First Photos From Israel . . . Tel Aviv

We've arrived in Israel (Tel Aviv, to be exact) and are quartered at the beautiful David Intercontinental -- a magnificent hotel with great accommodations and stunning views of the city and the sea.
We'll be here not only for Eurovision (the big song and singing competition) but also for Israel Independence Day, celebrating the 71st anniversary of the State of Israel which was established in 1948. If you are regular visitors to this site you already know of our longstanding affection for the Jewish people and our undivided support for the State of Israel.
The State of Israel is about the size of our native New Jersey and it packs every bit as big a wallop as the Garden State and lots more -- especially on the international stage. Just over nine million people call Israel home and more than 74% of them are Jewish while 21% are Arab. Nearly half (45%) of the world's Jewish population lives here, and the country is still growing. Since last year's Independence Day Israel grew by another two percent and by the time the nation's 100th birthday rolls around in 2048, Israel's population will soar to 15.2 million. Compare there to the 806,000 people who called Israel home at its birth.
The standard of living here is impressive with only 4% unemployment, a growing GDP and relatively low inflation. On top of that, average life expectancy easily tops that of the US: nearly 85 years for women and nearly 81 years for men. Small wonder that nearly 90% of Israelis say they are satisfied with their lives.
And we're quite please with our visit as we going the more that 4.4 million visitors who arrive here every year.
We'll be updating you day by day on our visit so stay with us for lots more words and pictures!




BTW: Upon our arrival the hotel gave us a brief letter about hostilities to the south along with instructions on how to access a "secure reinforced shelter" on each floor should the situation escalate. Well, these events are nowhere near us in any event and, at this writing a sort of informal cease fire seems to be holding. Just another day in the life of one of the world's most vital and inspiring democracies.