Here is some information and suggestions based on my own experience
 as well as some current information gleaned from websites.

 Currency

·         Israel’s currency is the New Israel Shekel (NIS) or shekel for short (pluralized as shekalim in Hebrew or shekels in English)

·         There are 100 agorot (agora in singular) in each shekel.

·         Bills are in denominations of NIS 20, 50, 100, and 200

·         Coins are in denominations of NIS 10, 5, 1; and 50, 10 and 5 agorot.

·         As of January, the exchange rate is about 3.5 shekels to a dollar

Security

·         Passports need to be good for 6 months after departure

·         Be sure passport name agrees with photo IDs

·         Pack a copy of the Itinerary and hotels in your suitcase in case it gets lost

·         Bring money belt or other secure way of keeping your cash

·         Bring Medical Insurance cards and any other info.

·         Bring list of telephone numbers that you may need

Airport Security

·         Based on my experience with El Al, be prepared for intense questioning at airports.  Perhaps other airlines do not have the same guidelines, but in any case stay calm, patient, and courteous.

·         Security may ask you why you are going, whom you are going with, and where you will be staying in Israel, etc.  They are looking for inconsistencies.  If they establish you are Jewish, they may even ask you your Hebrew names (which are listed below):

Will: Avraham ben Chaim

Matthew: Mordecai ben Avraham

Jonathan: Yoshua ben Avraham

Jevon: Yoseph ben Avraham

Todd: Benyamin ben Avraham

·         Our Guide’s name: Gilad Suffrin

·         In airports be aware of pick pocketing, etc.

Airport Protocol

·         Need to arrive 3 hours ahead of time for departure.

Arriving in Israel

·         Get PLENTY of rest BEFORE you leave on the trip.

·         Do NOT go to sleep when you arrive – stay up till bed time on first day in order to get in phase with jet lag.

Time Zone

·         7 hours ahead of US Eastern Standard time.

·         Daylight saving time is observed from March to August

Electricity

·         Israel's electric current standard is the European 220/240 V/50Hz.

·         Most hotels provide 110-V outlets for shavers only.

·         Check your chargers, etc. to be sure they can take the the 220/240 voltage (most of them now do.)   You will need an adapter as shown below:

This is the most common adapter you'll need

This one occasionally is also used.

Holidays

While we are in Israel, there will be 3 major holidays.  Some businesses and restaurants may be closed during these periods (sundown to sundown.)

·         Sunday, May 1 - Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah)
(evening of April 30 till evening of May 1)

·         Monday, May 9 - Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron)
(evening of May 8 till evening of May 9)

·         Tuesday, May 10 - Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut)
(evening of May 9 till evening of May 10)

Clothing

Temps are expected to vary from 60 to 95 degrees (see below.)  Suggestions for items to be sure to bring, include:

·         Swim suits – bring 2 swim suits

·         Waterproof bag to pack wet clothes, swim suits in.

·         Flip flops for beach and will also be needed for some walks through water and tunnels that we will do on tours.

·         Durable sneakers/walking shoes (1 or 2 pair) – We’ll be doing a lot of walking.  On some of our excursions they can get dirty or wet

·         Use Drip dry clothes as much as possible; wash them overnight.

Temperatures

·         Tel Aviv:  60-75

·         Haifa:  60-75

·         Tiberias:  60-90

·         Jerusalem:  60-75

·         Dead Sea:  75-95

·         Eilat:  70-95

·         Petra:  60-80

Cell Phones

·         Find out if your phone will work in Israel, and what the charges are.

·         If you bring your phone, be sure it is activated before you depart on trip.

·         An alternative is to rent phones in Israel for use within Israel if using our own phones is too prohibitive. (Needs to be looked into)