n8n Hebrew Workflows

Step 1: Identify the Automation Pattern

Map the user's Israeli business need to an n8n workflow pattern. Use this table to select the right architecture before building anything:

Business Need	n8n Pattern	Key Nodes	Israeli API
Invoice reconciliation	Cron -> HTTP -> Compare -> Update	Cron, HTTP Request, IF, Function	Green Invoice API
Bank transaction categorization	Cron -> Code -> Spreadsheet	Cron, Execute Command, Google Sheets	israeli-bank-scrapers
Government data sync	Cron -> HTTP -> Transform -> DB	Cron, HTTP Request, Function, Postgres	data.gov.il CKAN API
SMS notifications	Trigger -> Function -> HTTP	Webhook, Function, HTTP Request	019 SMS / Inforu API
Payment webhook handling	Webhook -> Validate -> Process	Webhook, IF, Function, HTTP Request	Cardcom / Tranzila / Grow
Holiday-aware scheduling	Cron -> HTTP -> IF -> Execute	Cron, HTTP Request, IF, Function	Hebcal API
Multi-step approval flow	Webhook -> Wait -> IF -> Notify	Webhook, Wait, IF, HTTP Request	Slack + SMS gateway

Decision criteria for choosing between patterns:

• If the flow runs on a schedule, start with a Cron trigger and consider Shabbat/holiday pausing (Step 4)
• If the flow responds to external events (payment confirmations, form submissions), start with a Webhook trigger
• If the flow processes Hebrew text, add a Function node early in the pipeline for encoding/RTL handling (Step 3)

Step 2: Connect Israeli APIs in n8n

Green Invoice API

Green Invoice (hashbonit yeruka) uses OAuth2 with API key + secret. Configure the HTTP Request node:

Method: POST
URL: https://api.greeninvoice.co.il/api/v1/account/token
Headers:
  Content-Type: application/json
Body:
{
  "id": "{{$env.GREEN_INVOICE_API_KEY}}",
  "secret": "{{$env.GREEN_INVOICE_API_SECRET}}"
}

Store the JWT token from the response and pass it to subsequent requests:

Authorization: Bearer {{$json.token}}

Common Green Invoice endpoints for n8n workflows:

Endpoint	Method	Use Case
/api/v1/documents/search	POST	Search invoices by date range, client, status
/api/v1/documents	POST	Create new invoice/receipt
/api/v1/clients/search	POST	Look up client by name or tax ID (osek number)
/api/v1/payments	GET	Fetch payment records for reconciliation
/api/v1/businesses/me	GET	Get current business info (company name, tax ID)

Consult references/israeli-api-endpoints.md for full endpoint details, required fields, and response schemas.

israeli-bank-scrapers via Execute Command

n8n does not have a native Israeli bank node. Use the Execute Command node to run israeli-bank-scrapers:

npx israeli-bank-scrapers --company $BANK_NAME --id $USER_ID --password $PASSWORD --output json

Supported banks: hapoalim, leumi, discount, mizrahi, otsarHahayal, beinleumi, massad, yahav, beyahadMishkantaot, oneZero, behatsdaa.

Security note: Store credentials in n8n's credential store, not in workflow JSON. Use environment variables for sensitive values. The --save-to-file option writes to the n8n container's filesystem, so mount a volume if persistence is needed.

data.gov.il CKAN API

Israeli government open data uses the CKAN API:

GET https://data.gov.il/api/3/action/datastore_search
Parameters:
  resource_id: <resource-guid>
  q: <search-term>
  limit: 100
  offset: 0

Useful resource IDs for common workflows:

Dataset	Resource ID	Content
Companies Registry	8f714b7f-c35c-4b40-a0e0-55b6ac4ae2d2	Registered Israeli companies
Non-Profit Registry	be5b7935-3922-45d4-9638-08871b17ec95	Registered amutot (non-profits)
Import/Export Stats	Various	Trade statistics by HS code

The API returns Hebrew field names. Use a Function node to normalize keys to English for downstream processing.

