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My name is Anna. I am a student and have been living in Israel for 7 months. I discovered the country from a different side when I first took part in a bright masquerade and finally got used to greeting everyone with the question “How are you?”. I often notice something unexpected and unusual for people of other cultures. It is about such things that I will talk about in this article.

Especially for website I have collected the strangest, funny and surprising observations about Israel. Some of the notes are impressions rather than facts, since I am not attached to a religious culture.

Both women and men serve in Israel, and it is difficult for those who have not served to find work

Every citizen serves in Israel. From the age of 18, young people are drafted into the army. Men serve 3 years, and women - 2. After that, an Israeli can look for himself and a profession, determine his future. I am 24 years old, but by local standards I am a child.

For those who did not serve here, then it is difficult to find a job. Both men and women serve here, including religious ones. Now the religious party in the government is asking to release believers from the army, but so far no such law has been passed.

Locals are very fond of promotions and discounts.

Israelis don't like things to go to waste. Therefore, on Friday, all vegetables in the markets fall in price by 2-3 times, especially just before closing.

Also, every Friday, Tel Aviv residents take out unnecessary things from the house. I live in a room with 5 students where 50% of the furniture and appliances are found outside. Here they do not disdain, on the contrary, it is considered absolutely normal.

Israelis are very fond of promotions and discounts. When you walk down the street, each shop calls: "Take 5 chocolates for the price of one!" And sellers are very surprised if you do not take advantage of such an advantageous offer.

Traditions and holidays make up a big part of the life of every citizen

In Israel, religious holidays and Jewish traditions occupy a large part of the life of every citizen. There is a special beauty in this. Plus, it's an extra weekend. I arrived almost 7 months ago, during this time they celebrated here:

• Yom Kippur(Judgment Day). It lasts for days. At this time, all overlap car roads and flights are cancelled. Therefore, secular Israelis use bicycles.
• Rosh Hashanah(Head of the Year) - Jewish New Year. According to the Jewish calendar, it is now 5578. I liked the tradition according to which it is customary to eat apples in honey - it is believed that this will be a sweet year.
• Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles. It is celebrated for several days, during which small huts for meals are built with thatched or palm leaf roofs, which are decorated with various colored paper toys.
• Hanukkah- the most fabulous holiday. 8 days pass. At this time, everyone eats donuts, Hanukkah lamps are lit on the windows in houses and on the streets. One new candle is added every day.
• Purim. Three-day spring masquerade. This is a weekend only for schoolchildren, but in Tel Aviv people even come to work in suits. This is a city procession where everyone dresses up: both children and adults, both religious and secular.
• Pesach. The only tradition that I was familiar with as a child. One of the brightest holidays of the year. Ordinary bread on the shelves of the city is replaced by matzo.

There is a strong reverse current in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv has a very strong reverse current in the sea, because of this, almost all beaches have breakwaters, and where they are not, swimming is prohibited. However, lifeguards work only until 16:00! At 16:00, the locker rooms also close, so everyone goes to change into the toilets, which is very inconvenient.

Israel is a country of cats and dogs, and all animals are vaccinated

Tel Aviv is a city of dogs. There is even a special beach for them. It is located right between gay beach and datiim (a closed beach for religious people) - such an unusual neighborhood. In Israel, there is a certain tax on the maintenance of a dog, depending on its initial value. Thus, it is more profitable to take home a mongrel. All animals in the country are chipped. City cats are also marked and vaccinated.

In Israel, greetings are not "Hi!" but "How are you?"

At work, I was very surprised that when greeting me, they asked: “How are you?"But this is a question that does not require a specific answer. It is answered with the same question. A form of decency adopted here, which is difficult for foreigners to understand. And the word for "have fun" in Hebrew sounds like "osim haim", which literally means "do life".

Being a meat and fish lover is difficult and very expensive.

Winter here lasts about 2 months a year. At this time, everyone at home warms up in three layers of clothing, sleeps in socks and bathrobes under electric blankets. The fact is that the houses do not have central heating.

In summer, the water is heated by solar panels installed on the houses. And in winter, all hot water is heated by electricity. Here, no one stands in the shower for a long time, does not wash the dishes for a long time, because water is a very expensive resource. But, despite this, in the summer, when the heat is crazy, in every institution you can ask for plain water absolutely free of charge. Everywhere and, in particular, in parks there are drinking fountains.

