Israel

State of Israel

Local short form: Yisra’el

Local long form: Medinat Yisra’el

Cultural Note

Until the founding of the state of Israel, the Hebrew language was primarily used for religious purposes, as Latin was used among Roman Catholics. Hebrew was not the daily tongue of any Jewish population. It has now been revived and serves as a unifying force among Jews.

The Hebrew alphabet has two characteristics that distinguish it from most European alphabets. First, it traditionally only denotes consonants, not vowels. (In modern usage, vowels may be represented by diacritical marks.) Second, the letters are not connected; there is no traditional cursive form. This contrasts with Arabic, which is a Semitic tongue closely related to Hebrew. Arabic also represents only consonants, but most of the Arabic alphabet consists entirely of connected letters. Even when Arabic is typeset, it is (in essence) written only in cursive. Both Hebrew and Arabic are written right to left.

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●3 What’s Your Cultural IQ?

1. Which of the following are official language(s) of the State of Israel?

a.	Arabic	c.	Hebrew
b.	English	d.	Yiddish

ANSWER: Both a. and c. Israel is a multicultural society, with a large Arab population.

2.Visitors to Israel are often stunned at encountering things they know only from holy books such as the Bible or the Koran. True or False? The Samaritans still exist in Israel.

ANSWER: True. Known from the biblical “Parable of the Good Samaritan,” this offshoot of Judaism has dwindled to about 600 members but still exists in Israel.

3.All of the following Israelis have won a Nobel Prize. Which of the following laureates is not an Israeli politician awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

a.Menachem Begin

b.Avram Hershko

c.Shimon Peres

d.Yitzhak Rabin

ANSWER: b. Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover, his colleague at the Technion-Israeli Institute of Technology, shared the 2004 Nobel for chemistry. The others were all (at different times) Israeli prime ministers: Begin won in 1978, while Peres and Rabin shared the prize in 1994.

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Cultural Note

For a young nation, Israel has a strong literary tradition. Some, like Shmuel Yosef Agnon (winner of the 1966 Nobel Prize for literature), concentrate on writing about life in his eastern European birthplace. Others, such as S. Yizhar, have written about the Israeli War of Independence. Contemporary Israeli authors such as Amos Oz and David Grossman tend to focus on personal lives of Jews.

Arab-speaking Israelis also boast many authors, notably Anton Shammas, Michel Haddad, and Emile Habibi.

●3 Tips on Doing Business in Israel

●The typical Israeli that does business internationally is secular, not religious. He or she will probably deal with you much as any North American businessperson would. The most obvious differences will be that Israelis tend to be less formal, speak louder, and stand closer to you than most North Americans.

●Expect Israelis to ask you very personal questions. Nothing is considered off-limits, from your age to your marital status to how much you earn. You can answer such questions or not, as you please.

●To foreigners, it often seems that Israeli businesses operate at only two speeds: glacially slow, or right now. Even if your deal seems to be indefinitely delayed, be prepared to deliver quickly if the situation changes.

●3 Country Background

History

Israel (including the West Bank) was the historical homeland of the Jews in biblical times. In a.d. 66 the Jews staged their Great Revolt against the Roman Empire, temporarily throwing off the Roman yoke. But the Roman armies returned, capturing Jerusalem and destroying the Temple in a.d. 70.

The Diaspora (dispersion) of the Jews began; the Jewish people were scattered all over the ancient world. Some Jews remained in Israel, but they constituted a small minority.

In the late nineteenth century, some European Jewish thinkers concluded that the Jewish people would never be safe until they had a country of their own. Led by a Viennese journalist named Theodor Herzl, the Zionist movement was born. Jews began moving back into Palestine (as the area was known), which was then part of the Ottoman Empire.

The United Kingdom promised to support the Zionists in return for Jewish support in World War I. However, in part because of the opposition of the local Arab peoples, Israel did not become a reality until after World War II. The modern state of Israel was created in 1948; the neighboring Arab states immediately declared war. Israel won that war, as it did the subsequent wars in 1967 and 1973.

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In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel routed the combined forces of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Israel occupied a large amount of formerly Arab territory: the Egyptian Sinai, the Syrian Golan Heights, and a sizeable part of Jordanian land.

During Yom Kippur in 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. Although Israel again came out on top, their opponents achieved a better result than the first time. By not being routed as they were in 1967, the Egyptians and Syrians felt that they had restored their lost honor.

With U.S. assistance, Israel and Egypt stunned the Arab world by signing a peace treaty in 1978. Over the next few years, Israel withdrew from the Sinai and Egypt reopened the Suez Canal to Israeli shipping.