Israeli SMS Gateways

Gateway	API Type	Auth	Best For
019 SMS (InfruSMS)	REST	API key + secret	Bulk marketing, transactional
Inforu (SMSGlobal IL)	REST	Username + token	OTP, transactional, WhatsApp
Nexmo/Vonage IL	REST	API key + secret	International + local

019 SMS example in an HTTP Request node:

Method: POST
URL: https://www.019sms.co.il/api
Headers:
  Content-Type: application/json
Body:
{
  "user": "{{$env.SMS_019_USER}}",
  "password": "{{$env.SMS_019_PASS}}",
  "from": "MyBusiness",
  "to": "{{$json.phone}}",
  "message": "{{$json.text}}"
}

Israeli phone number formatting: Always send in international format 972XXXXXXXXX (drop the leading 0). A Function node before the SMS node should handle this:

const phone = $input.first().json.phone;
const formatted = phone.startsWith('0')
  ? '972' + phone.slice(1)
  : phone.startsWith('+972')
    ? phone.slice(1)
    : phone;
return [{ json: { ...items[0].json, phone: formatted } }];

Step 3: Handle Hebrew Data in n8n Nodes

RTL Text in Function Nodes

n8n Function nodes process strings as UTF-8, so Hebrew works natively. The problems arise at boundaries: API responses, CSV exports, email templates.

Common Hebrew data issues and fixes:

Issue	Where It Happens	Fix
Reversed Hebrew in CSV	Spreadsheet File node export	Set encoding to UTF-8-BOM in output options
Broken nikud (vowels)	HTTP Request response parsing	Set response encoding to UTF-8 explicitly
Mixed RTL/LTR in emails	Send Email node	Wrap Hebrew text in <div dir="rtl">
Hebrew JSON keys	data.gov.il API responses	Normalize keys in Function node before processing
Truncated Hebrew	String length checks	Use Array.from(str).length for character count, not .length

NIS Currency Formatting

Use this Function node snippet for proper Israeli Shekel formatting:

function formatNIS(amount) {
  return new Intl.NumberFormat('he-IL', {
    style: 'currency',
    currency: 'ILS',
    minimumFractionDigits: 2
  }).format(amount);
}

// Input:  12345.60
// Output: 12,345.60 ₪

For agorot (cents) precision in financial workflows, always work in agorot internally (integers) and convert to shekels only at display:

const amountInAgorot = Math.round(shekelAmount * 100);
// All calculations in agorot
const totalAgorot = amountInAgorot + taxAgorot;
// Convert back for display
const displayAmount = formatNIS(totalAgorot / 100);

Hebrew Date Parsing

Israeli documents often use Hebrew dates or DD/MM/YYYY format. Parse with care:

// Parse Israeli date format DD/MM/YYYY
function parseIsraeliDate(dateStr) {
  const [day, month, year] = dateStr.split('/').map(Number);
  return new Date(year, month - 1, day);
}

// Parse Hebrew month names (common in government docs)
const hebrewMonths = {
  'ינואר': 0, 'פברואר': 1, 'מרץ': 2, 'אפריל': 3,
  'מאי': 4, 'יוני': 5, 'יולי': 6, 'אוגוסט': 7,
  'ספטמבר': 8, 'אוקטובר': 9, 'נובמבר': 10, 'דצמבר': 11
};

Step 4: Shabbat-Aware Cron Scheduling

Business workflows in Israel must not run during Shabbat (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) and Jewish holidays. n8n's built-in cron does not support this, so build a check node at the start of every scheduled workflow.

Architecture: Cron Trigger -> HTTP Request (Hebcal) -> IF (is Shabbat?) -> Continue or Stop

Hebcal API call in an HTTP Request node:

GET https://www.hebcal.com/shabbat?cfg=json&geonameid=293397&M=on

geonameid=293397 is Tel Aviv. Other common cities:

City	Geoname ID
Jerusalem	281184
Tel Aviv	293397
Haifa	294801
Beer Sheva	295530

The response includes candle lighting and havdalah times. Use a Function node to determine if the current time falls within Shabbat:

const now = new Date();
const shabbatData = $input.first().json;

const candleLighting = shabbatData.items.find(
  item => item.category === 'candles'
);
const havdalah = shabbatData.items.find(
  item => item.category === 'havdalah'
);

if (candleLighting && havdalah) {
  const shabbatStart = new Date(candleLighting.date);
  const shabbatEnd = new Date(havdalah.date);

  if (now >= shabbatStart && now <= shabbatEnd) {
    return []; // Empty output stops the workflow
  }
}

return $input.all(); // Continue workflow

For Jewish holidays, query the Hebcal holidays API:

GET https://www.hebcal.com/hebcal?v=1&cfg=json&year=now&month=now&maj=on&mod=on

Filter for yomtov: true items. These are days when work restrictions apply (similar to Shabbat).

Consult references/shabbat-cron-patterns.md for pre-built patterns covering weekly, monthly, and custom schedules with holiday awareness.

Step 5: Israeli Payment Gateway Webhooks

Israeli payment gateways send transaction results via webhooks (callback URLs). Configure n8n Webhook nodes to receive and process these.

Cardcom

Cardcom sends POST with form-encoded data to your callback URL:

n8n Webhook URL: https://your-n8n.example.com/webhook/cardcom-callback
Method: POST
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Key fields in the Cardcom callback:

Field	Description	Values
ReturnValue	Transaction status	0 = success, other = error code
InternalDealNumber	Cardcom transaction ID	Numeric string
DealResponse	Response description	Hebrew text
CardOwnerID	Customer Israeli ID (teudat zehut)	9 digits
NumOfPayments	Installments (tashlumim) count	1-36

Validation Function node after the Webhook:

const data = $input.first().json;

if (data.ReturnValue !== '0') {
  // Transaction failed
  return [{
    json: {
      success: false,
      error: data.DealResponse,
      cardcomId: data.InternalDealNumber
    }
  }];
}

return [{
  json: {
    success: true,
    transactionId: data.InternalDealNumber,
    amount: parseFloat(data.Sum),
    installments: parseInt(data.NumOfPayments),
    customerId: data.CardOwnerID
  }
}];

Tranzila

Tranzila uses a different callback pattern. The callback URL receives GET parameters:

https://your-n8n.example.com/webhook/tranzila-callback?Response=000&index=12345&sum=100.00&currency=1

Field	Description	Values
Response	Status code	000 = approved, 001-999 = error codes
index	Transaction index	Numeric
sum	Amount charged	Decimal (NIS if currency=1)
currency	Currency code	1 = ILS, 2 = USD, 3 = EUR
Rone	Installments	Number

Grow (Meshulam)

Grow sends JSON POST to your webhook:

{
  "transaction_id": "abc123",
  "status": "success",
  "amount": 150.00,
  "currency": "ILS",
  "payments_number": 3,
  "customer": {
    "name": "ישראל ישראלי",
    "email": "israel@example.com",
    "phone": "0501234567"
  }
}

IP whitelisting: Cardcom and Tranzila require your webhook server's IP to be whitelisted in their dashboard. If self-hosting n8n, use a static IP or configure a reverse proxy with a fixed egress IP.

Step 6: Self-Hosting Considerations

Israeli Cloud Options

Provider	Data Residency	n8n Support	Notes
AWS (il-central-1)	Israel (Tel Aviv)	Full Docker support	Local zone launched 2023, full region available
Azure (Israel Central)	Israel	Full Docker support	israelcentral region
Google Cloud (me-west1)	Israel (Tel Aviv)	Full Docker support	Launched 2022
Kamatera	Israel (Petah Tikva DC)	VPS with Docker	Israeli company, NIS billing
CloudSpace IL	Israel	VPS with Docker	Israeli company, local support

Data residency compliance: Israeli Privacy Protection Authority (PPPA, rashut le-haganat ha-prat) regulations require personal data of Israeli citizens to remain within approved jurisdictions. For workflows that process PII (teudat zehut numbers, bank details, medical data), choose a provider with an Israeli data center.