Living in Tel Aviv as a vegetarian is pure pleasure. When I first visited the cafe here and ordered a fruit shake, the waiter surprised me with the question: "Milk, soy milk, water or juice?" Here it is an absolute norm for any institution. In each area you can find several "green" shops with special products.

A country created for cyclists and fans of electric scooters and electric skateboards

Now I'm an intern in a Tel Aviv office and I live in Ramat Gan, which by the standards of a Tel Avivian is about the same as for a person working in Manhattan to live in Brooklyn. Therefore, for me, the only way to get to the beach and the city on Shabbat is by bicycle, which is used by almost every resident.

1. On May 14, David Ben-Gurion announced the establishment of the State of Israel, and the members of the Provisional State Council present at the same time were invited to put their signatures under the declaration read out by Ben-Gurion. But here's the problem: since everything was prepared in a hurry, the organizers did not have time to put the text of the declaration of independence on a specially prepared scroll, which they had to sign with the signatures of 37 of the most important representatives of the Jewish population of Eretz-Israel. I had to improvise - the members of the council signed ... an absolutely empty scroll, and only a few days later the text was drawn up on it.

2. Immediately after the declaration of independence, the Jewish state was attacked by the armies of neighboring Arab countries. On May 15, Egyptian aircraft bombed Tel Aviv, and Israeli air defenses chalked up the first success: one Egyptian aircraft was shot down, and its pilot ejected and landed on a citrus plantation near the town of Nes Ziona. He will go down in history as the first enemy soldier captured by the Israeli army, and - to his great surprise - he was taken prisoner by two soldiers who first arrived on the scene.

3. By the way, on the wreckage of the Egyptian pilot's plane were the emblems of the British Air Force - it was one of the aircraft transferred by the British to Egypt. This covert (and sometimes open) help from Great Britain to the enemies of Israel did not end there. Few people know that on January 7, 1949, Israeli pilots had to twice engage in combat with British Air Force aircraft that invaded air space Israel. As a result, five British planes were shot down, and this taught the United Kingdom a new reality: the Jewish state is not to be trifled with.

4. David Ben-Gurion seriously considered the possibility of initiating a mass conversion of the Bedouins to Judaism, since he believed that they had little to no connection with Islam. With the creation of the state, representatives of the Bedouin tribes of El-Heib and Khuzail voluntarily joined the ranks of the Israeli army, but it never came to conversion - a full-fledged accession to the Jewish people - it never came to pass.

5. During the War of Independence and in the first years after it, Israel lived modestly and even poorly. Many products were sold by cards, and sometimes there were not enough of them. Here, for example, are the increased monthly norms per person, established in the second half of 1952, when there was more food: 150 grams of vegetable oil, 100 grams of tomato paste, 450 grams of jam, 56 grams of chocolate, 1 kg of sugar. A child under 12 years old was also entitled to 250 grams of rice.

6. At this time, only a few could afford large purchases. It was believed that such wealthy citizens through taxes should help those who are poorer. For example, in 1953, the government decided to impose a special "luxury tax" on shoes, refrigerators, nylon stockings and ... playing cards.

7. It is all the more surprising that during these years automobile production was established in Israel. In the early 1950s, a factory appeared near Haifa, where cars of various brands were assembled - Studebakers, Willis, Kaiser-Frasers, Renault and Hino. In just 18 years, approximately 56 thousand cars with the proud inscription Made in Israel were produced, a third of which were even exported to European countries.

8. In 1956, two Arab terrorists who entered Israel from Egypt and killed several civilians were sentenced by a military court to hang. However, the sentence was never carried out. The fact is that in Israel there was no hangman.

9. In 1961, the Jewish state faced another shortage. After Israeli intelligence agents discovered the fugitive Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Argentina and kidnapped him to be tried in Israel, it turned out that there was no armored glass in the country that could be used to build a cage to hold the accused in the courtroom. There was a serious fear that someone would simply kill the organizer of the Holocaust right during the process, and therefore it was necessary to urgently order such glass in Belgium, and then test it with machine gun bursts. The court sentenced Eichmann to death, and this time the hangman, fortunately, was found.

10. Even before the establishment of the state, the Zionist movement made the greening of Eretz-Israel a national task that concerns everyone and everyone. Since 1948, 240 million trees have been planted in a small country! As a result, Israel is the only territory in the world where, over the past century, the number of forests has not only not decreased, but, on the contrary, has grown.

