Israel is of course a lot of different things – a state, a vision, a symbol, the scenery of history – but most basically, it is a geographical entity, a place, with distinct characteristics of topography, climate, flora and fauna, and natural resources.  Obviously, traveling in Israel (or living there) is necessary for one to get a “feel” for the place, to “know” it.  On the other hand, sometimes even traveling or living in a place runs into the problem of not being able to see the forest for the trees.  Through satellite and aerial photos, of course maps, and written descriptions, we can get a sense of the big picture, of the lay of the land.  This lesson will present some activities and resources to help accomplish this; however, we hope it will be just the initial experience of an ongoing practice of turning to the map to locate and imagine every historical event and personality connected with Israel.

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