Spirituality in Hebrew: How do you explain your religion in Hebrew?

There’s no doubt, Israel is a highly spiritual place, it is the birthplace of the 3 main monotheistic religions of the world, and also the place where the 4th and newest religion of this kind was born (the Bahai).

It is one of the only places in the world where every single place you go will offer you a unique mix of cultures that bond into one, breathtaking reality.

No matter if you only want to spend 48 hours in Tel Aviv or if you’re looking for the perfect place to have a date in Israel, wherever you go you’ll see churches, synagogues, mosques, rabbis, priests, nuns, and the most incredible variety of religious people from all different faiths.

But how do you say all of these spiritual, religion-related words in Hebrew? How do you ask for the nearest church or for the local mosque? Be ready to get closer to God, because after reading this article, you’ll have no excuse for not finding a place to pray during your next visit to Israel.

How do you say church in Hebrew? Mosque in Hebrew? And what’s synagogue in Hebrew?

Indeed, if you’re planning your next trip to the Land of Milk and Honey, and even if you are not religious at all, we invite you to learn these words, because even if it’s not for praying, a visit to some of these places can be totally worth it!

Where can you find a church in Israel?

Church in Hebrew is כנסייה (pronounced kneh-see-ah) and you can find thousands of them all over Israel. When coming, you cannot miss St. Peter’s in Jerusalem or the lovely Church of the Visitation in the astonishing neighborhood of Ein Karem, very near Jerusalem.

Up north, in Nazareth, you’ll be able to find a lot of very significant and historical כנסיות (did you know this word was the plural for church, pronounced kneh-see-ot). So it is totally worth it to grab the רכבת or maybe an אוטובוס and take a day trip to that green area of the country.

*Note: If you didn’t understand the last two Hebrew words we wrote, you should definitely consider joining one of our online Hebrew courses and learn the language of our patriarchs and matriarchs.

Living in peace: Where to pray in a mosque in Israel

Israel has a lot of mosques, a lot! It won’t be hard for you to find one and to go pray there. Mosque in Israel is מסגד (pronounced mees-gad).

If you are around Tel Aviv, you can try going towards מתחם התחנה and right before getting there, you’ll see this mosque, right opposite the Mediterranean Sea. What an inspirational place to pray, right?

Also, right outside the city of ראש העין you’ll find Kfar Kassem, where you’ll find not only very active and beautiful mosques, but also one of the best places to have hummus.

In case some of you didn’t know, in both the old and modern city of Jerusalem city you’ll find historical, gorgeous and magnificent mosques where Muslims pray and spiritually connect with each other.

Synagogue in Hebrew: One word, many different styles!

As most of you already know, synagogue in Hebrew is בית הכנסת (pronounced: bah-yit ha-kneh-set). And as you might have guessed, there are thousands of them all around the country. Almost in every corner, you’ll find a synagogue to go to. But be warned! Not all of them might be your style.

Most of the בתי כנסת you’ll find in Israel are orthodox, but you can always find a place to pray that is associated with the מסורתי (conservative) and רפורמי (reform) movements. Just like the mosques we mentioned before, here all types of religious people can find their place to fit in and where they want to pray.

Directions in Hebrew: Where, how, left, right

In order for you to safely arrive to the right place, it is not enough to learn the name of the place you want to get to, but also some of the basic directions in Hebrew. Take a look here and start practicing today:

Where: Where in Hebrew is איפה (pronounced: Ey-foh)
Left: In Hebrew, left is סמולה (pronounced: small-ah)
Right: In Hebrew, right is ימינה (pronounced: yah-mee-nah)
Straight: In Hebrew, to walk straight to someplace is ישר (pronounced: yah-shar), and in general, Israelis say it twice: ישר, ישר.
Turn: If you need to turn somewhere, in Hebrew they will tell you to לפנות (pronounced: lee-fnot)

Start learning Hebrew today

It doesn’t matter if you are looking for a place to pray, for a place to eat, for a place to have a date, or for the best activities for adrenaline junkies in Israel. What it is indeed important is that you learn Hebrew to have the best experience ever both in Israel, and when planning your potential visit too. Join one of our online Hebrew courses today and let yourself be surprised by the amount of vocabulary you’ll be able to learn and apply.