11. The dream again, as in ancient times, to make the country flourishing, also captured foreigners. Who was honored to plant a tree in the Land of Israel? Here is just a short list of world celebrities who have decided to take a direct part in the gardening of the Holy Land: Albert Einstein and Frank Sinatra, Jacqueline Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk and Michael Douglas, Brooke Shields and Sharon Stone. Elizabeth Taylor did not limit herself to trees alone. At the height of the Yom Kippur War, when Israeli soldiers heroically held back the onslaught of the advancing Arab armies, she went on a tour of European capitals to collect donations for the recovery of wounded IDF fighters.

12. Ben-Gurion was not only the first prime minister of the country, but also its symbol. If in those years the media were as indifferent to privacy as they are today, then his wife Paula would certainly have become a symbol. She herself prepared food for him for the whole day, and then invariably came to the prime minister's office or to parliament to make sure that this food was served to her husband exactly at the hour appointed by her, and that he completely eats it, leaving nothing.

13. In the early years of Israel's existence, it was accepted that a person holding a high government post should change his foreign-language surname to a Hebrew one. So, Shkolnik turned into Eshkol, and Chertenko into Tzur. Someone willingly obeyed this unspoken rule, while someone tried to shirk. Isidor Roth showed the greatest ingenuity: when he was appointed head of Shabak, the Israeli Security Service, he changed both his first and last name and announced that he was now Easy Dorot. Thus, the Hebrewization rule was observed, but the sound did not change at all.

14. Israel's ninth independence celebration was marked by a football match between the IDF team and the French army team. 38,000 spectators witnessed the victory of the Israelis with a score of 3:1, among which was David Ben Gurion (this, by the way, was the first time he came to football). However, it was not without the ingenuity characteristic of the Israeli army: the IDF team actually consisted of players from the national team, who were called up for urgent army training before the duel with the French military.

15. A year later, in April 1958, France sent a completely different delegation to Israel - fireworks specialists. The fact is that I wanted to celebrate the decade of independence on a grand scale, but there were no real connoisseurs of pyrotechnics in the country. This problem was solved with the help of 12 specialists from the French "Ruggieri" - the oldest and largest pyrotechnic company in Europe, dating back to 1739. It was they who, dispersed in different cities of Israel, gave the grateful spectators a world-class salute and managed to draw a white and blue coat of arms of the state in the night sky. But by the next holiday, the art of fireworks had already been mastered by Israeli specialists, and the country became independent even in pyrotechnics.

16. In 1959, Israel acquired the first underground transport: the Carmelit began to operate in Haifa. It is interesting that the initiators of this venture borrowed the idea from Herzl's futuristic-prophetic book "Altneuland" - among other future achievements of the Jewish state, the founder of political Zionism described in it the Haifa "suspended electric train that will connect the port with residential areas on the Carmel Range." Contrary to popular belief, Carmelit is not a subway, but a funicular, which is also considered the shortest underground system in the world. public transport.

17. In the summer of 1961, Israel signed an agreement with the Netherlands on the supply of 80,000 Israeli Uzi assault rifles there. Modest by monetary standards, the deal was a real breakthrough: before that, the Jewish state itself was looking for where to buy weapons, and now it has stood up and could already think about military assistance to other countries.

18. On January 2, 1963, the Israeli parliament decided to increase the salary of the country's president from 540 to 1,500 liras per month. President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi strongly opposed this move, and when the parliamentarians did not listen to him, he decided to donate half of his salary to the scientific Foundation for the Study of Eretz Israel.

19. In 1960, two retired American soldiers set about searching for the remains of the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed by the Almighty nearly four millennia earlier. These attempts have not been successful. The Americans were sure that the goal of their search was at the bottom Dead Sea, but quickly became convinced that it was impossible to dive to a depth in salt water.

20. In November 1987, another colorful American, Sylvester Stallone, arrived in Israel to shoot the third film in the Rambo epic. As befits a superstar, he demanded an armored car and was quite surprised to learn that there are none in Israel. In response, Stallone (an ardent supporter of the already mentioned Uzi assault rifle) stated that he was ready to rent the world's best Israeli Merkava tank for his movements, but even this request was politely refused.

All printed publications: newspapers, books, brochures and even menus in restaurants are opened and read not from left to right, but from right to left.

Only in Israel there are two road warning signs about the danger of animals crossing the road: in the south of the country a camel is depicted on a road sign, in the north of the country a roe deer is depicted.

