To those who don’t know it well, Jerusalem may seem chaotic and baffling. I have lived in the city my entire life, and I have learned to read Jerusalem, inside and out. My deep familiarity, love, and appreciation for the city allow me to enjoy all worlds and to flow between them easily and safely. I will introduce you to the best Jerusalem has to offer and tailor the experience to your needs as a group in terms of ages, social composition and accessibility.
Each of my tours begins with getting to know the travelers, and is tailored to them, I compose a fitting program. No two tours are the same, just as no two people are the same – each group has its own unique needs and interest that shape the tour. The attention to detail, the deep personal familiarity with the city, and the sensitivity to travelers allow me and the travelers with me to experience Jerusalem in the most heart-expanding way I know – with a kind eye and an open heart.
Multigenerational families, tourists from Israel and abroad
for multigenerational families, tourists from Israel and abroad families, tourists from Israel and abroad
For groups up to 15, typically women- friends or work colleagues from Israel and abroad
For Israeli families and adventurous tourists open to exploring non-Hebrew-speaking areas. Up to 12 people per group
For families/friends interested in Jerusalem’s religious and cultural diversity, workplaces with workers of diverse background. Can be modified for kids.
For Israeli and international travelers interested in Israeli folklore
For Art lovers, social changemakers
For Christian visitors from Israel and abroad, as well as Israeli tourist, families, and work colleagues
For families, work colleagues, and visitors from Israel and abroad
For work colleagues seeking meaningful evening activities in Jerusalem
From LGBTQ+ tourists from Israel and abroad
For educational institutions from Israel and abroad; suitable for teens, students, or adults. We will match the stories and experiences to your values and interest
For art enthusiasts, educational groups from Israel and abroad, and work colleagues
Using your own taste buds, discover what makes Mahane Yehuda the most popular market in Israel. Enjoy must-try bites and meet the incredible people behind them. Tastings are equivalent to a full meal. Option to include a short tour of the nearby Nachlaot neighborhood. The menu is modified by personal need of Kosher, allergies and other culinary preferences.
Extras: Take-home packages available.
Morning: Explore the Old City, visit the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, enjoy the views of Temple Mount and Mount of Olives, and meet local artisans.
Afternoon: Head to Mahane Yehuda Market (on foot, by car, or light rail) to dive into Israeli culture and society through food. The menu is modified by personal need of Kosher, allergies and other culinary preferences.
Extras: Add-ons like Armenian ceramics workshop or rappelling from the Old City walls.
Focuses on Jewish craft work in Jerusalem. We shall begin at Bezalel, the first Jewish art school. Then we'll meet a local designer and look behind the scenes of the fashion world, as well as the therapeutic side of styling. Visit a unique complex combining culinary, musical, and visual arts, and conclude at the new art school campus.
Extras: Optional theater workshop, private film screening, and conversation with the artists.
Visit specialty shops and workshops, meet sellers and craftspeople who’ve learned their craft through generation after generation, hear their stories, and enjoy their goods. A sensory-rich experience- see, smell, feel, hear, and taste.
Extras: Armenian tile painting workshop or visit to Jerusalem’s Santa Claus. Optional non-kosher tastings.
Visit the Jewish Quarter and Western Wall, Christian Quarter and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, walk through the Armenian Quarter and the Arab market, and view the Temple Mount and Mount of Olives
We will respectfully explore ultra-Orthodox lifestyle, Israel’s shift from austerity to abundance, cultural heroes and heroines from the neighborhood, project Urban Renewal, and Jerusalem’s rich visual language (public notice boards, graffiti, stone and iron decorations).
Extras: Can be combined with Mahane Yehuda culinary tour
Explore the interface of society, art, and artists. Visit two long-abandoned buildings, now thriving, against all odds, with creativity and social change altered the face of the city. Tour the historic YMCA building with its legendary field and breathtaking view, and visit one of Jerusalem’s most beautiful courtyards. End at the new Bezalel Academy building.
Extras: Workshops available- polymer clay crafts, jewelers design, key chains, cup design, jewelry design
Ein Kerem is a charming village annexed to Jerusalem after Israel’s founding. Its alleyways feature ancient stone houses, churches, monasteries, cafés, restaurants, and stunning art spaces. In addition, it’s the fourth holiest Christian site in Israel. We will reveille its hidden secrets, trace the story of John the Baptist, and hear local tales amid church bells.
Explore the city center’s businesses and hidden historical corners and hear their stories. Learn how Cat Square got its name and experience its unique acoustic phenomenon. Visit a magical family-run toy shop, where they sell toys to kings and to commoners alike. Meet Orit who brings dreams to life in her Wonderland, sip local beer at a beloved pub, hear how a fire sparked an Indie festival, and- if lucky- taste the famous local alcoholic drink. Don’t miss Luis’s legendary tacos or the mystery of Zion Square.
Think Jerusalem nightlife is just Mahane Yehuda? Think again! Bezalel Pedestrian Mall offers vibrant cultural experiences. We will start with a short film, enjoy a live show, sip cocktails with Bezalel students, and end in an historic building where a sommelier will offer us the perfect wine.
Explore the Old City’s religious sites while discussing gender and sexuality in monotheistic cultures over the past 3,000 years.