Docker Compose for Self-Hosted n8n

version: '3.8'
services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=${N8N_USER}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_PASSWORD}
      - N8N_HOST=${N8N_HOST}
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=https
      - WEBHOOK_URL=https://${N8N_HOST}/
      - GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Asia/Jerusalem
      - TZ=Asia/Jerusalem
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
      - ./scripts:/home/node/scripts

volumes:
  n8n_data:

Critical: Set GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Asia/Jerusalem and TZ=Asia/Jerusalem. Without this, all cron triggers use UTC, and Shabbat calculations will be off by 2-3 hours (Israel is UTC+2 in winter, UTC+3 in summer with DST changes on different dates than US/EU).

• Agents default to UTC for cron expressions. Israel uses Asia/Jerusalem (UTC+2/+3), and Israeli DST transitions happen on different dates than US/EU. Always set GENERIC_TIMEZONE in n8n config and verify cron timing after every DST change (typically last Friday of March and last Sunday of October).
• Agents format dates as MM/DD/YYYY. Israeli documents, APIs, and users universally use DD/MM/YYYY. Every date parsing Function node must explicitly handle this. Green Invoice API returns ISO 8601, but government datasets often return DD/MM/YYYY as strings.
• Agents send Israeli phone numbers with leading zero. SMS gateway APIs require international format (972XXXXXXXXX). A phone number like 050-1234567 must become 972501234567. Always strip the leading zero and prepend 972.
• Agents assume VAT is included in amounts. Israeli invoices commonly show amounts before VAT (lifnei maam). Green Invoice API returns both amount (before VAT) and totalAmount (with VAT). Always check which field you need. Current VAT rate is 18% (as of January 2025).
• Agents miss that Shabbat times vary by city. Candle lighting in Jerusalem is 40 minutes before sunset, while in Tel Aviv it is 20-30 minutes. Using a single hardcoded time for all of Israel will cause workflows to run during Shabbat in some cities.

References

• references/israeli-api-endpoints.md -- Complete reference table of Israeli API endpoints for n8n workflows, including Green Invoice, data.gov.il, SMS gateways, payment gateways, and Hebcal. Consult when configuring HTTP Request nodes for Israeli services.
• references/shabbat-cron-patterns.md -- Pre-built Shabbat-aware scheduling patterns for n8n including weekly, monthly, and holiday-aware configurations with Hebcal API integration. Consult when setting up any cron-triggered workflow that should respect Shabbat and Jewish holidays.

Error: "Green Invoice API returns 401 Unauthorized"

Cause: JWT token expired. Green Invoice tokens have a short TTL (around 30 minutes). Solution: Add a token refresh step at the beginning of every workflow execution. Store the token in n8n's static data ($getWorkflowStaticData('global')) with a timestamp, and refresh it if older than 25 minutes.

Error: "Hebrew text appears garbled in CSV export"

Cause: The exported CSV lacks a UTF-8 BOM (Byte Order Mark), so Excel interprets it as ANSI. Solution: In the Function node that prepares CSV data, prepend the BOM character: '\uFEFF' + csvContent. Alternatively, set the Spreadsheet File node's encoding option to UTF-8-BOM.

Error: "Webhook not receiving Cardcom callbacks"

Cause: Cardcom requires the callback URL to be publicly accessible with a valid SSL certificate. Self-hosted n8n behind a firewall will not receive callbacks. Solution: Use a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy) with Let's Encrypt SSL. Ensure the n8n WEBHOOK_URL environment variable matches the public URL. Whitelist n8n's IP in the Cardcom merchant dashboard.

Error: "Cron runs during Shabbat despite Hebcal check"

Cause: n8n server timezone is set to UTC instead of Asia/Jerusalem, so the Shabbat time comparison is offset by 2-3 hours. Solution: Verify GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Asia/Jerusalem in n8n environment variables. Restart n8n after changing timezone settings. Test by logging new Date().toString() in a Function node to confirm the server's effective timezone.

Error: "israeli-bank-scrapers times out in Execute Command node"

Cause: Bank scraping involves headless browser automation which can take 30-60 seconds. n8n's default Execute Command timeout is too short. Solution: Increase the timeout in the Execute Command node settings (set to 120000ms). Ensure the n8n Docker container has sufficient memory (at least 1GB) for Chromium. Install required dependencies: apt-get install -y chromium-browser in the container.