Do Israelis really ride camels to go to the mall? Check out some of the these myths, and find out what’s real and what’s not. Not fans of 4 or 5 but they are true as well.
The camel myth
This report discusses some myths about Israel. The first one is the camel myth. This myth states that Israeli kids travel to school on camels. While the myth is obviously false, camels do play an important part in Jewish culture.
Camels in the Torah
Camels are mentioned in the Torah. When Abraham sends Eliezer to find an appropriate wife for his son Isaac, Eliezer travels with ten camels. Rebecca sees Eliezer and the camels, and the kind woman gives Eliezer and all of the animals lots of water to drink.
There are three species of camels that exist today. The first group, the dromedary, has one hump. The Bactrian camels and the Wild Bactrian camels have two humps, however there are much fewer of these animals.
What’s inside the humps? It’s not water. Instead, the humps are reservoirs of fatty tissue. However, it is true that the dromedary camel can go ten days without water. The camels have thick hair. This helps protect them from the intense heat radiating from desert sand. But what happens in a sand storm? Well, their long eyelashes and ear hairs, along with with nostrils that can close, help keep sand out. Most camels in modern times are domesticated.
Food
You may have seen pictures of camels eating prickly desert plants. How do they do that? Their mouths have a thick leathery lining which protects them.
Camel hair
There are many uses for camel hair. Desert tribes and Mongolian nomads use this for tents, yurts, clothing, bedding and more. Herdsman use the camels’ outer hairs to make waterproof coats. They use the softer inner hair for premium goods. In fact, the fiber can be spun for use in weaving or made into yarns for hand knitting or crochet.