Don't bother saying hello

I'm in a small office where two additional people work. I walk out of one room and right in front of me is  an Israeli man who I haven't seen before. I say, "Hello there." Being an Israeli, he says nothing, just glares at me. He starts talking aggressively to my coworkers while eating a felafel sandwich. I believe they are talking about renting a room in the office. He blocks the way to the fridge and I have to wiggle by him. On the way back, he moves a millimeter, still eating, talking aggressively, this time not looking at me at all.

When I leave the office each day, I pass by the guys in the pizza shop. Every day for months I pass them. Sometimes I say, layla tov. They say nothing. They just glare.

This is Israel. Don't bother saying hello. Nobody cares. I wonder sometimes why I bothered learning the word Shalom. It’s not used very much. 

The feeling one gets is that nobody matters to anybody else. There's no such thing as people. You don't exist. Pleasantries matter. The Mishnah says, be the first to say hello. Since when do Israelis care about the Mishnah. And yes, this man wears a small knit yarmulka.