In the 1990s, the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, eventually prompted the Israelis to negotiate territorial settlements with the Palestinians. Several peace accords were negotiated but never fulfilled their promise. Usually, both sides accused the other of violating the peace accords.

At the present time, the Palestinian Authority runs portions of the Occupied Territories. Palestinians hope that this limited self-rule will one day evolve into an independent Palestinian state. The death of the long-time Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat in 2004, and the return of the Gaza Strip may lead to changes in the long stalemate between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Syria still hopes for the return of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967. The return of the entire Golan seems unlikely; Israel unilaterally annexed the Golan in 1981. Not only are the Golan Heights strategically important in any battle between Israel and Syria, they provide one-third of Israel’s water supply.

Type of Government

Israel is a parliamentary multiparty democracy. There is one legislative house, called the Knesset. The chief of state is the president, who is allowed to serve for no more than two five-year terms. The head of government is the prime minister, who is also the head of the Cabinet.

Most of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories are not Israeli citizens. They have had no vote and were not tried in the Israeli criminal courts but in special military courts. The planned limited self-rule will offer them a chance to elect leaders and police themselves.

Current government data can be found on the Web at the Embassy of Israel at www

.israelemb.org.

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Cultural Note

Increasingly, the language of business in Israel is English. English-speaking foreigners will have little trouble making themselves understood in the business arena. Most people have business cards printed in English (or with English on one side and Hebrew on the other).

Language

The official languages of Israel are Arabic and Hebrew. Other languages frequently heard in Israel are English, French, Yiddish, and Russian. Ethnologue, at www.ethnologue.com, has catalogued thirty-three languages spoken in Israel, three of which are now extinct.

Cultural Note

Israel is a multicultural nation with many minorities. The largest non-Jewish, non-Muslim minority is the Druze community. The Druze religion is 1,000-year-old syncretic faith with its origins in Islam. However, its belief system has incorporated elements from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. It also holds various personages from nonmonotheistic traditions, including Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton. The Druze venerates the biblical figure Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, whose tomb is in northern Israel.

The Druze remained neutral during the 1948 war. Since then, they have voluntarily served in the Israeli Defense Forces and the Border Police. A closed community, the Druze have their own courts and educational system.

The Israeli View

Although Israel was established as the Jewish homeland, the state of Israel has no official religion. Except for the failed Soviet experiment of the “Jewish Autonomous Oblast” near the Russian-Chinese border, Israel is the only Jewish homeland in existence.

A large segment of Israeli Jews are secularists, who rarely observe the forms of the Jewish faith.

Ethnic Jews now make up slightly more than 82 percent of the population. The rest are primarily Arabs, mostly Palestinian. The majority of Palestinians are Sunni Muslims, but there are Christian Palestinians as well. There are even Muslims in Israel who are not Arabs, such as the ancient Circassian community in the north of Israel. There are also small numbers of a bewildering array of ethnic and religious groups. The largest of these are the Druze (1.6 percent), an obscure Arab people who keep their religious beliefs a secret. The Druze community has closed itself to outsiders since approximately a.d. 1050. This selfsegregation is typical of many Israeli groups; Israel views itself as a multicultural mosaic, not a melting pot.

As for the candor encountered by many visitors to Israel, some believe that, because Israel is a new, multicultural nation, there has not been enough time for universal standards of politeness to evolve. Others blame Israel’s universal military service: not only have most Israelis endured the shouts of drill instructors, many have damaged hearing from weapons fire.

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*Know Before You Go

■

At various times, terrorist activity has occurred on a daily basis in Israel. While usually directed at Jewish Israelis, such attacks can victimize visitors as well. Attacks are often delivered by suicide bombers, which have sometimes been women and even teenagers. The most frequent targets are buses, bus stops, shopping areas, and malls; visitors should avoid these. Check with your government for current travel warnings for Israel.

Rocket or mortar attacks are launched without warning from across the Israeli border, most often from southern Lebanon.

Even during high levels of terrorist activity, the average visitor in Israel does not even witness violence, let alone be harmed by it.

The most common victimization experienced by a visitor to Israel is being cheated by cab drivers, who often avoid turning on their meters.

In addition to barbed wire and other barriers, Israel has deployed a large number of land mines. Always check for warning signs before you go off well-traveled routes.

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●3 Cultural Orientation

Cognitive Styles: How Israelis Organize and Process Information

Israelis are open to information that advances the state. Information is processed analytically and abstractly. The personal aspects of a situation are more important than obeying universal rules or laws, but these aspects may involve the principles of Judaism and the needs of the state.

