Israeli customs and taboos
The State of Israel (Hebrew: 丨), Israel for short. The State of Israel means "one who wrestles with God". It comes from the Bible that Jacob, the ancestor of the Jews, wrestled with God (angel) and won. God (angel) changed Jacob's name to Israel.
Israel originally referred to as a nation, but the earliest record can be found in 1211 BC. Over the past three thousand years of history, Jews have regarded the land of Israel as the core of their national and spiritual life, calling it the "Holy Land" or the "Promised Land." Israel has a special meaning in Judaism, including Temple relics and related religious rituals, which are important foundations of the modern Jewish tradition.
Israel is located in the West Asian Levant region, on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, with Lebanon in the north, Syria and Jordan in the east, and Egypt in the southwest. Israel was announced in 1948. It is the only country in the world with Jews as the majority nation; it is also one of the few countries with nuclear weapons except the United States, Britain, Russia, China and France.
The distant ancestors of the Jews were the Hebrews, a branch of the ancient Semites. It originated in Mesopotamia about 4000 years ago. According to the Israel Demographic Office, as of May 2017, Israel had a population of 8.68 million, of which 74.8% were Jewish (mostly Ashkenazi Jews), 20% were Arab, and 5% were "other". Among Jews, 68% were born in Israel, usually second-or third-generation Israelis, while the other 32% were born in foreign countries, 22% were from Europe and 10% were from Asia and Africa, including the Arab world. Judaism is the state religion, Hebrew is the national language, Hebrew and Arabic are both official languages, and English is widely used.
Israel uses the Jewish calendar, which is a lunar calendar. The beginning and end of the months are determined based on the moon's rise, fall and position, and the year is determined based on the earth's position relative to the sun. According to the Jewish calendar, a year has 12 months and 353-355 days, adding 7 leap months every 19 years.
Israel is located at the junction of Asia, Europe and Africa, and has experienced many waves of immigration. It is a combination of multiple cultures and religions, and its business culture is also diverse. Due to the influence of European and American cultures, the people are generally more enthusiastic, direct and open, like communication, and pay attention to contracts. Most Israelis have religious beliefs, and there are stricter requirements in terms of diet, clothing, etc. depending on their religion.
Israel currently dresses casually, basically no suits are worn, and rarely wears ties. Even on formal occasions, few people wear suits and ties. This is due to Israel's hot climate for most of the time, and also to the habits it has developed since its founding for decades. Women are similar to modern women around the world, but their clothes are more casual. According to Jewish regulations, men should wear a small round hat (Kippa). Jewish "rabbis"(equivalent to priests) should wear black clothes all over their body, wear a black felt hat, and have long, curly sideburns around their ears.
Generally speaking, Israelis behave well and have a dignified appearance. When they deal with others, no matter how old or status the other person is, they do not show arrogance or coquettish. They appear smart and steady, confident and rational. They are very dissatisfied with constantly stomping their feet, blowing and breathing hard in front of others, and they are also very dissatisfied with talking to others with their bodies tilted or their hands folded in front of their chests. In public, Arab men and women will not show any form of intimacy, nor will they support each other in public.
When Jews meet, they usually respectfully say when greeting the elderly: I wish you live to 120 years old. The name structure of local Arabs is relatively complex, and their full name is combined into five parts, namely, original name, father name, grandfather name, alias name, and title. When addressing, only a certain part of the full name is used instead of the full name. When you meet for the first time, you should shake hands. If you have a good relationship and both parties are men, you can also hug and kiss each other. After hugging, you should also shake hands again.
The staple food of the Jews is cakes, made from wheat or barley flour. Cakes are regarded as a lifeline by Jews, so people usually eat cakes without cutting them with a knife, but only breaking them with their hands, for fear of cutting the lifeline with a knife. Jews in Israel have strict rules on their diet, which is called "Kosher" locally. They abstain from pork and certain other meats, shellfish, scaleless fish and the meat of any kind of scavengers, and meat and dairy products are not allowed to be eaten at the same time. These people can only eat out at restaurants that meet the "Kosher" regulations, and restaurants need to apply for certificates every year from a specialized agency composed of Jewish rabbis.
Some of the traditional rules for their dining are very strict, which can be seen from their "Passover" family banquet. This family banquet is the beginning of Passover activities and is held on the Jewish calendar of Nisan. The family banquet began with parents dressed in white robes raising their glasses and blessing them. Then, the whole family washed their hands. The parents dipped raw celery in salt water and distributed it to everyone. At this time, everyone had to recite the prayer. Then pour the second, third and fourth glasses of wine. After family banquets, people often sing folk songs or talk about the future. The Arabs here eat pasta and corn as their staple foods, but they do not eat pork. The main non-staple foods are beef and mutton. Don't laugh and laugh loudly during meals.
Sabbath is the weekly rest day in Judaism, derived from the Bible "Genesis"(God completed the creation of the world in six days and rested on the seventh day). The Sabbath begins at sunset every Friday and ends at dusk on Saturday. People eat three meals on the Sabbath, namely Friday dinner, Saturday lunch (breakfast lunch is combined into one) and the Sabbath dinner. Friday dinner should be the most abundant of the week. All shops were closed on the Sabbath and buses stopped running. Strictly speaking, electrical appliances are not allowed to be turned on and off on the Sabbath. If you want to use lights, televisions, etc., you must turn them on before the arrival of the Sabbath and stay until the end of the Sabbath.
Among Israel's Jews, if a man who dies without children, his widow should marry one of his brothers. If she wants to be relieved of this obligation, she will have to undergo an "exoneration." Jews in Israel have the custom of mourning for seven days. During this period, people are not allowed to have haircuts, shaves and other daily tasks. Relatives and relatives come to express condolences, and the man can hold formal prayers at the deceased's home when he is full of life. On the Sabbath or major religious holidays, there will be no mourning or the mourning period will be suspended. There are many traditional festivals in the Jewish nation, including Passover, New Year's Day, and Tabernacles Day. Arabs and Jews also attach great importance to wedding and funeral ceremonies. Such as the wedding is very solemn.
Israeli society is quite rich and diverse, and it is also very artistic creativity. The Israeli government encourages and funds artistic activities. Cities such as Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem all have well-established art museums, and many urban farms have similar museums or monuments. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem houses ancient Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as a large number of other extensive collections of Judaism and Jewish art. The Diaspora Museum located on the Tel Aviv University campus is also quite well-known. Many towns in Israel also have art villages.