Not Just About the Water.... and other Israel General Tips

Favorite Thing: Don't make the mistake of thinking that it's really "just about the water", as a friend of mine once asked me when I returned from my first trip to Israel.

It's so much more complicated than that. Israeli pride runs deep, its politics are confusing and divisive, its people are diverse and passionate, its topography is a stunning and contrasting, and ultimately, its desire for peace is sincere.

The only way to know a country, is to see the country.

What are you waiting for? Pack your bags!


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Favorite Thing: This isn't exactly a favorite thing!

Many people don't realize how expensive the cost of living is in Israel. State security commands a high price, and it's reflected in the nation's economy. Seems you don't get a break anywhere. Sure, you get 4 or 5 Israeli shekels to the US dollar which sounds great - but then you get hit with U.S. dollar type prices on anything from grocery store items to hotel bills.

It pays (pun intended!) to keep this in mind when you arrive in Israel so that you're not taken by surprise when you find yourself hitting up the ATM machine (your card will work at any Israeli ATM machine which will dispense back to you in shekels.)


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Favorite Thing: Again, not a "favorite thing" per se, though it IS a good thing for sure.

I think all of Israel's money really must go toward ensuring people's safety - just imagine how much better their economy could be if they didn't have to allocate so many resources to their national security. You'd better get used to submitting to security checks (this is NOT to be confused with Israeli "check points"), whether you're entering a commercial mall, popular pedestrian promenade, restaurant or nightclub.

Ironically this does NOT mean that Israel isn't a safe place to be; on the contrary, Israel is one of the safest countries you could ever hope to visit. It just means that the Israelis have no choice but to take their national security very seriously. We were prepared to open our suitcases which we had in the trunk of our car (whenever you enter a hotel parking lot, you usually pass through security) but to our surprise, we were only asked to pop the trunk so one of the guards could look inside and maybe ask us a question or two before waving us on our way.

We understood the rationale behind such measures and we never found them to be tedious or inconvenient. Everyone was always professional and courteous.


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Favorite Thing: Israel is a first world country amidst third world neighbors. The infrastructure is developed and the condition of the roads in most areas of the country is great. As for safety, I never felt a moment's trepidation about driving around in our car rental - and we put some MILES on that car! I've rented a car twice while in Israel, and another time I used a friend's car while there. Israelis joke about how crazy they drive, but I don't think it's any worse than anywhere else.

Be assured that you are safe driving around this country - and it's a wonderful way to see it. It's worth pointing out that the Gaza and West Bank areas are guarded by checkpoints and moreoever, you won't be permitted to enter these areas in an Israeli rental car (Israeli tags are yellow). This latest trip to Israeli surprised me in that it was the first time I'd seen the new road they built that circumvents the town of Jericho (in the West Bank). Before, you could drive right through the town.

Note: if you rent a car, you'll most likely be given a map at the car rental place. The map is basic but serves its general purpose; still, I recommend getting a hold of a more detailed map either prior to or upon arrival.


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Favorite Thing: Sharon recommended that we rent a cell phone while we were in Israel and this was an excellent suggestion. I found one that was very inexpensive (something like 65 cents a day, free incoming calls and outgoing calls costing around 30 cents a minute. I forget what the international call fee was but I am pretty sure it too was reasonable.) We picked up our rental phone (it even came with the instruction manual!) and when we were done, we returned it in a self-addressed envelope back to the rental place.

For more info see the URL below:

Cell Phone Rental


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Favorite Thing: Like most countries, Israel has different area codes assigned to the different cities (in addition to its own country code).

You might want to print out the codes so you have them on hand for when you're organizing that impromptu VT meeting with Israeli VTers from all over the country!

Website below:

Phone Codes


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Favorite Thing: Overall I would say Israel has a warm climate (note: it does snow in Jerusalem in the winter!), but there are variations in the temperature depending on what region you are in the country, and depending on the season.

It's a good idea to acquaint yourself with the weather in the various areas and cities so that you can plan and pack accordingly.

Website below:

Weather Check


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Favorite Thing: Before visiting a country for the first time, I like to acquaint myself with its culture and customs. Although I feel that I know Israel fairly well (speaking as a non-Israeli), I couldn't resist picking up this book after thumbing through it at the bookstore and finding it to be worth a chuckle.

The book in question is called "Culture Shock! Israel - A Guide to Customs and Etiquette" by Dick Winter. (Actually "Culture Shock!" is a series and you'll find a number of countries within the series.)

Here's the book jacket teaser: "Israel is a land of stark contrasts: the old and the new, the secular and the religious, the Jew and the Arab. What is it that's so unique about Israelis? And how do you deal with them? CULTURE SHOCK! Israel will show you. Dick Winter takes you into the mind of the average Israeli and reveals why they are what they are today."

Like I said, I really got a kick out of this book and I even learned a few interesting things about Israel -and Israelis. I'm sure you will too.


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Favorite Thing: Though this book was written in the 80s, it is still as relevant today as it was twenty years ago. It got me hooked on Thomas L. Friedman (the award winning author, journalist, and New York Times Columnist. Friedman is considered one of the most insightful and sensitive experts on the Middle East today. He's written other great books as well (The Lexus and the Olive Tree comes to mind) but this is by far an opus to learn by.

Basically Friedman is recounting in a very engaging anecdotal format, his time as a foreign correspondent living in Beirut during the turbulent civil war there back in the 80s, as well as his transfer over to Jerusalem where he remained for several years in the same capacity. His writing is fantastic, his observations are deep but completely accessible, and his ability to impart his knowledge of an area that stumps the majority of people, is unparalleled.

In my opinion this is "Must Read" material for anyone who wants to visit this part of the world, but especially Israel.


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Favorite Thing: Written by Abraham Rabinovich (a journalist who reported on said war for the Jerusalem Post), this book is one of my favorites. I learned so much by reading it, and was glued to each page. I'm not much for military and wars, but this was so fascinating I couldn't put it down once I started it.

It still blows my mind: "Rabinovich's masterly narrative begins as Israel convinces itself there will be no war, while Egypt and Syria plot the two-front conflict. Then, on Yom Kippur, Saturday, October 6, 1973, we see Arab armies pouring across the shattered Bar-Lev Line in the Sinai and through the Golan defenses. Even the famed Israeli air force could not stop them. On the Golan alone, Syria sent 1.460 tanks against Israel's 177, and 115 artillery batteries against Israeli's 11. And for the first time, foot soldiers wielding anti-tank weapons were able to stop tank charges, while surface-to-air missiles protected those troops from air attack.

Rabinovich takes us into this inferno and into the inner sanctums of military and political decision making. He allows us to witness the dramatic turnaround that had the Syrians on the run by the following Wednesday and the great counterattack across the Suez Canal that, once begun, took international intervention to halt.

Using extensive interviews with both participants and observers, and with access to recently declassified materials, Rabinovich shows that the drama of war lay not only in the battles but also in the apocalyptic visions it triggered in Israel, the hopes and fears it inspired in the Arab world, the heated conflicts on both sides about the conduct of the war, and the concurrent American face-off with the Soviets in Washington D.C., Moscow, and the Mediterranean. A comprehensive account of one of the pivotal conflicts of the twentieth century."


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