Negotiation Strategies: What Israelis Accept as Evidence

Subjective feelings tend to be the basis for the truth. However, faith in the ideologies of Judaism, including the fact that the state must succeed, problems have to be solved, and security has to be maintained, may modify the truth as one sees it. Objective facts are used to supplement feelings and faith.

Value Systems: The Basis for Behavior

Israel’s need to survive as a state permeates all value systems. The following three sections identify the Value Systems in the predominant culture—their methods of dividing right from wrong, good from evil, and so forth.

Locus of Decision-Making

Although there are still some collectives, there is an emphasis on individual initiative and achievement and a strong belief in individual decisions within the social and business context. Decisions are made with an effort to blend idealism with reality, emotion with pragmatism, physical labor with respect for the intellectual and spiritual realms, and a strong military posture with a sincere desire for peace. The dignity and worth of the individual is always emphasized, along with the right to a private life and opinions.

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Sources of Anxiety Reduction

A strong nuclear family is the basis for socialization and gives its members a sense of social identity. It also serves as a focal point for emotional and physical security. The revival of Hebrew and its successful adaptation as a modern language ties the society together with a linguistic identity. A deep consciousness of Jewish history and tradition produces a bond that gives structure and stability to everyday life and also sensitizes people to the anti-Jewish sentiment in the surrounding Arab countries.

Issues of Equality/Inequality

Israel is a democratic and egalitarian culture built on competition. The leveling and educational influences of general military service help to develop a sense of equality. Although there are inequalities in roles, equal rights are guaranteed to all. Strong negative biases exist against the Palestinians and other Arabs, as do some biases against Jews from different countries. The emphasis on the equality of women and men can be seen in all spheres of national life; for example, both are subject to compulsory army training. Expect to see many women engaged in business.

●		Business Practices
3
Punctuality, Appointments, and Local Time			Israel
●	Punctuality is not a traditional virtue in most Middle Eastern cultures. If your clients are

	Sephardim or Palestinians, they may be late for an appointment or not show up at all.
	However, they may have adopted a more Western attitude toward punctuality. Unless
	you know the individuals, it is difficult to know this in advance.
●	Most—but not all—Ashkenazim tend to be more prompt to appointments.
●	It is standard Middle Eastern practice to keep supplicants (including foreign business-
	people) waiting. Until you get to know your clients, it is unwise to schedule more than
	two appointments per day.
●	The population of Israel comes from all over the world (only 60 percent of Israeli Jews
	are native-born), so many different cultural traditions are represented. As a result, busi-
	ness practices may be North American, Russian, European, or anything in between.
●	An appointment is rarely private among traditional Arab businesspeople. Expect your
	visit to be interrupted by phone calls and visits from your client’s friends and family. West-
	erners frequently find these distractions infuriating; try to maintain your equanimity.
●	The Jewish holy day, the Sabbath, begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Sat-
	urday. In deference to the religious Jewish community, no business is conducted on the
	Sabbath. The work week runs from Sunday through Thursday.
●	Business hours vary widely. Even the days businesses are open depends upon the religion
	of the owner. Most Jewish businesses close on Fridays (especially in the afternoon) and

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Saturdays. Islamic-owned establishments will be closed all day on Fridays; Christianowned ones will be closed Sundays. (Remember that Palestinians may be either Muslim or Christian.)

●A typical schedule for a Jewish-owned business would be 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Fridays.

●Both Judaism and Islam use lunar calendars that are different from the Gregorian (Western) calendar. However, for official business purposes and when dealing with foreigners, Israelis will use the Gregorian calendar.

●The Jewish and Islamic lunar calendars use lunar months of 28 days, so a lunar year of twelve months is only 354 days long. Holidays will thus be on different dates (by the Western calendar) every year.

●Note that when a schedule is agreed upon in terms of months (e.g., delivery in two months), an Israeli may be thinking in terms of twenty eight-day months while a westerner may be assuming thirty or thirty-one-day months.

●Israel is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (G.M.T +2), or seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (E.S.T. +7).

Cultural Note

Perhaps as a result of being surrounded by hostile Arab countries that have frequently sought to destroy Israel, the Israeli people exhibit a strong strain of fatalism. When one assumes that one may be dead in a year, long-term plans are not given a high priority. Successful business deals in Israel must promise an immediate return. Long-term guarantees and warranties are rarely selling points.

Similarly, an Israeli’s vigorous opposition to a plan may suddenly vanish without warning. There is an attitude of “Life is too short to keep arguing; let’s make a deal and be done with it.”

