Jewish Boston put together a list of 70 facts about Israel for its 70th birthday, our editorial staff picked out our favorite seven!
1. Israel is the only country to have more trees today than it did 50 years ago.
2. After Tokyo and New York City, Tel Aviv has the most sushi restaurants per capita.
3. Thanks to its national snack Bamba (think peanut Cheetos), babies in Israel are 10 times less likely to suffer from peanut allergies.
4. There are more than 40 kosher McDonald’s in Israel. The only kosher one outside Israel is in Bueños Aires.
5. The glue on Israeli stamps is kosher.
6. Israel celebrates Mother’s Day on Shevat 30 (February 15), the birthday of Henrietta Szold, the founder of Hadassah.
7. Every year, an Israeli Arab hotel manager named Jaaber Hussein buys all the state’s chametz (leavened products) for Passover.