If you've managed to snag a cheap flight to Israel, remember that you'll be traveling for a long time. Be prepared to be up in the air for at least 10 hours. That's just time on the plane — be sure to take into account how many hours you'll spend getting to and at airports. Average security checks and baggage claims take between an hour and a half and two hours to get through (and keep in mind that the less you bring with you on the plane the less chance you'll have of being held up at security), but depending on when and where you're traveling you'll need more time. Don't be afraid to overshoot — which is worse, getting to the airport too early or missing your flight?
Now, you'll want to fill up all that time. Your best bet is probably to just go to sleep. It's not advisable to stay up more than 24 hours, but if you can put off a night's rest until the plane takes off, you might be able to sleep the whole way. Bring a set of earplugs, a sleep mask and over-the-counter sleeping pills, just in case sleep doesn't come as easily as you expected.
If you don't think you'll be able, or simply don't want to sleep during the flight, an iPod or other portable musical device is advisable — the question is, will it make it 10+ hours? Charge it up as much as you can, and if possible, bring an extra battery. The same goes for a laptop, if you choose to bring one.
If you want to read, go with a book rather than a magazine. You'll plow through a magazine with the first hour, if that — maybe even before takeoff. Try to choose a book that's small but dense with text that will keep you busy for a good chunk of the trip. You could also bring a book of puzzles, like crosswords or other wordgames that require a lot of thinking.
Don't try to plan out exactly how much time you might spend on each activity. For example, don't assume that you can spend X amount of hours reading, Y amount of hours sleeping, and so on. As mentioned above, you don't know that you'll be able to fall asleep, and you might get sick of the book 30 pages in. You're better off bringing a number of things you can do (within the limits of reason — and what you're carry-on can hold). If you're bringing a laptop you probably won't need to bring much else; you'll be able to work on any number of projects, watch movies, listen to music, etc. on a laptop.
Remember: a cheap flight to Israel is still a long one. If you get on the plane and find that you only have enough to occupy half your time up there, you'll be kicking yourself all the way to Jerusalem.
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