New Yorkers do not get involved with tragedies, accidents, or problems. Many New Yorkers don't even know their own neighbors.

Perhaps it's unfair to limit this stigma to New Yorkers. People from certain other places may have similar feelings. However, that's not the point.

Israelis do get involved – with everything and everybody. They know their neighbors all too well. They give advice to everybody they know and to some people they don't know.

After all, the yenta is certainly a Jewish concept, and where can you find more involved yentas than in Israel?

Israelis talk about everything. When tragedy strikes in Israel, everybody has an opinion. Everybody gets involved in political events that affect one part, city, or region in our country.

This blunt "involvement" may be one of the most difficult issues that some Israeli immigrants learn to accept. The harsh cultural clash between uninvolvement and total immersion does take time to understand and accept.

Some people believe that it would be best to have a middle ground, in which people would not be overly involved, and in which they would not disregard others.

However, don't expect to find that middle ground in Israel. You'll experience extremes with everything else in Israel, so why not expect it with relationships as well?