I'm going on a bussiness trip to Tel Aviv. The company's headquarters are in Rehovot. This is all I know.

Question

I have never been to Israel and I'm a bit worried about the safety. Also , can you tell me some simple hebrew expressions to use?Thank you all!!

Answer 1

Anna, take money for shopping because some of the best jewelry is here and it's a third of what you'd pay at Nordstrom. (Michal Negrin has a store past airport security when you're leaving that is duty free--remember PAST security is the cheap one, there are two.)

Israelis know security, you will be safe there. Avoiding crowds is always good in general though. Mostly, once you are there, you won't feel anything scary. There are lots of soldiers around but they're good kids doing their best to protect.

You'll manage just fine with English. Here are a couple of phrases any way:

Shalom = Peace, used for hello and good-by

Ma nish-ma? = how's it going?

Me-dah-behr Angleet? = Speak English?

Sheh-root-eem = restrooms

Comma? = how much?

Have a GREAT time. I hope you'll be able to do some touristy kinds of things, there is so much to see there. Bring sunscreen and ENJOY!

PS  my mom shops for the jewelry

Answer 2

Shalom. Any place that one has not yet visited may sound overwhelming from afar.  Once you get to Rehovot and walk around in Israel, you may be surprised at its tranquility. The symbols of Rehovot are a citrus fruit, a microscope and a book. It has been home to writers, poets, and artists and is world reknowned for its scientific http://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/site/EN... http://www.weizmann.ac.il/diff_angle/gar...  and agricultural learning facilities http://www.cfhu.org/node/209  , with R&D labs of IBM and other companies based there. (This fact should allay your fears about language issues as well. Residents of a city frequented by international scientists are used to helping out in English.)

If you type in the name of the city here  http://ilmuseums.com/     you'll be able to see visitors' info. for half a dozen Rehovot art museums or sites of cultural and historic significance.   (It's possible to find simple accomodations in Rehovot http://www.travel-library.com/hotels/mid...   rather than traveling back and forth from TA to the company. For luxury hotels, one has to stay in a larger city.)    You can pose specific questions to several dozen Rehovot locals here: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Mid...

http://forum.virtualtourist.com/discussi...

Good luck, and enjoy your stay!

Answer 3

Weizmann Institute is in Rehovot--there is an industrial park adjacent to it. The food at Weizmann Institute Cafeteria is great! Safety is no problem, and the weather is as fine as it can be! You can expect to have an enjoyable time! Buses run every 15-20 minutes into Tel Aviv. Ay-fo (tof-sim) ha-auto-bus l' Tel-Aviv? Ay-fo means "where is?" Shay-root means "a PUBLIC cab," and shay-rootim means (public) lavatories--the "im" ending makes a word into its plural. Ma ha-sha'ah means "what's the time," (beit) ma-lon is a hotel, and Ka-ma oleh means "how much (does it cost)," or "what is the price?" Thus, you you get on the bus and ask: Ka-ma oleh l' Tel Aviv? You are already a Hebrew speaker! Have fun! However, I see you still have a lot to learn about Israel.

Answer 4

Well, there's a train between the airport, Tel-Aviv and Rehovot.

All of these places are very safe, and you'll have no problem managing with just English.