Everyday life in Israel: phones, buses, money and weather

None of this is hard, but nobody tells you until you are standing at a bus stop with the wrong card. These are the basics, each from the source listed at the end. Prices and rules change, so check anything that matters.

Plugs and voltage

Israel's electricity is 220 to 230 volts at 50 Hz. North American electricity is about half that, so a 110-volt hair dryer, straightener or curling iron will burn out unless it is dual voltage. Look for "100-240V" on the label. Most phone and laptop chargers do, but check.

Israel has its own three-pin plug, so you need a plug adapter. Newer Israeli sockets also take two-pin European plugs. An adapter changes the shape of the plug only. It does not change the voltage.

Phones

Israel's country code is +972. Phone plans from home work in Israel, but a local SIM usually costs much less. Israeli carriers sell prepaid SIMs and eSIMs. Ask your seminary whether it arranges a plan for its students before you buy one. Your phone has to be unlocked to take an Israeli SIM.

Buses and trains

Public transport across Israel runs on one card, the Rav-Kav. It works on buses and on Israel Railways, and you load money onto it through the Rav-Kav Online website or app, at machines, or by holding the card against a phone that has NFC.

There are two kinds of card. An anonymous card needs no personal details and has cost 5 shekels, but its balance is lost if the card is. A personal card has your name and photo, is issued at service centers with ID such as a passport, and is protected if you lose it.
You can also pay with a phone app. The Ministry of Transport lists Moovit, Pango, Rav-Pass and Cello.
Don't count on paying cash on a bus. Have a loaded Rav-Kav or an app ready.
The Ministry of Transport's 2025 fare booklet says riders aged 18 to 26 get a discount on monthly passes with the right profile on a personal Rav-Kav. We couldn't confirm whether overseas seminary students qualify, so ask at a service center.

Most public transport stops for Shabbat. Trains stop on Friday afternoon and start again on Saturday night, and the same is true of most buses. Plan Friday travel early, especially in winter when Shabbat starts in the afternoon.

Money

The currency is the new shekel, written NIS or ILS. One shekel is 100 agorot. Ask your bank what it charges for foreign spending and cash withdrawals before you go, because those fees add up over a year.

If you think you need an Israeli bank account, ask the seminary how its students manage.

The week and the clock

The working week runs Sunday to Thursday, and Shabbat, from Friday evening to Saturday night, is the day of rest.

Israel is two hours ahead of UTC in winter and three in summer, which is seven hours ahead of New York for most of the year. Israel changes its clocks on different dates from the US and the UK: forward on the Friday before the last Sunday in March, and back on the last Sunday in October. For a week or two each spring and fall the time difference with home shifts by an hour.

Weather

Summers are hot and dry everywhere. Almost all the rain falls between October and April, with December to February the wettest months. Winter is colder in the hills than on the coast.

On the coast (Tel Aviv): January averages about 10 to 18°C (50 to 64°F); August about 23 to 30°C (74 to 86°F).
In the Judean hills (Jerusalem): January averages about 7 to 13°C (44 to 55°F); July about 20 to 30°C (68 to 86°F).
In the Galilee hills (Tzfat): January averages about 5 to 10°C (41 to 50°F); July about 20 to 31°C (68 to 87°F).

So pack a real coat and a rain jacket as well as summer clothes. Our packing list has the rest.

Water

The US State Department says tap water in Israel is safe to drink. Israel's Ministry of Health tests drinking water and publishes the results.

For what to do in the first few days, use the first week checklist.

Sources

Read on 2 and 3 October 2026. Open them to check a figure or see whether it has changed.