In Israel, road photoradar photographs the rear license plate of the car, not the front.

Only in Israel, the Dead Sea is called the "salty sea" (in Hebrew, yam-ha-melah - salty sea). All over the world and in all languages, this sea is called the Dead Sea.

In Israel, in front of the entrance to public institutions, metal detector arches and . Upon entering the premises, you will be asked to show the contents of the bag. This is how Israel approaches the security of citizens.

In Israel, there is the only day of the year when nothing and no one works - Yom Kippur (Judgment Day). On this day, you will not see a single car on the streets of the country (exceptions are special vehicles: police cars, ambulances).

The national dish of Israeli cuisine is hummus - a snack of mashed chickpeas, which is seasoned with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and other spices.

Only in Israel, even girls undergo compulsory military service. The service life of boys is 3 years, the service life of girls is 2 years.

Only in Israel you can meet a man dressed in night pajamas and house slippers in the middle of the day, who just walks around the city.

In Israel, there is a pajama holiday - this is one of the most beloved children's holidays. On this day, children walk around the city in pajamas and slippers. In this form, they also visit educational institutions.

In Israel, the cost of 1 liter of gasoline is approximately $2.

Waiting for an appointment with a doctor can be several months.

Arriving for permanent residence in Israel, your passport is handed to you right at the airport.

Only in Israel it is customary to celebrate the New Year in the month of September. The New Year, which is celebrated on December 31, is called "Sylvester" in Israel and is not a public holiday.

The standard of living in Israel is one of the highest in the world.

In Israel, any conversation is accompanied by quite emotional gestures.

is at a fairly high level.

Hebrew is a very easy language, but at the same time, there are absolutely no vowels in Hebrew.

The week starts on Sunday. On Saturday () everything dies out.

All establishments in Israel are divided into "kosher" and "non-kosher"

The official capital of Israel is, and not, as many believe, Tel Aviv. is a business, cultural and Entertainment Center countries.

In Israel, in relation to children, it is forbidden to use physical force, in any of its manifestations. If this fact turns out, you will face long proceedings with social services, courts, lawyers and lawyers, and the police.

In Israel, guests entering an apartment do not take off their shoes. So it's accepted here.

In Israel, a mezuzah, a scroll of parchment containing a prayer, hangs on the front door of an apartment or house.

There are no registry offices in Israel. Only representatives of one religion have the right to sign here. Everyone else is waiting for a fascinating honeymoon trip to Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic.

Hebrew does not have a standard "you" address. Everyone communicates with each other only on "you".

In Israel, in winter and early spring, all the deserts turn green.

Many educational institutions in Israel are divided into male and female.

In Israeli kosher restaurants, you cannot order meat and dairy dishes. According to the rules of kashrut, this is prohibited. Therefore, in Israel there are separate meat and dairy restaurants.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, air defense sirens sound throughout the country. People stop on the streets, cars in cities and even on highways stop their movement. While the siren sounds, absolutely everything stops in Israel. As soon as it stops, the Israelis return to their normal rhythm of life.

I have been living in Israel for several years, and now I have a desire to introduce you to this amazing country. I'll start with a review of simple facts. From them it is already clear how this country differs from others.))

1. The working week in Israel starts on Sunday. Many also work half day on Friday.
2. The shops, shopping centers and other establishments close after lunch on Friday until after Shabbat (Saturday evening). Stops walking and transport. So, it is advisable to stock up on groceries in advance.
3. In Israel, there is no change of seasons familiar to most people. For example, I miss the multi-colored autumn foliage, the snow before the new year. Although this is not about precipitation, but about the mood that every season brings. Here it is warm all year round, which certainly pleases. Best time For beach holiday- May-June and September-October. August is very hot. In winter, it rains heavily for several days, and sometimes even snow falls in the north. Then the Israelis go in droves to look at this miracle and play snowballs with the children.
4. In Israel, there is no central heating, and the floors in the apartments are tiled. All because of the almost year-round heat. The problem is that the house is very cold in winter. However, it can be hot outside during the day. We literally go for walks more often to warm up.)) In addition, there is no hot water - it is heated only from solar boilers.
5. There are three seas in Israel: the Mediterranean - along the western coast of the country, the Red - in the south in Eilat and the Dead - a famous health resort.
6. - the lowest point in the world. Due to the high concentration of salt on it, it is easy to stay afloat, but you will not be able to swim in the standard way. In addition, do not stay in it for more than 10 minutes. On the shore there is a whole tourist town with hotels and spas.
7. Eilat is a famous Israeli resort in the south of the country, located on the Red Sea on the border with Egypt. As a tourist, you can go diving here and watch the underwater world of colorful fish and corals. Also from Eilat there are excursions to the city of Petra (Jordan), which is one of the new wonders of the world.
8. - the largest lake in the country, the lowest on the planet, a place of natural "forays", as well as the only source until recently fresh water in Israel. Now the country has already developed its own seawater desalination system, but locals still use it sparingly.

