Brush Up on Your Hebrew

People say you don't need Hebrew to travel in Israel, but it would be handy. Sure every Israeli you meet in the USA or on the road speaks English very well, but in Israel many residents speak little or no English. There are monuments and road signs in Hebrew only, or in Hebrew and Arabic. You miss out on the opportunity to chat with many people you meet. However, as a bare minimum pleasanteries, like Shalom and Todah, will elicit smiles from the Israelis who seem to appreciate visitors' attempts to speak Hebrew. They undoubtedly respect anyone who is willing to take on a language that reads backwards and assigns gender to its verbs.