General Information

General Information

Electricity in Israel

The Israeli power supply is single phase 220 volts at 50 Hertz. Most power sockets in Israel have three pinholes, but many of them will work with double-pin European plugs. Visitors who want to use shavers, traveling irons and other small appliances may need both transformers and adaptor plugs. In Israel the power sockets used are of type H. See the following picture:

Clothing

In general, Israel is a very casual place. Business attire is really just starting to become the norm for day-to-day time at the office and most Israelis still won’t wear a tie to an important meeting.

Combine this attitude with a very hot and humid summer climate and you get a relatively casual professional atmosphere.

Clothing in Jerusalem

While visiting holy sites in the old city of Jerusalem visitors should be dressed modestly.

For men: Long pants or at least long shorts, and no sleeveless tops.

For women: Tops that cover the collar bone and no sleeveless tops, skirts long enough to cover at a minimum the knees.

Shabbat (Saturday) in Israel

Besides the Jewish holidays, in a sense, there’s a Jewish holiday every week – Shabbat. Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday and ends on Saturday at sundown. All government offices and related businesses are closed. Approximately an hour before sundown on Friday almost all businesses, retail stores, and restaurants also close. In Tel Aviv, however, there are a growing number of restaurants and cafes that are open on Shabbat. Also open on Shabbat in Tel Aviv are AM:PMs (like 7/11) and Tiv Ta’ams (grocery store).

Climate
The weather in Tel Aviv in October is generally pleasant, with an average
temperature of 19°C (67° F).

Currency
The New Israeli Shekel (NIS) is the official national currency. All the major credit cards are accepted in Israel in places displaying the emblems at the entrance.