11 of Israel's Top Achievements in 2016

Despite its small size and population, Israel is a massive contributor to the world’s technological and medical spheres. It’s a place of enormous historical, cultural and spiritual significance. It accomplishes great good in the world. We’re counting down 11 of Israel’s top stories and wondering how many of them are new to you.

 1. Jerusalem named one of the world’s best

Top publication Travel + Leisure, in its annual list of the 50 Best Places to Travel in 2017, identified Jerusalem as not just a popular site for religious pilgrimage, but a new “culinary force” on the world’s food-and-drink stage. We agree!

2. First-century “Freedom of Zion” coin discovered

During an excavation of an ancient road in Jerusalem, archaeologists discovered a “Freedom of Zion” coin that had been circulated in the city in the year 67 A.D. The coin had been minted during the Jewish revolt against the Romans, which culminated in the 70 A.D. destruction of the Temple. In 1967, exactly 1900 years after its creation, Jerusalem was reunified as a result of the Six-Day War and restored as Israel’s capital. The 50th anniversary of this reunification occurs in 2017.

 3. Israel launched new search for additional Dead Sea Scrolls

Widely considered the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls outside Jerusalem gave the world its earliest known biblical manuscripts and a wealth of information about the 1st century. In December 2016, Israel embarked on a multi-year, 500-person archaeological expedition to locate any undiscovered manuscripts and antiquities that may be hidden in caves located near the Dead Sea in the Judean Desert.

4. Tourism increased in 2016

Compared to the past two years, tourism in Israel was up 2% since the beginning of 2016.The month of November saw an increase of 38% from the same month in 2015. Since the beginning of 2016, Israel greeted 2.6 million tourists. Travelers from all over the world continue to discover what makes Israel such an ideal destination for travelers of all kinds, including religious pilgrims, adventure travelers and foodies.

 5. Growers created a new sweet, seedless pomegranate

Have you ever partaken in the tradition of eating pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year? Traditionally, a sweet fruit reflects the hope of a sweet year—and Jews will often sprinkle sugar on their pomegranates, which are often on the sour side. Just in time for 2016’s celebration, an Israeli nursery in the Hula Valley introduced a proprietary sweet, red, seedless pomegranate known as the Wine Pomegranate, to great acclaim.

6. Israel excited about a new U.S. presidential administration 

Israeli leaders have shared their optimism about what they feel may be the most pro-Israel White House ever. While Donald Trump’s positions on Israel aren’t entirely known, the president-elect suggested he would prioritize moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem—a shift in long-standing U.S. policy that would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. On top of this, Vice-President-elect Mike Pence has a long history of support for Israel.

7. Israel announced it would help injured civilians from Aleppo

Though Israel’s neighbor, Syria, is technically at war with his government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just announced that his nation would find ways to bring injured civilians into Israel for treatment from war-torn Aleppo—the ancient city at the epicenter of civil war. “We see the tragedy of terrible civilian suffering and I’ve asked the Foreign Ministry to seek ways to expand our medical assistance to the civilian casualties of the Syrian tragedy, specifically in Aleppo,” Netanyahu told foreign correspondents. This unexpected humanitarian announcement caught the geopolitical world off-guard.

8. Inspiration led regular tours to the archaeological gem, Magdala

In 2016, Inspiration was able to take hundreds of Believers through one of the most wondrous archaeological finds in all of Israel. The hometown of Mary Magdalene, Magdala not only contains a first century synagogue Jesus almost certainly attended, but an entire Jewish town from that era. The undisturbed ruins were discovered just one foot below ground and matched up exactly with the writings of historian Josephus Flavius. Magdala is now considered the new highlight for Christians touring Israel on a spiritual pilgrimage.

9. Israel improved relations with Muslim nations

Because conflict between Israel and Islamic groups is a common theme in the media, you may have missed the fact that, in late 2016, Israel solidified its relationships with three Islamic countries. In December, Turkey’s new ambassador to Israel ended a five year-long “diplomatic freeze,” identifying Israel as a friend of the nation. Also in December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Shiite-majority country of Azerbaijan to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two. Soon after, Netanyahu made a diplomatic visit to Muslim Kazakhstan. The two nations continue to build strong diplomatic ties.

10. Israel developed wheelchairs for impoverished, disabled children

More than 20 million disabled people in the world lack access to a wheelchair. Keter Plastic, an Israeli manufacturer, developed a lightweight, zero-maintenance wheelchair appropriate for off-road use by children in developing nations. Funded by the World Health Organization, the first shipments of these $100 chairs went to children in Peru and Tajikistan. Other organizations are helping plan additional shipments.

11. Israeli startups won world medical competition

Every year, an international medical trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany—one of the world’s largest—gives awards for Best Medical Mobile Solution. In 2016, 15 medical startups made the final round of the competition. Nine of these hailed from Israel, including the top three winners. These were UpRight (a wearable posture-correcting device), Biop Medical (a testing device for cervical cancer), and Tyto Care (which developed a hand-held instrument for detecting common diseases).

With 30 years of experience helping travelers discover Israel, none of these stories surprise us. Israel’s innovative, hospitable people continually impress our team and our tour groups. What about you? Is it time to see for yourself why Israel is such a fascinating, spiritually invigorating place? We invite you to join one of our 2017 tours to Israel and become part of what’s happening in Israel.