Tailored experiences for groups based on values and topics of interest.
For examples:
- Coming-of-age tour for Bar/Bat Mitzvah teens. We shall explore the leaving of the walled city. Becoming Bar or Bat Mitzah and leaving the walled city have several things in common: growth, learning to set boundaries, dealing with change and taking responsibility.
- A tour for high school student featuring the Black Panthers in Musrara, dealing with issued of social tensions, anger, poverty and prejudice.
- A tour at the heart of what it means so be Israeli- a special tour at Mount Hertzel Cemetery that, rather than following Israeli army ideal, follow those soldiers that we less pay attention to: the mentally ill, women, non jews, victims of terror, and those who list their lives on the way from Ethiopia to Israel
Graffiti exists in every self-respecting city, but Jerusalem’s stone walls make it uniquely challenging and meaningful. Because of its texture and meaning it is not at all easy to draw graffiti on it walls. Artists coming from all walks of life pour their hearts into their work. Explore the burning issues for Jerusalem’s artists and the fine line between street art and graffiti, legal and illegal, day and night, and the diverse people sharing one city.
Jerusalem is truly amazing! It is a tremendously diverse city and encapsules many kinds of people, languages, and cultures, as well as religions, histories, and world views. On top of that add festivals, holidays, cultural events and traffic jams at every corner… At first, it all seems intimidating.
From a place of deep familiarity with the people and the city, I guide tours that enable every traveler to find their personal space within the city. During the tour we will learn to observe and better recognize our surroundings, namely the people who live and work in Jerusalem, the hustle and bustle of the city, and the people we travel with (be they family, friends or co-workers or new friends). Each tour focuses on the familiar as well as on the unusual. Through encounters with people, stories, places, tastes and smells, we will feel a little more at home in one of the most complex cities in the world.
It will be my honor to show you Jerusalem as I see it, with a kind eye and a good heart – in a manner that allows each and every one to be who they are, without masks, allowing us to get to know other people and other worldviews, and ultimately to forge connections based on personal encounters.
It is worth checking the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian calendars before arriving in the city in order to avoid crowds and to understand which parts of the city will be more placid and tranquil.
The fastest and most convenient means of transportation is the light rail. The Navon train station is adjacent to a light rail station, which makes the trip to the city from out-of-town possible using only public transportation.
As most things in the city, the weather is anything but standard, and only Jerusalemites can navigate it easily. It is recommended to check this weather forecast before visiting.
As far back as I can recall, growing up in Jerusalem has always seemed like the most logical thing in the world.
I was always curious about what was going on around me: the people, the places, the smells, the sounds – what was that siren? Why is this man wearing a dress? Why is this grocery store closed on Shabbat while that grocery store across the road grocery remains open? My parents took my questions seriously and constantly encouraged me to ask and investigate. As an adult, I studied Israel and Art studies. Specialized in guiding while continuing to explore the city’s culture and society.
Each of my tours begins with getting to know the travelers, and is tailored to them, I compose a fitting program. No two tours are the same, just as no two people are the same – each group has its own unique needs and interest that shape the tour. The attention to detail, the deep personal familiarity with the city, and the sensitivity to travelers allow me and the travelers with me to experience Jerusalem in the most heart-expanding way I know – with a kind eye and an open heart.
In the summer of 2016, I guided a group of Israelis in Nachlaot, one of the first neighborhoods that was built outside the walls of the Old City. As we were strolling through the alleyways, one of the group members approached me and asked if we could walk down the parallel street. “I have something special to show you,” he told me with sparkling eyes. Of course I agreed, and after a few minutes, as we passed a Jerusalem Stone wall full of windows, he reached through the bars of one of the windows with the utmost elegance and pulled out a small key that matched the door to our right. We found ourselves standing in a small, dusty synagogue illuminated by beams of light that filtered through the windows as if frozen in time. With a sure step, he approached the ark and revealed, beneath a layer of dust, stylized letters carved on the bottom. “This is my grandmother’s name,” he recounted in a trembling voice. A few steps from the ark, he showed us his uncle’s chair, his father’s chair, and his grandfather’s chair. He continued his story: “My grandfather immigrated to Israel and settled here in the neighborhood. At some point, due to a conflict with the community, he decided to establish a synagogue – this synagogue. It now belongs to the family. My aunts and uncles are not as religious as my grandfather was and we, the third generation, hardly ever go to any synagogue anymore. The last time I was here was about a decade ago, at the bar mitzvah of one of my cousins. I think no one has been here since, and only family members have the key.”
The synagogue was built with a legal dedication and therefore the building cannot be used for anything else. Of course, it cannot be demolished either and the land cannot be used for any other type of building. In practice, it serves as the synagogue of one extended family who still owns it even though they have stopped using it. This is one of dozens of synagogues in the neighborhood, and it is one story out of many.
It’s nicer to learn about the legal protections of buildings like this through storytelling, rather than to listen to the dry details of the laws and regulations, don’t you think?
A tour in the city could be only historical, but it does not have to be. In every tour, I intertwine personal stories that I have gathered in my life and work in the city as well as in my studies all about it. Through these stories travelers don’t only learn facts, but experience the city as the dynamic, living organism it is rather than another open air museum.