old City of Acre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    True. True. UNESCO listed the Old City of Acre in 2001.

  7. The ancient port of Old Jaffa is today part of which city?

    1. A. Tel Aviv
    2. B. Haifa
    3. C. Acre
    4. D. Eilat
    Show the answer

    Tel Aviv. Jaffa joined Tel Aviv in 1950, and the city's official name is Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Fun facts

  1. Which is the lowest land on Earth?

    1. A. The shore of the Dead Sea
    2. B. The shore of the Sea of Galilee
    3. C. Death Valley in California
    4. D. The shore of the Caspian Sea
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    The shore of the Dead Sea. The shore of the Dead Sea is the lowest land on Earth, about 440 metres below sea level as of 2025.

  2. The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    True. True. Despite its name, the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) is a freshwater lake, the lowest on Earth.

  3. Which bird became Israel's national bird after a public vote in 2008?

    1. A. The hoopoe
    2. B. The eagle
    3. C. The flamingo
    4. D. The stork
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    The hoopoe. The hoopoe, with its fan-like crest, won the 2008 national poll.

  4. On which days does the normal working week in Israel run?

    1. A. Sunday to Thursday
    2. B. Monday to Friday
    3. C. Saturday to Wednesday
    4. D. Tuesday to Saturday
    Show the answer

    Sunday to Thursday. The working week runs from Sunday to Thursday, and Shabbat lasts from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall.

  5. The design of Israel's flag was inspired by the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    True. True. The blue stripes on white recall the tallit, with a blue Star of David in the middle.

  6. Which navigation app started in Israel and was bought by Google in 2013?

    1. A. Waze
    2. B. Uber
    3. C. Garmin
    4. D. TomTom
    Show the answer

    Waze. Waze began in Israel as a community mapping project; Google bought it in 2013.

  7. The first plots of land in Tel Aviv were shared out in a lottery using seashells.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    True. True. In 1909, 66 families drew seashells on the dunes to share out the plots.

  8. Which famous scientist was one of the founders of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and left it his personal papers?

    1. A. Albert Einstein
    2. B. Isaac Newton
    3. C. Marie Curie
    4. D. Charles Darwin
    Show the answer

    Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein helped found the Hebrew University and left it his papers; its archive holds about 55,000 items.

Words

  1. What does the Hebrew word "shalom" mean?

    1. A. Peace, also used for hello and goodbye
    2. B. Thank you
    3. C. Please
    4. D. Water
    Show the answer

    Peace, also used for hello and goodbye. Shalom means peace, also used for hello and goodbye.

  2. What does the Hebrew word "mayim" mean?

    1. A. Water
    2. B. Bread
    3. C. Sea
    4. D. House
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    Water. Mayim means water. Sea is yam, bread is lechem and house is bayit.

  3. Hebrew is written from right to left.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    True. True. Hebrew, like Arabic, is written from right to left.

  4. Which Hebrew word means "no"?

    1. A. lo
    2. B. ken
    3. C. ir
    4. D. yam
    Show the answer

    lo. Lo means no. Ken means yes, ir means city and yam means sea.

Phrases

  1. What do people say from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening to wish a peaceful day of rest?

    1. A. Shabbat shalom
    2. B. Mazal tov
    3. C. Lechaim
    4. D. Beteavon
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    Shabbat shalom. Shabbat shalom means have a peaceful Shabbat.

  2. Which Hebrew word do you say when raising a glass?

    1. A. Lechaim
    2. B. Beteavon
    3. C. Slicha
    4. D. Lehitraot
    Show the answer

    Lechaim. Lechaim means to life, the Hebrew toast.

  3. "Mazal tov" is said to wish someone a safe journey.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    False. False. Mazal tov means congratulations, said at weddings, births and other good news.

  4. How do you say "Excuse me" or "Sorry" in Hebrew?

    1. A. Slicha
    2. B. Yalla
    3. C. Shalom
    4. D. Ken
    Show the answer

    Slicha. Slicha means excuse me or sorry.

  5. When do you say "Beteavon"?

    1. A. Before a meal
    2. B. When someone sneezes
    3. C. When leaving late at night
    4. D. When paying the bill
    Show the answer

    Before a meal. Beteavon is said before a meal, like bon appétit.

Local customs and tips

  1. In most Israeli cities, when do buses and trains stop for Shabbat?

    1. A. From Friday afternoon to Saturday evening
    2. B. All day on Sunday
    3. C. From Monday evening to Tuesday morning
    4. D. Every Thursday afternoon
    Show the answer

    From Friday afternoon to Saturday evening. Public transport in most cities stops from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, so plan ahead.

  2. What is the official number for an ambulance (Magen David Adom) in Israel?

    1. A. 101
    2. B. 100
    3. C. 102
    Show the answer

    101. The ambulance number is 101. Police is 100 and fire and rescue is 102.

  3. Visitors to synagogues, churches and mosques in Israel are expected to cover their shoulders and knees.

    True or false?

    Show the answer

    True. True. Modest dress is expected at holy places, and some sites lend wraps at the entrance.

  4. Which three-pin socket type is used in Israel?

    1. A. Type H
    2. B. Type G
    3. C. Type A
    4. D. Type I
    Show the answer

    Type H. Israel uses its own Type H socket, and most modern sockets also take the European Type C plug.

Answer key

History

  1. A. The Merneptah Stele
  2. A. Herod the Great
  3. True
  4. A. Saladin
  5. True
  6. A. Egypt

Food and drink

  1. A. Chickpeas and tahini
  2. A. Eggs cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce
  3. A. Sabich
  4. True
  5. A. Hanukkah
  6. False
  7. A. Yemenite Jews
  8. True

Cities

  1. A. Eilat
  2. A. Tel Aviv
  3. A. Safed
  4. False

Landmarks

  1. A. Masada
  2. A. The Dead Sea Scrolls
  3. False
  4. A. Haifa
  5. A. Armageddon
  6. True
  7. A. Tel Aviv

Fun facts

  1. A. The shore of the Dead Sea
  2. True
  3. A. The hoopoe
  4. A. Sunday to Thursday
  5. True
  6. A. Waze
  7. True
  8. A. Albert Einstein

Words

  1. A. Peace, also used for hello and goodbye
  2. A. Water
  3. True
  4. A. lo

Phrases

  1. A. Shabbat shalom
  2. A. Lechaim
  3. False
  4. A. Slicha
  5. A. Before a meal

Local customs and tips

  1. A. From Friday afternoon to Saturday evening
  2. A. 101
  3. True
  4. A. Type H

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