Hebrew and Arabic are the country’s official languages. However, you will be surprised how widely used English is in this country. English may be used in local places in Israel because locals are being trained to speak English as part of their educational standards.

Language Skills
In general, the Middle East as a region scores about 44.6% on an average in their English Proficiency Index. This is a bit higher compared to other countries whose official language is not English. So don't worry about language barriers when ordering in a restaurant or trouble in telling the cab driver about your destination, almost everyone understands English although they may not be perfect or fluent in conversing using the language.

Should you want to make a good impression with your local counterpart, consider using Hebrew greetings. The most commonly used greetings are “Shalom” which actually means ‘hello,’ ‘goodbye,’ or ‘peace.’ You may also use “Boker Tov,” a Hebrew word that means ‘good morning.’ Learn more ways to greet locals and hear exactly how it is being said in this link.

Body Language
Israelis are friendly and affectionate people. Don’t be surprised when locals do light punches on the shoulders or throw their arms around a friend. These physical interactions are a customary display of friendship and affection to someone who is close to you. You may also notice that locals stand close to each other and may stay less than an arm’s length even from a stranger. Personal space is not a big issue, however, be observant to religious locals who prefer some ample amount of physical distance with their counterparts.

Direct eye contact is a traditional expression of interest. When talking to your counterpart, make sure to look at them to let them know that you are listening with the intention to discuss the topic at hand. However, religious women may prefer to divert their gaze when talking to someone, most especially the opposite gender, this is not a sign of disrespect but is actually the other way around.

Using hand gestures in Israel is very common. You can see locals being very animated when talking and would also prefer those discussions include non-verbal gestures. The big movements of hands when stressing a point or demonstrating something is a common gesture and should not be laughed at.

Topics for Discussion
Israel is known for having very minimal barriers in terms of topics for discussion. Most locals would say that there is free speech for everyone and they consider no topics as taboo or something that can’t be discussed with them. However, just to be safe, avoid criticisms against locals and their cultures, respect is expected between strangers and even among friends.

To break the ice with your counterpart, it is expected that you start by telling more about yourself instead of asking questions to the locals you are with. Topics about family are very interesting to any local and would be very much appreciated if you ever open up about it. Other icebreakers would include your hobbies and things you do for leisure. You can share about your favorite sport or even the movies you’ve watched recently.

Israelis are not noted as heavy travelers, but they enjoy conversations about their counterparts’ travel experiences. Go ahead and tell them about your home country. You may share topics about differences in your cultures and traditions that may appear distinct to your nation. Although you may not be comfortable being asked back about anything related to money, note that your local counterpart does not mind this. They are open to discuss how much rent or expenses they pay, and would even share details that include their salary or other means of getting income.

Although it was said that locals are generally open to discussions of any kind, mind that they do not like being asked about the safety of their country. Israelis love the country they are in and would not like such criticisms. Also, avoid making assumptions about a person's religion or stance about the ethnicity of their beliefs. The locals may be open about topics on religion but be mindful to suspend your judgments.