National characteristics of Israel
Rating: 8,0/10 (984 votes)  Israel When people go to another country, they try to respect the traditions of the country and observe the laws adopted in it. Israel is a relatively young state, although Jewish history is deeply rooted. It so happened that the Jews never had their own territory, and found their state only in the twentieth century. But despite constant persecution from other nations, the Jewish people were able to preserve their language, culture and traditions. The official name of the country is the State of Israel. The country has two official languages - Hebrew (the language of the Bible) and Arabic. Israel can be called a country of immigrants, Jews from all over the world immigrate here. Therefore, among the population of Israel you can find people who speak English, Yiddish, French, Russian, German or Spanish. Numerous immigrants have contributed to Israeli culture by bringing their own traditions and customs. But Israel remains an oriental country with its own traditions, although many lead a European way of life. A distinctive feature of Jewish culture is life according to the Jewish calendar. It consists of 12 months, the duration of which depends on the lunar cycles. The month begins with the appearance of a new moon and ends with its disappearance. To synchronize the lunar calendar with the solar year, the so-called leap year was introduced. According to this system, every two or three years, the length of the year is not twelve, but thirteen months. Depends on the Jewish calendar, how public and private enterprises will operate when school holidays start, holidays are celebrated and dates are stamped on documents.  Tel Aviv Saturday (Shabbat) in Israel is a non-working day, it is a sacred day. It starts on Friday night and ends on Saturday night after sunset. On this day, banks, organizations, schools do not work, public transport does not go, you can only get around by taxi. Public transport, shops and organizations close on Friday at 14.00, and continue on Saturday after 20.00. On this day, Jews are prohibited from all kinds of physical work, fun, watching TV, they don't even answer phone calls that day. The same rules apply during the holidays. In Hebrew, text is read from right to left, while numbers are written and read from left to right. Everyday clothes of Jews are simple, even the rich dress simply, you cannot distinguish them in the crowd by their clothes. When visiting religious sites, dress modestly, covering your shoulders and knees. In eastern countries, a delay of 20 minutes is considered quite normal, if you were promised to call in ten minutes, then the call can be made in 40 minutes. Therefore, sometimes you should not wait for a call and call it yourself. Israeli apartments are built in such a way that they give off heat, and do not retain it, since they have stone floors and concrete walls. The apartments do not have double-glazed windows and other types of insulation. The houses also lack heating. Often in rooms, instead of a wall, a large window is made, which is closed by blinds; in summer it is almost always open. The portions in restaurants are quite large, especially for oriental cuisine. A portion can cost $ 15 or more, depending on the restaurant. Tipping in restaurants is 10 - 20% of the bill.  Kosher food Jews have a peculiarity in their diet - it is a kosher food system. According to the laws of kashrut, Jews should not eat everything, and even food that is allowed should be prepared in a certain way. Even postage stamps have kosher glue on the back. p> Portions in restaurants are quite large, especially oriental cuisine. A portion can cost $ 15 or more, depending on the restaurant. Tipping in restaurants is 10 - 20% of the bill. We also recommend reading Italian Street Food Topic: National characteristics of Israel. |
