Hey redheadedpoet,
You're in luck! I just received a PM from one of your classmates and wrote her an entire essay on what to wear. I'm going to cut and paste. Enjoy:
In general, Israel is VERY VERY casual. The style is kind of like a beachy, hippie and "anything goes" style. On hot days in Beer Sheva, we all walk around with thin strap tank-tops, tube tops, halter tops, shorts....whatever will save you from the heat. Honestly, anything goes in Beer Sheva. Class is also extremely casual. Tshirts, tank tops, jeans, shorts, skirts, sandals...whatever you're most comfortable in. Even the doctors wear very casual clothes (it's rare to find a person wearing a business suit here...if you do see ppl in suits, they're usually foreigners). In short you will spend 99% of your time wearing casual clothes in Beer Sheva, so make sure you pack enough of that stuff.
Outside of Beer Sheva, you will be wearing the exact same clothes as you do in Beer Sheva, with a few exceptions:
Tel Aviv-- this city has an amazing night life, and even though the style is still casual, we girls usually take it as an opportunity to dress up a bit (we get so few opportunities in Beer Sheva!). Nice tops, dresses, heels...whatever you like. And if you don't like dressing up, you can go casual and no one will blink an eyelid.
Jerusalem-- this city is INCREDIBLE and during orientation you'll have a day trip here. Jerusalem has a very mixed population of non-religious and religious ppl, so I usually feel most comfortable dressing modestly when I go there. You don't have to wear turtlenecks and long skirts in the summer, but I try to wear t-shirts that aren't low cut with pants and/or skirts below the knees. This is especially important if you'll be visiting any churches, synagogues, or mosques (which you will be!).
Most of your traveling in Israel will be to non-religious communities (the beach, hiking, sight-seeing, most cities) and you can wear whatever you want. For the rare times that you'll visit a very religious community, you'll get specific instructions on what is appropriate to wear in that community.
And finally, for cold-weather clothing-- The winter days are usually warm and sunny, but the nights can get quite cold (can get to 0 celcius). They are not as well-equipped for colder weather, so the homes are not insulated or heated and the floors are tiled. The key for winter here is LAYERS. Bring long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, warm socks and definitely a medium-weight jacket for the colder days. I also highly recommend bringing some cozy slippers.
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask more detailed questions...any excuse to procrastinate is welcome