Favorite photo: Dead Sea coast and infinity. Yes, yes, on the left - salt!
This is what swimming in the Dead Sea looks like.))
On the shores of Lake Kinneret (Sea of ​​Galilee).

1. Israel does not celebrate the standard New Year. It has its own holiday - Rosh Hashanah, which begins on different dates every year according to the Jewish calendar. Usually it is September-October.
2. There are a lot of holidays and weekends in Israel. This year, almost the whole of October consisted of non-working days: starting from Rosh Hashanah and ending with Sukkot. During Catholic Christmas this year there will be Purim in the spring, when everyone puts on carnival costumes, and then, almost at the same time as the celebration of Orthodox Easter.
3. On Yom Kippur (Judgment Day) in Israel, all roads are blocked, transport stops running. The whole day you can freely roller-skate, bike and just walk along any streets of the country.

1. Despite the fact that half the country remains, Israel has a huge number of parks, trees, flowers. Everything is planted by human hands, and a water supply system is connected to each bush. Also in the center there is a chic park of rare plants and orchids.
2. Israel's currency is the new shekel (there used to be Israeli lira).
3. The official capital of Israel is not Tel Aviv, as many believe, but Jerusalem. Although the first is certainly the cultural, economic and tourist center of the country.

View of Tel Aviv from old Jaffa.
Viewpoint in Jerusalem.

1. Israel has 2 official languages ​​- and Arabic. However, many locals speak English well. revived from a language that was considered bookish for several centuries.
2. Israel is a country where more start-ups are opening than anywhere else in the world, as well as a huge number of entrepreneurs.
3. One of the oldest Israeli universities, the Technion, is located in Haifa. It occupies the highest rankings among technical universities in the world.
4. Any person with Jewish roots from 18 to 26 years old is entitled to a free 10-day trip to Israel to get to know the country, culture, and traditions.
5. Haifa - one of Israel's most important cities on the coast mediterranean sea. The city is located on Mount Carmel and is famous for its seaport.
6. The smallest subway in the world, 2 kilometers long, is also located in Haifa. Its name is "Carmelite". These are 6 stations and a train of 4 cars that pass through a mountain tunnel along cable car. Thus, from the lower city you can get to the top in just 10 minutes.
7. Since many Christians live in Haifa, before Christmas and New Year, a Christmas tree and a menorah (a symbol of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah) are placed on the main square of the city, and the street is decorated with garlands and decorations. We even have a tradition - to walk here every year on December 31st. You feel like you are in pre-holiday Europe!

View of Mount Carmel and the Mediterranean Sea in Haifa.
Walk through the Bahai Gardens in Haifa.
View of sea ​​port and the lower city in Haifa.

1. Israel has one of the longest life expectancies at 82 years.
2. In Israel, not only men, but also women are liable for military service.
3. Israeli cuisine is something special! Falafel, hummus, pita, sesame, olive oil, Hanukkah sufganieh donuts... If you order breakfast or dinner in a cafe, you will be served a huge portion, and even with extra goodies.

2. The population of Israel, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, on April 27, 2017, was 8,680,000 people. Israel ranks 93rd in the world in terms of population.

3. Israel has the most museums in the world per capita.

4. Israel is in second place in the world in the production of books per capita.

5. Israel is one of eight states capable of launching its own satellite into space.

6. The Dead Sea coast is the lowest piece of land on Earth.

7. In 1964, Israel became the first country to establish a Motorola subsidiary outside the United States. Motorola in Israel specializes in providing unique communication solutions in areas such as control systems, the creation of a monitoring terminal system for the postal service, and the development of products and software solutions for cordless phones. Israeli engineers working for this company in Haifa developed the first mobile phone.

8. Israel has the most scientists per capita.

9. The first antivirus was developed in Israel in 1979.