Jerusalem - Post Report Question and Answers
Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
Israelis can seem generally abrasive at first, but they don't mean to offend, they're just brutally, unapologetically honest. If you throw your rules of political correctness out of the window, you will feel liberated and fall into step. I find it easy to make friends here, though most of my friends are expats. If you are anti-Semitic you will feel uncomfortable here. The most unhappy people I have met at the embassy are those who are openly hostile to Jewish people and Jewish culture. (I've not met any openly anti-Arab people among the embassy community, thankfully.) LGBT community might feel less free here than in Tel Aviv. - Sep 2024
It's very easy to make local friends here. - Nov 2022
If you look even vaguely Arab, you're going to have a very different experience here and should be prepared for that. On the other hand, if you look very stereotypically Jewish, you'll have another completely different experience here, and should be prepared for that. I'd also say that if you're Jewish but not Orthodox or conservative you may find living here to be more challenging than you expect. - Oct 2019
