{"id":5060,"date":"2008-04-09T23:52:27","date_gmt":"2008-04-09T23:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.giltravel.com\/9-tips-before-you-travel-to-israel\/"},"modified":"2024-01-31T13:18:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T18:18:42","slug":"travel-to-israel-cultural-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.giltravel.com\/blog\/travel-to-israel-cultural-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Tips Before You Travel to Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tips
\nPhoto by Rodrigo Comisarenco<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Before you travel to Israel, it’s a good idea to brush up on some cultural faux pas<\/a> so you don’t step on anyone’s toes. Here are 9 tips for any traveler<\/strong> who might not be the most familiar with local customs. <\/p>\n

(Note<\/strong>: Most of these only apply to religious Jews and Muslims. Since it’s generally better to be safe than sorry, I say shoot for “always” and “never” until the local you’re with says not to worry about it.)<\/p>\n

\"travel<\/p>\n

by Rudolfo Clix<\/a><\/span><\/em> 1. <\/span><\/strong>When using public transit or attempting to enter any crowded area (like a bank, food markets, and other such very public places), don’t expect a neat and polite line. Use the gentle nudge of your elbow<\/strong> to get a spot – if not, you might never get in!<\/p>\n

\"travel<\/p>\n

by Rudolfo Clix<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

2.<\/span><\/strong> Refrain from greeting, touching or extending a handshake to Jewish and Muslim devout women. Men should wait<\/strong> for an Israeli woman to offer, if she even does at all.<\/p>\n

\"travel
\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

by Mee Lin Woon<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

3.<\/span><\/strong> If a man does not introduce his wife or daughters, overlook it and ignore them as well<\/strong>. It will be extremely disrespectful if you speak to, speak of, or look at any of them.<\/p>\n

\"travel<\/p>\n

by Julio Cezar<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

4.<\/span><\/strong> Never accept or give a gift with your left hand<\/strong>. The left hand and soles of feet are considered impure.<\/p>\n

\"travel
\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

by Jill Smith<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

5. <\/span><\/strong>Do not order pork or any seafood besides fish when dining with the Jewish host. When dining with Muslims avoid pork and alcohol. Eat only with the right hand<\/strong> even if you are left-handed. Might be a good idea to practice that before you leave – it really is an acquired habit.<\/p>\n

\"travel
\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

by L.T.<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

6. <\/span><\/strong>In certain settings it will be mandatory that you remove your shoes, like before entering a home. When removing shoes lay them on their sides with the soles facing each other<\/strong>. I still haven’t figured out the trick with sandals though.<\/p>\n

\"travel
\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

by Craig Jewell<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

7. <\/span><\/strong>Gesturing of all sorts is acceptable, but never point with the index finger<\/strong>. Thumbs should never point either, such as in a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” gesture. Fortunately since you are typically lost when you travel to Israel, chances are slim you will mess up giving directions. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

\"travel
\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

by Igor Grillo<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

8. <\/span><\/strong>Never cross your legs in a manner that will allow them to see the bottom of your foot or shoe<\/strong>. Don’t bother arguing that they do it all the time when they pray, it’s pointless.<\/p>\n

\"travel9. <\/span><\/strong>One of the most important customs for religious women in the country – knees and elbows must be covered<\/strong> and wear high collared clothes. Although this is optional for newcomers, it’s always best to avoid the strange looks and follow customs.<\/p>\n

And here’s a bonus tip – always have fun when you travel to Israel! (which really is too easy…)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo by Rodrigo Comisarenco Before you travel to Israel, it’s a good idea to brush up on some cultural faux pas so you don’t step on anyone’s toes. Here are 9 tips for any traveler who might not be the most familiar with local customs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-5060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-israel-travel"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 Tips Before You Travel to Israel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"9 Tips Before You Travel to Israel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.giltravel.com\/blog\/travel-to-israel-cultural-mistakes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" 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