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The Top 10 New Things To Do in Israel

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Sep 30
5 min

The Top 10 New Things To Do in Israel

As we start a new Jewish year - 5783 - it's time to look back at ten of the best new things to hit the Israeli tourism scene in this past year, as well as discuss what we can look forward to in Israel in the coming year (and beyond). LOOKING BACK: In case you missed it: The ANU Museum (the former Diaspora Museum) reopened in March 2021 after a $100 million makeover and is now the must-see museum in Israel (and by far the most digitally advanced museum experience to hit the ma

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[Almost] All Restrictions on Entering Israel Set to End

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

May 17
2 min

[Almost] All Restrictions on Entering Israel Set to End

It's a brave new world. And it's a long-time coming. There are now [virtually] no COVID-related restrictions in relation to traveling to Israel. Hallelujah! Here is everything you need to know: COVID Tests Before Arrival: It recently was decided that an antigen test within 24 hours of departure can be done instead of a PCR test (within 72 hours). Now, however, as of May 21st, it appears there will be no more pre-flight testing requirements at all! If so, it would bring the

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Check out my Mount of Olives Tour in the Jerusalem Post

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Apr 19
1 min

Check out my Mount of Olives Tour in the Jerusalem Post

Recently I had the pleasure of guiding Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman of the Jerusalem Post on a tour of the Mount of Olives. The article was posted online today. You can check it out here: https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-704623 Don't forget to follow me on FB, Instagram and/or Twitter to get all my blog post updates: https://twitter.com/israeltourguy/ https://www.instagram.com/tourguideofisrael https://www.facebook.com/Kobi-Walk-Israel-205758425509 And check out - and s

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Israel is NOW OPEN for ALL Tourists (as of March 1)

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Feb 20
3 min

Israel is NOW OPEN for ALL Tourists (as of March 1)

In a major change in policy, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced today that as of March 1, tourists will NOT need to be vaccinated anymore in order to come to Israel. This will allow those who cannot be vaccinated due to age (such as young children) or medical conditions (as well as those who for whatever reason chose not to be). It also allows those who have recovered from COVID and do not have digital recovery certificates to be able to come as well, as by de

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Israel is Opening Up to Tourism (Again)

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Jan 6
3 min

Israel is Opening Up to Tourism (Again)

After closing the door to tourists in late November due to the threat of the new Omicron variant, Israel has finally decided to allow in tourists as of midnight on Saturday, Israel time. This is mostly due to the fact that Omicron is now in Israel as well, and banning tourists will not change that fact. There will be no more “red countries;” everyone will be allowed in provided they meet several requirements (as per Yad L’Olim): You are vaccinated with a second or third (bo

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Did Israel Just Finally Open Up For Tourism?

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Oct 22, 2021
9 min

Did Israel Just Finally Open Up For Tourism?

Naftali Bennett, Israel's Prime Minister, just announced yesterday that Israel will be reopening for tourism on November 1. He published a plan - yet to be approved by the corona cabinet and missing numerous details - which states how Israel will be open to the world. News media both in Israel and abroad have lauded the plan, but as with everything, the devil is in the details. So let's examine what exactly is supposed to be happening... The Rules Until Now: Up until now

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Hit & Run: Fauda goes from TLV to NYC

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Aug 12, 2021
3 min

Hit & Run: Fauda goes from TLV to NYC

A new series on Netflix came out this past week which is the brainchild of the writers of Fauda: Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz. Raz, of course, is the main star of both Fauda and the new one, Hit & Run. The series has had mixed reviews. The general consensus is that it starts at strong as an excellent piece of drama and action, which the Israeli screen has become known for, however it seems to have just a few too many twists and turns and starts to bog down in the unrealisti

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Linoy Ashram's Gold Caps Off Israel's Best Olympics Ever

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Aug 10, 2021
2 min

Linoy Ashram's Gold Caps Off Israel's Best Olympics Ever

Rhythmic gymnast Linoy Ashram won Israel's 3rd-ever gold medal this past weekend and the first-ever by an Israeli woman. It was the second gold of the Olympics, following artistic gymnast Artem Dolgyopat's gold-medal winning floor exercise. Ashram won in the all-around event, defeating a pair of Russian twin sisters whose country felt it had been robbed [photo by Reuters]. It was our fourth Olympic medal this year, whereas the most Israel had ever one in any Olympics prior

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Israel Gets Its Own Las Vegas - Just Without the Casinos...

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Aug 9, 2021
2 min

Israel Gets Its Own Las Vegas - Just Without the Casinos...

