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Israel is a tiny country — with a smaller population than Tajikistan, Haiti, and Madagascar — but Israeli culture is as rich and eclectic as they come!
Since living here since 2013, I’ve found Israel’s culture to have it all: on one hand, warmth, camaraderie, celebration, and tradition. On the other: chutzpah, blurred lines, and rules that are more suggestions than matters of fact.
To illustrate the depth and breadth of Israeli culture, enjoy these 10 short stories.
1) Cars Parked on the Sidewalk
One day, a tourist was driving in his rental car in Tel Aviv, looking for a place to park. He couldn’t find a parking spot on the street, and he kept seeing cars parked on the sidewalks, so he finally asked someone if it’s legal to park on the sidewalk.
“No, it’s illegal,” the person said to him.
“So why did they park on the sidewalk?” he replied.
The person smirked and said to him: “Because they didn’t ask.”
2) The Stunt That Propelled Keshet to Israel’s Top TV Channel
In a relatively short amount of time — since 1993, precisely — Israeli TV has gone from just a single public TV station across the entire country, to becoming among the world’s best producers of TV entertainment. And Alex Gilady is a major reason why.
Following a law passed in 1990, one commercial TV channel was established in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. To secure the decade-long contract, though, companies were asked to make proposals to the government, to demonstrate their competence and know-how. The bid prepared by Gilady (representing Keshet Media Group) was said to have been the most impressive.
When government officials overseeing the proposals arrived at Keshet’s offices in Tel Aviv, they were blown away by the cutting-edge equipment, editing bays, and studio setup. Sure enough, Keshet was selected as one of the three operators to broadcast commercial TV in Israel — they had to split airtime amongst themselves — and today Keshet (which eventually landed its own channel) is considered the premier TV channel in Israel.
As for the cutting-edge equipment, editing bays, and studio setup, Gilady simply had it flown in from the U.K. in time for the government officials’ visit — and all of the equipment was on a plane back to the U.K. as soon as the government officials left.
3) The Cab Driver-Matchmaker
A friend of mine, who also moved from the U.S. to Israel, got into a cab one day. As is the case with many cab drivers — highly social and much to say — the cab driver asked if my friend is single (which he was).
“I have someone I want to introduce you to, her name is Natalie,” he said to my friend. “She’s my daughter.”
My friend and Natalie ended up dating for three years.
4) The Lone Israeli Soldier
During the Six-Day War in 1967, enemy forces identified a hill of great strategic importance. When they realized it was guarded by just one Israeli soldier, they sent in a platoon to attack immediately.
Thirty minutes later, the whole platoon had been captured by the lone Israeli. As they were being led away, one of the enemy forces’ lieutenants remarked, “I have to admit, you Israelis are pretty tough.”
“If you think I’m tough,” the Israeli soldier said, “you should meet my husband!”
5) How a Facebook Post Saved an Israeli Wedding
When Annette and Lior got married one weekend, many guests didn’t turn up, assuming the wedding had been cancelled since the bride’s father had recently passed away.
This distressed one guest — Rivka, a relative of the groom — so she posted a message on Facebook inviting strangers to come and celebrate with the newlyweds. Her post resulted in over 2,000 people attending the wedding.
6) Arriving in Israel on Christmas
An EL AL Airlines plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport — Israel’s main international airport — on the morning of December 25th. Upon landing, the pilot made the following announcement:
“Please remain seated with your seatbelts securely fastened while we taxi to the terminal. To those of you seated with your seatbelts securely fastened, Merry Christmas. To those of you in the aisles getting your suitcases from the overhead bins, welcome home.”
7) The Key Difference Between Baklava and Baklawa
You probably know about baklava, a Turkish layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. In Hebrew, it’s called baklawa.
And — aside from the “v” and the “w” — there’s one key difference between baklava and baklawa in Israel: The former is much more expensive.
8) Is everything negotiable?
If you’ve been to Israel, then you know that Israelis are notorious for negotiating. But some things are sure to be non-negotiable, right?
Not so. One day, a married couple walked into the bank to apply for a mortgage. The man was unpleased with the banker’s proposed terms — and the banker wouldn’t budget — so the man asked to see a manager. As the manager approached the couple, the face of the man’s wife suddenly lit up, and she exclaimed: “Oh my goodness, I know her!”
Within just a few minutes, the couple was able to negotiate more favorable mortgage terms.
9) Golda Meir’s Response to the U.S. Secretary of State
Upon arriving to the United States during her time as the Prime Minister of Israel in the 1970s, Golda Meir met with then-U.S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, who said to her: “Golda, you must remember that first I am an American, second I am Secretary of State, and third I am a Jew.”
To which Meir responded: “Henry, you forget that in Israel we read from right to left.”
10) The Shabbat Traffic Stop
It’s Friday afternoon in Tel Aviv, and David is racing to get home before Shabbat begins. As he approaches an intersection, he notices a police officer pulling over drivers.
“It’s not a ticket,” the officer says with a grin. “Just a reminder — Shabbat starts in 30 minutes. Drive safely and light your candles on time.”
Only in Israel could traffic enforcement double as a cultural reminder of sacred time.
Thank you! ...this is light and real
Thanks so much for this! For a moment I forgot the depravity of 10/7. For a moment I forgot the disappointment in my friends, my government and people around the world for abandoning and even persecuting the Jews. For a moment we were just Jews again! G-d bless you all!