מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל  (meh-dee-naht ees-ra-el – The State of Israel) is a small Middle Eastern country with a long coastline on the eastern Mediterranean Sea and a small window on the Red Sea at the Gulf of Eilat. Israel is considered part of the Holy Land. The three major religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—all have historical ties to the region, thus giving a vibrant modern history and culture, making Israel a fascinating destination for many travelers and pilgrims.

Israel is a highly urbanized and economically developed society and is therefore best divided for the traveler into its main cities and towns, followed by the regions and other sites.

Language

Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of Israel. Hebrew is most commonly spoken. 20% of the population are Israeli-Arabs who speak Arabic as well.

English is the most popular foreign language. Israelis study English in school from an early age, and it is commonly understood in Israel. Nearly anyone you meet on the street will be able to communicate with you in English. All street and road signs (and many others) have English names, as well as the Hebrew and Arabic names.

Massive immigration from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s brought a large number of immigrants who speak Russian. Other commonly encountered languages in Israel, reflecting the diverse origins of Israelis, include Romanian, French, German, Polish and River Plate Spanish. Some of the older members of the population and some of the ultra-orthodox population speak Yiddish, an Eastern-European Germanic Jewish language. Foreign workers from China, Philippines, Thailand, and other Asian countries can be seen everywhere in central Israel. You can hear a mix of a dozen languages while on buses, trains or walking in transportation hubs, especially in Tel Aviv central bus station.

While speaking Hebrew Slang, words of Arabic origin are commonly used. For example: “Walla?” (Is that so?), “Yalla!” (Come on, let’s move!), “Sababa” (great), “Akhla” (good), “Sachbak” (friend), and many more. Street talk is also much affected by military jargon, which is second nature to many Israelis.

Foreign television programs and films are mostly American, and almost always shown in their original language with subtitles. Only children’s programs are dubbed into Hebrew.

Money

The Israeli currency is the שֶׁקֶל חָדָשׁ – sheh-kel khah-dah-sh (New Israeli Shekel (NIS)). Colloquially, it is called a שֶׁקֶל (shekel). The shekel consists of 100 אֲגוֹרוֹת (agorot) (singular: אֲגוֹרָה (agora)). The common symbols for the shekel are ש״ח or ₪. To say “shekels” you use the word שְׁקָלִים – shkah-leem

ATMs are available everywhere. Credit cards of all kinds are widely accepted. Note that the showing of the Visa logo by an ATM does not especially mean it takes all types of Visa cards, at the moment the ones with Chip-and-Pin technology seem to be only accepted by Bank Leumi ATMs.

US Dollars are accepted in some tourist locations, particularly Jerusalem. The exchange rate as of May 22, 2012, one U.S. Dollar is ₪3.85. If you are not at a tourist location and asked for dollars or euros outright, you are most likely being ripped off.

Costs

Living and travelling costs in Israel are almost on a par with Western Europe, North America and Australia, making it by far the most ‘expensive’ country in the Middle East region outside the Gulf area.

Holidays

Israel’s time is + 2 hrs from GMT so when it’s 6PM GMT, 1PM (US EST), it’s 8PM in Israel. Daylight saving time (Summer time) begins on the last Friday before April 2nd, and ends on Saturday between the Jewish holidays of Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur.

Public Holidays in Israel follow the Jewish calendar and as such vary from year to year although tend to fall within the same few-week period. Different levels of activity stop in Israel depending on the festival or holiday, and different areas will see different levels of activity on these days. The public transportation, for example, tends to completely stop its activity in many holidays. In the Jewish tradition, a new day begins at sunset, which means that Jewish holidays begin in the afternoon hours a day before the official date. In general, Israel is a secular country, so most festivals won’t see big changes in the levels of activity.

Official Holidays

There are more holidays celebrated in Israel than what is listed here. This list is for the official national holidays when services may close down, or be somewhat limited.

Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), Falls between Sept 5 & Oct 5

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), Falls between Sept 14 & Oct 14. The holiest day of the year – this is the day ‘when everything stops’, including all shopping, public and private traffic, etc.

Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) (Sukkot*), Falls between Sept 19 & Oct 19 (Only the first and last days are national holidays, however there may be some disruption during the intermediate days)

Fast of Esther (Ta`anit Ester)

Memorial Feast for the Triumph of Esther (Purim*), Falls between February 24 & March 26. Street parades are common on this day.

Passover (Pesach), Between March 26 & April 25 (Only the first and last days are national holidays, however there may be some disruption during the intermediate days). No leavened bread or grain products are sold or served in most places during this week.

Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaZikaron LaShoah VeLaGevurah), Falls between April 7 & May 7. At 10AM, air raid sirens sound and the entire country comes to an eerie standstill for two minutes. Places of entertainment are closed on this day and its eve.

Fallen Soldiers Remembrance Day (Yom Hazikaron), Falls between April 14 & May 14. Air raid sirens sound and the entire country observes a minute of silence in the morning and preceding evening.

Independence Day (Yom Ha-Atzmaut), Falls between April 15 & May 15. Large street festivals, city-wide parties and fireworks are common on the preceding night.

Pentecost (Shavuot), Falls between May 15 & June 14

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Israel possesses a number of diverse regions, with landscapes varying between coast, mountain, valley and desert landscapes, with just about everything in between. Beyond the towns and cities, each region of Israel holds its own unique attractions. The metropolitan areas of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv form very much their own regions; from north to south, however, Israel has a lot to offer:

Galilee

This region can be divided into the Upper Galilee and Lower Galilee hill ranges, as well as the Jezreel Valley and the Sea of Galilee.

Israeli North Coast

Sometimes called “Western Galilee”, this region extends along the Mediterranean shore from Haifa to Rosh Haniqra and the Lebanese border. It also includes the Carmel Range.

Israeli Coastal Plain

The most developed part of Israel, between the Carmel Range and the Gaza Strip. The area north of Tel Aviv is known as the Sharon.

Negev

Desert covering much of the south of Israel, including Ramon Crater. Also includes the Israeli parts of the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea.

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Different blog posts will be coming in the future that highlight a city in Israel and give you different places to see, things to do, etc. Keep coming back for these!

This article is based upon information from www.world66.com and Wikitravel.org
under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license