Negotiating

●It often takes a long time for decisions to be made.

●Most Israelis have a very confrontational negotiating style, which may become very emotional. Expect shouting.

●Unlike most Israeli Jews, an Israeli Arab will not even consider doing business with you until he knows and likes you. Thus, the social aspects of a deal are just as vital as the business ones.

●In general, the pace of business is slower in Israel than it is in the West. Be patient.

●Middle Eastern business meetings traditionally start slowly, with long inquiries into one’s health and journey.

●Business cards are important. Although most Israeli businesspeople speak English, many foreigners have cards printed in English on one side and in Hebrew on the other. English is read from left to right; Hebrew is read from right to left.

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●	The front cover of an Israeli magazine is where English speakers would expect the back
	cover to be. While most Israeli businesspeople read English, they may instinctively look
	first at the back cover of English promotional literature. Keep that in mind when you
	design the back cover of your literature or marketing materials.
●	Most Israelis speak at a much closer distance than North Americans.
●	Do not back up or shy away. There is also more physical contact, and conversations often
	involve touching. However, foreign businesswomen should avoid initiating physical contact.
●	Coffee is often served toward the end of a traditional Middle Eastern business meeting.
	This is a signal that the meeting will soon conclude. Arabs may light incense at this time
	as well.
●	Arab men often walk hand in hand, although westernized Israeli Arabs rarely do this. If
	an Israeli holds your hand, take it as a sign of friendship.
●	Arabic is a language of hyperbole. When an Israeli Arab says “yes,” it usually means “pos-
	sibly.” Be encouraged by this, but do not assume that the negotiating is over.
	English-speaking Jews are often surprised to find themselves referred to as “Anglo-
	Saxons” by Israeli Jews. It is not meant as an insult.
●	Israelis love to argue and are rarely at a loss for an opinion. You need not agree with all of
	their positions.
●	Sports are always a good topic of conversation. Swimming, soccer, and basketball are
	among the most popular Israeli sports.	Israel
●	Religion is usually a bad topic of conversation, as is U.S. aid to Israel.

Cultural Note

Because strictly observant Orthodox Jewish men are supposed to avoid the touch of any woman (in case she is “unclean”), women should not hand anything directly to Orthodox men. Instead, the woman places the object on a table within easy reach of the man, who then picks it up. This technique should be used by foreign businesswomen, even when they are presenting their business cards.

Business Entertaining

●Hosting visitors is considered a virtue in the Middle East, so most Israelis will take care of the entertaining within their country.

●Be prepared to remove your shoes before entering an Arab building. Follow the lead of your host.

●Remember that religious Israelis have strict dietary laws. Pork is prohibited to observing Jews; strict Muslims do not consume either alcohol or pork. If you decide to host a gathering, know the dietary restrictions of your guests.

●The left hand is considered unclean in the Arab world. Among Arabs, always eat with the right hand only. Even if you are left-handed, eat with your right hand.

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●Do not eat everything on your plate. Leaving a little food is a sign that you have had enough.

●Realize that tipping (baksheesh) is expected for many types of services and courtesies.

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●3 Protocol

Greetings

●While different cultural groups in Israel may have different styles of greetings, most Israelis who do business in foreign environments shake hands upon introduction. The usual greeting is either Shalom (peace) or the English word “Hello.”

●A traditional Arab or Orthodox Jewish male will not necessarily introduce his wife. Follow his lead; if he acts as if she isn’t there, you should do the same.

●A traditional Arab greeting between men involves each grasping the other’s right hand, placing the left hand on the other’s right shoulder, and exchanging kisses on each cheek. However, Arabs used to dealing with foreigners will probably confine themselves to shaking hands on a first meeting.

Cultural Note

Because of the Orthodox prohibition against touching women, a foreign businesswoman should not offer to shake hands with an Orthodox Israeli man. Wait to see if they offer to shake hands, then follow their lead. Over 50 percent of Israeli Jews are considered“secular”—they do not observe the traditional Jewish rituals.The majority of businesspeople dealing on an international basis belong to this group, and they will shake hands. Orthodox Jewish men traditionally wear a skullcap (yarmulke) or hat and black clothing.

Titles/Forms of Address

●Israeli Jews come from all over the world, and their names usually reflect the tradition of their previous country. For example, Russian Jews will have a given name, followed by a patronymic (“son of . . .”), and a surname.

●In general, an Israeli Jew’s given name will come first and the surname will come last. Address them by their title, or “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” or “Miss,” and their surname, unless they indicate otherwise.

