105-Journal 3

[Gabrielle Raffio]

From what I've read on Israeli culture, the linguistic aspects are very similar to those in the US. When a man is greeting another man, they shake hands and maintain eye contact. Sometimes, there can be slight touches on the arms. When a woman is greeting another woman for the first time, a handshake is used. When a man is greeting a woman, they also will use a handshake. Something I found interesting is that religiously observant men and women do not touch each other when greeting one another. When Israelis communicate with one another, it tends to be very direct and sometimes foreigners feel that they are being blunt or cold. Israelis also speak very loudly and at a fast pace (which reminded me of Americans). When in the market place, people tend to be very aggressive and impatient. Time is important for Israelis and for social settings it is acceptable to be 20-30 minutes late. Something I found interesting is that Israelis, like Americans, also use the thumbs up sign as a gesture of approval. Israelis tend to stand close to one another when engaging in conversation and it is rude if you are stand-offish when in conversation.