Greeting

Israel is a multinational state with different ethnic groups along with Jews, so you can see different forms of greeting there. The traditional form of greeting in a business environment is a handshake, but it may look different in different ethnic cultures.

The differences are especially evident in greetings between people who already know each other well. For example, Arabs in Israel often place their left arm around their companion's shoulder when they shake hands, kissing each cheek as they do so.

The common greeting is Shalom, which means "For Peace", "Peace to your Home". "Shalom" is said not only during greetings, but also when saying good-bye.

Bodily contact between the sexes is not accepted among Orthodox Jews, nor among Arabs due to their Muslim traditions. In this regard, foreign women should wait for an initiative from a man before extending a hand to greet them. The same applies to foreign men, who should pay attention to a woman's behavior in this situation.

In a business event, participants may not introduce their wives who are present at the meeting, as this is not customary in traditional Arab families or among Orthodox Jews.

Introduction

In Israel, as in many other countries (especially in the West), a person's first name comes before his last name. However, for example, on official forms you can see the reverse order - first the last name, then the first name, and often with no comma between them (as is customary in other countries). For example, a driver's license for a man named Aaron Cohen would have his last name first, Cohen, and then his first name, Aaron.

This tradition sometimes leads to confusion, as some last names look like first names, such as Aaron Gideon. In that case, ask your partner how he should be addressed.

In Arabic surnames in Israel, you often see the word al (al), which in Arabic is a definite article and not a separate word, such as Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr (Ahmed Hasan al-Bakr. Also often in Arabic surnames is the particle abu (abu), which means the father of someone, for example, Abu l-Hassan, i.e. Hassan's father is Abu al-Hassan al-Ash'ari. The prefixes al and abu should not be used separately without naming the rest of the surname.

Arabic surnames can consist of two parts, such as Mohammed Abdel-Jawad. You should not omit one of these parts, but call the surname in full.

Some Arabic or Jewish names have several spellings in other languages. For example, Ahmed and Ahmad are different ways of spelling the same name in English. The same can be said of Hayim and Chaim. In such cases, it is important to find out in advance which spelling is correct for your partner.

When you address partners in Israel (whether of Jewish or Arab origin), you should mention their title, professional qualifications, academic degrees, or titles, if any. Otherwise, the traditional forms of address such as Mr., Mrs., Miss are appropriate, adding the person's last name.

The importance of using the correct pronunciation of Arabic first and last names should be stressed again, without dropping these prefixes and particles.

Exchange of Business Cards

It is preferable that the text on one side of the business card be in English and the other side in Hebrew. Engraved business cards are considered more prestigious.

Business cards are usually exchanged during the initial contact. When handing over your business card, please orient yourself to your partner in Israel.

Foreign women coming to Israel should be aware that their partner may be an orthodox Jew who may not be able to accept (for example, a business card) from a woman's hand. In this case, it is better to put the business card on the table in front of him.

Small Talk: Overview

Israel is a country of many different national and ethnic cultures. While Jews constitute the majority of the population, non-Jewish citizens, mostly Arabs, also make up a good one-quarter of the population.

In addition, the Jewish population proper includes immigrants from various countries: republics of the former Soviet Union, European states, North and South America, Asian and African countries. The manner of small talk largely depends on the cultural traditions of the participants.

In Israeli society, emotional and expressive speech, which is quite loud and accompanied by active gesticulation, is common. Lively, lengthy discussions are common, which in other cultures might be viewed as heated arguments.

Preferred Topics

In the first meetings, the focus is on topics related to the personalities of the speakers: background, education, residence, etc. In addition, topics relating to family and (last but not least) work can be touched upon. All of these will help you better understand your potential partner.

In future meetings, polite questions about family are also welcome - they demonstrate the interest of the speakers in each other.

Sports, especially soccer and basketball, are quite popular topics. Many Israelis love soccer and are willing to discuss the details of the last game or argue about who is the better player.

Travel is a favorite topic, and a safe one at that.

Personal finances is considered an acceptable topic, which in Israel (unlike in so many countries) is not taboo. It can be, for example, the amount of a person's salary or payment for certain services.

Taboo Topics

Extremely personal topics can be classified as taboo topics. Although interest in the family is encouraged, detailed questions about family relationships and the health of particular family members are among the topics to be avoided. Discussions about family affairs should be very general.

Politics and, in particular, the Arab-Israeli conflict, as well as Israeli activities on the political scene, can be emotionally charged to many Israelis, since their families may have been involved - to one degree or another.

National security issues. In Israel, the security of citizens is a priority in domestic politics. Precautions can be found almost everywhere: in shopping malls, cinemas, airports, etc. When talking to a partner from Israel, you should not discuss these measures, no matter how you feel about them. The same applies to military service.

Avoid topics related to religion or the ethnic politics of the state. Israel positions itself as a Jewish state, but within Israel you can see various frictions between Orthodox and secular Jews, or between  ethnic Israelis and immigrant communities."

Try not to engage in conversation about historical topics involving discussions about relations between Jews and non-Jews or between the state of Israel and the international community. Your partner in this country can be quite sensitive about this topic.

Avoid any antagonistic remarks.

Personal Space

The distance between comfortable conversations in Israel is shorter than, for example, in Central and Northern Europe. They can stand really quite close to each other during a conversation. It is important not to try to increase this distance by, for example, stepping back, as this will be perceived as unfriendly behavior.

Israelis actively use body language during conversations, which are generally quite lively. They get emotionally involved in conversation, they gesture, and they often talk very loudly.

Physical touching during conversations is accepted in this society. It is important to show restraint in conversations involving men and women. For a variety of reasons, it pays to avoid physical contact with people of the opposite sex, men toward women and women toward men.

Gestures and gestures in general are more important in a conversation than physical touching.

Communication Specifics

Israel is incredibly culturally diverse. In business situations, you may encounter people from different cultural, religious and educational backgrounds. It's important to watch your speech carefully and avoid making judgmental remarks, lest you offend someone's feelings inadvertently.

Israel is a young country with a large immigrant population. As such, speech preferences in society are based on clear and distinct speech, and contextual factors such as tone, accent, use of words in a certain sense (known to a small group of people) do not play a big role.

Explicit verbal communication, in which gestures and body language are used to support what is said without adding meaning, is at the core of communication. They generally advocate directness and honesty in communication.

When discussing a problem, your partner in Israel will not try to disguise this or that aspect of it, but rather will be willing to openly name the most painful elements of it. If you say something they think is untrue, they will tell you right away, and there is nothing disrespectful about it. Exchanging arguments "for" or "against" an idea is an integral part of communication. This can be attributed in part to ancient teaching and knowledge traditions (it is well known that the Talmud, the fundamental work of the Jewish sages, is structured in the form of statements, commentaries, arguments, and counterarguments about this or that law or rule).