●Israeli Arabs have traditional Arabic names, which westerners frequently find confusing. The best solution is to request the names—written in English—of any Arabs you will have to meet, speak to, or correspond with. Find out both their full names (for correspondence) and how they are to be addressed in person.

●Israeli Arabs write their names in Arabic. In part because short vowels are not written in Arabic, translating from Arabic to other alphabets is not an exact science. Thus, Arabic names may be spelled several different ways in English.

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●In general, Arabic names are written in the same order as English names: title (if any), given name, sometimes a middle name (often a patronymic), and surname (family name). Thus, the previous leader of Egypt was President Anwar al-Sadat; his title was President, his given name was Anwar, and al-Sadat was his family name.

●The term al literally means “from” in Arabic. A name like al-Barudi could mean “son of Barudi” or “from the town of Barudi.

●The term abu means “father of” in Arabic. Israeli Arabs frequently refer to revered elders as Abu.

●Most Arabs should be addressed by title and surname (e.g., Doctor al-Nahhas), just as you would address a westerner. In writing, use their full name. If they do not have a title, just use “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” or “Miss.”

Gestures

●	The left hand is considered unclean in the Arab world. In the Middle East, always use the
	right hand in preference to the left (unless you are handling something that is considered
	unclean). Never eat with the left hand; eat only with your right hand. Avoid gesturing
	with the left hand.
●	While Israelis constantly gesture with their hands when speaking, they avoid pointing at
	another person. This would be considered impolite, especially among Arabs.
●	As a general rule, keep both feet on the ground. Traditional Arabs do not cross their legs	Israel
	when sitting. Never show the bottom of your foot to an Arab; this is considered offensive.
	When a person removes his or her shoes (as when entering a mosque), the soles of the
	shoes are placed together, preventing the sole from being pointed at anyone.
●	Any gesture that displays an extended thumb—including the “thumbs-up” gesture or a
	hitchhiker’s gesture—is offensive throughout the Middle East.

Gifts

●Avoid giving a gift until you know something about the person you are giving it to. Especially with Orthodox Jews and Arabs, a gift must not violate one of the restrictions of their belief systems.

●Because of past problems with bribery, some Israeli companies forbid their employees from accepting any gifts.

●Small office-related gifts are almost always acceptable. These include anything that would be displayed on a desktop. It is acceptable for such items to include your company logo.

●If you are invited to an Israeli home, bring a gift of flowers or candy. Be sure a gift of food is kosher if it is going to an Orthodox person.

●Make sure you give or receive gifts with the right hand, not with the left (although using both hands is acceptable).

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Cultural Note

The roads within ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities are typically closed on Friday nights and Saturday days in observance of the Sabbath. Women visiting such areas should take care to avoid wearing revealing clothing, which is liable to incite insults from the ultra-Orthodox.

Dress

	●	While foreigners are not exempt from Israeli standards of modesty, do not adopt tra-
		ditional native clothing. Non-Jews should not wear yarmulkes (except when inside a
		synagogue), and non-Arabs should not wear turbans or other Arab headgear.
		Because Israeli law is mostly secular, there are few laws regarding clothing. But
		“immodest” dress will result in vocal disapproval from both Orthodox Jews and tradi-
		tional Muslims.
	●	Despite Israel’s heat, conservative tradition dictates that most of the body remain cov-
		ered.
	●	Men should wear long trousers and a shirt, preferably long-sleeved. A jacket and tie are
		often required for business meetings. However, many Israeli businessmen rarely wear a
		tie. Keep shirts buttoned up to the collarbone.
		Israeli social events almost never require tuxedos; the only regular black-tie affairs are
		those hosted by foreign embassies.
Israel	●	Remember that Israeli summers tend to be hot and humid, while the winters are often
		chilly enough to require overcoats. Indoor heating is often poor, so sweaters or shawls
		are useful. Away from the coast, winters can be cold enough to require hats and gloves,
		especially at higher elevations.

Cultural Note

All women—including foreigners—are expected to wear modest clothing in public, especially in areas of religious significance. These include temples, mosques, churches, and the communities in which various religious groups live.

The neckline should be high and the sleeves should come at least to the elbows. Hemlines should be well below the knee, if not ankle-length. The overall effect should be one of baggy concealment; a full-length outfit which is tight and revealing is not acceptable. Therefore, pants or pantsuits are not recommended. While a hat or scarf is not always required, it is wise to keep a scarf at hand.

On the other hand, there are places—nightclubs, certain resorts, etc.—frequented only by secular Jews. In such locations, women’s fashions can be as tight and revealing as in any similar place in Europe.