Top 10 Israel facts

Presidency of Israel. In 1952, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion offered Einstein the position of President of Israel to Albert Einstein, after the death of Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann. Einstein, then aged 73, refused: "I lack both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people". He died three years later.

7. The symbolic menorah has 7 lamps, but the commonly used Hanukkah menorah (pictured) has nine lamps, and no seven-lamps menorahs are made. This is because the menorah is described in the Bible as the seven-lamp lampstand made of gold, used in the portable sanctuary set up by Moses in the wilderness and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Talmud states that it is prohibited to use a seven-lamp menorah outside of the Temple.

It is the site of Muhammad's ascension to heaven. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city, after Mecca and Medina. In Islamic tradition in 610 CE it became the first Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (later moved by Muhammad to Mecca), and Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later, ascending to heaven where he speaks to God, according to the Quran.

In Israel. The Dead Sea is one of the world's saltiest lakes. Its water has a density of 1.240 kg/l, which makes swimming similar to floating. For comparison, fresh water has 1.0 kg/l and average seawater has 1.025 kg/l.

Jews. A sukkah is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is a symbolic shelter, commemorating the time God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness they inhabited after they were freed from slavery in Egypt. Many observant Jews will spend the whole week in the sukkah. The festival of Sukkot is held in autumn, in September or October.

Russia. The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Russian Far East, bordering China. Soviet authorities established it in 1934 as the result of Stalin's nationality policy. The Jewish population peaked in 1948 at around 30,000, about one-quarter of the region's population. Today only about 4,000 Jews remain in the region - but it is still officially named as Jewish.

Birthplace of Jesus Christ. The Grotto of the Nativity, an underground cave located beneath the Church of Nativity, enshrines the site where Jesus is said to have been born. The exact spot is marked beneath an altar by a 14-pointed silver star set into the marble floor and surrounded by silver lamps.

David Ben-Gurion born David Grün (16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first Prime Minister of Israel.

Carmel Mountains in Israel. The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary Carmelites is a Roman Catholic religious order founded, probably in the 12th century, on Mount Carmel in the Crusader States, hence the name Carmelites. However, historical records about its origin remain very uncertain

42%. About 42% of all Jews reside in Israel and about 42% reside in the United States and Canada, with most of the remainder living mostly in Europe.