Learn what topics you should avoid during small talk in Hebrew
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What topics are taboo in Israel? |
| Lenny: And what are some things I should avoid doing? |
| Michael: At HebrewPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen is trying to invite her Israeli friend, but she seems a bit surprised when Karen says |
| "Let's have a picnic at the park!" |
| Karen Lee: !בואי נעשה פיקניק בגינה הציבורית (Bo'i na'ase piknik ba-ginah ha-tsiburit!) |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: !בואי נעשה פיקניק בגינה הציבורית (Bo'i na'ase piknik ba-ginah ha-tsiburit!) |
| Tsipora Tsadok: !אבל יום כיפור היום (Aval yom kippur hayom!) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: !בואי נעשה פיקניק בגינה הציבורית (Bo'i na'ase piknik ba-ginah ha-tsiburit!) |
| Michael: "Let's have a picnic at the park!" |
| Tsipora Tsadok: !אבל יום כיפור היום (Aval yom kippur hayom!) |
| Michael: "But it's Yom Kippur today!" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this lesson, we will talk about some taboo topics in Israel. This is about providing you with some general information about Israeli culture, so that you have what you need when it comes to conversations about sensitive topics, or in order to avoid making a blunder. |
| [Recall] |
| Michael: Let’s start with a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Karen says "Let's have a picnic at the park?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Lenny as Karen Lee: !בואי נעשה פיקניק בגינה הציבורית (Bo'i na'ase piknik ba-ginah ha-tsiburit!) |
| Michael: And do you remember how her friend replies "But it's Yom Kippur today?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Lenny as Tsipora Tsadok: !אבל יום כיפור היום (Aval yom kippur hayom!) |
| Michael: Yom kippur or |
| Lenny: יום כיפור (yom kipur) |
| Michael: which literally means "Day of Atonement" is a celebration day which starts at sunset, until the sunset of the next day, during which people usually fast or in Hebrew: |
| Lenny: צמים (tsa’mim) |
| Michael: This word is the plural verb form of the noun |
| Lenny: צום (tsom) |
| Michael: which means "fasting." As part of the fast and Jewish tradition, people in Israel are not allowed to "eat" |
| Lenny: לאכול (le’e’khol) |
| Michael: or "drink" |
| Lenny: לשתות (lish’tot) |
| Michael: during the period of Yom Kippur’s fasting. Therefore, according to the Jewish tradition, it is "forbidden" or |
| Lenny: אסור (a’sur) |
| Michael: Picnics cannot be conducted during the period of Yom Kippur’s fasting. |
| When in Israel, there might be other things that you might overlook as a foreigner, like driving a car or |
| Lenny: נהיגה ברכב (nehiga be’rekhev) |
| Michael: "on Saturdays" or |
| Lenny: בשבת (be’shabat) |
| Michael: in an orthodox area or |
| Lenny: באזורים שבהם גר ציבור דתי (be’ezorim she’bahem gar tsibur dati) |
| Michael: Saturday is the day of the rest and driving is prohibited for Orthodox Jews, so you should avoid it as it might be offensive. Also, if you are a woman visiting an orthodox area, avoid physical contact, even a "handshake" or |
| Lenny: לחיצת יד (lekhitsat yad) |
| Michael: Finally, let’s list some topics that you should definitely avoid when starting a conversation. The first is "religion" or |
| Lenny: דת (dat) |
| Michael: Next is anything related to the delicate relationship between Israel and Palestine |
| Lenny: יחסי הרשות הפלסטינית-ישראל (yakhasei ha’rashut ha’falestinit-Israel) |
| Michael: In general, in first encounters, you should avoid talking about anything related to politics |
| Lenny: פוליטיקה (politikah) |
| Michael: ethnic groups and discrimination. |
| Lenny: עדות ואפליה (edot ve’kipuakh) |
| Michael: cheating of tourists |
| Lenny: רמאות של תיירים (ramaut shel tayarim) |
| Michael: and dirt and neglect in public space |
| Lenny: ליכלוך והזנחה במרחב הציבורי (likhlukh ve’haznakha ba’merkhav ha’tsiburi) |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, we were introduced to a few different topics that could be controversial in Israel, but just remember that it always depends on the individual you are talking to. These are just general guidelines and overall Israeli people tend to be tolerant towards foreigners’ lack of knowledge on their taboo topics. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Lenny: !להתראות (lehitra’ot!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
Comments
Hide