Maaleh Adumim and Mishur Adumim are Jewish communities/settlements just east of Jerusalem in the Judean Desert, which are usually best known for being the reason of perhaps the most contested real estate (outside of the Temple Mount) in the Israel-Palestinian conflict (though that's a subject for another time). Now, however, they are trying to be known for something brand-new: a new entertainment capital. That's right, it's glitz and glamour in the desert as Israel's most m

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Israel Wins its 2nd-Ever Gold Medal - and Sets a New Record

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Aug 2, 2021
2 min

Israel Wins its 2nd-Ever Gold Medal - and Sets a New Record

Tokyo 2021 has already become Israel's most successful Olympics in history and there is still more to go. On Sunday, the big news was that Artem Dolgopyat won Israel's second-ever gold medal (following windsurfer Gal Fridman's victory in 2004), this time in the men's floor exercises in artistic gymnastics. It was Israel's first-ever medal in gymnastics and the three medals Team Israel has won so far is a new record for any one Olympics. (Photo by Lionel Bonaventure/AFP) Alr

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All the Israeli & Jewish Athletes to Watch in the 2021 Olympics

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Jul 23, 2021
4 min

All the Israeli & Jewish Athletes to Watch in the 2021 Olympics

The 2020 Olympic Games are finally upon us - in 2021 - and this year might be Israel's best chance to finally a grab a second gold medal in the Olympics. Not since Gal Fridman won gold in windsurfing in Athens in 2004 has an Israeli athlete stood atop the podium while representing Israel (others with Israeli citizenship have won while representing other countries - one of them is even the flag-bearer of the USA this year - I'm looking at you, Sue Bird). With our biggest-ever

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I Just Walked Across The Entire Country

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Jun 7, 2021
9 min

I Just Walked Across The Entire Country

I just walked across my entire country. Okay it's Israel, so it's not that big, but I can tell you that it was not easy.... The hike is called "Yam el Yam" or "Sea to Sea" and it starts on the Mediterranean seashore and heads across the northern part of the country known as the Galilee to Lake Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee. There are a few different versions of it, but the classic one begins at the Achziv Beach and goes through the Kziv Stream, Mount Meron and

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Spotlight on the Palestinians: Renewing Ties with Israel & Much More

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Nov 18, 2020
5 min

Spotlight on the Palestinians: Renewing Ties with Israel & Much More

In a sudden turn of events, the Palestinian Authority has agreed yesterday to restart relations with Israel after six months. This apparently includes both security cooperation and finally accepting their taxes which Israel collects on their behalf (import/export taxes via Israeli ports). https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-authority-announces-renewal-of-security-coordination-with-israel/ https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/palestinian-authority-to-resume-security-coor

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Hump Day: Did the Patriarchs/Matriarchs Really Ride on Camels?

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Nov 18, 2020
2 min

Hump Day: Did the Patriarchs/Matriarchs Really Ride on Camels?

One of my favorite stories in the Jewish canon occurred in this past week's Torah portion. "And Isaac went out walking in the field toward evening and, looking up, he saw camels approaching. Raising her eyes, Rebekah saw Isaac. She alighted from the camel..." In itself it's not so exciting, until you realize that "alighted" is a polite word in English for what actually transpired in the Hebrew: she saw Isaac and promptly fell off the camel. Now, however, an article in the N

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Israel Completely Reinvents Sugar... and Headphones. I'm in Shock.

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Nov 17, 2020
2 min

Israel Completely Reinvents Sugar... and Headphones. I'm in Shock.

Two of the greatest problems the world faces are the rising rates of obesity and the fact that the amount of lost Airpods inhabits a collective space larger than Rhode Island. While I am not sure the second fact is true, the global obesity rate has tripled in my lifetime alone and is particularly acute in the US where over 40% of the population has obesity. And people lose their Airpods all the time. Well now Israel may have [partially] solved both of these problems. Forg

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Great Online Webinars/Lectures on Israel/Judaism This Week

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Nov 16, 2020
4 min

Great Online Webinars/Lectures on Israel/Judaism This Week

There are so many great webinars on Israel and Jewish-related things this week. Here are some highlights, from your trusty tour guide of Israel. Plus, check out the videos below of the Dead Sea Scrolls lectures from earlier this month. Have You Ever Heard of Sigd? Monday, Nov. 16 at 8pm in Israel (1pm EST) Sigd is a Jewish holiday marked by the Ethiopian-Jewish community 50 days after Yom Kippur. It celebrates their finally making it back to Jerusalem - through all the tr

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Israel Signs Deals to Receive Russian & US COVID-19 Vaccines

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Nov 13, 2020
2 min

Israel Signs Deals to Receive Russian & US COVID-19 Vaccines

In recent days, Israel has signed separate deals with US and Russian manufacturers of coronavirus vaccines with enough doses to vaccinate the entire country. This is on top of the local vaccine which began human trials on November 1. As an Israel tour guide this is incredibly exciting as hopefully it means we will be able to get back to work en masse as early as this coming spring . The Russian Sputnik V vaccine is in the middle of Phase III trials but has supposedly shown s

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Is Israel Still the "Start-Up Nation?"

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Nov 10, 2020
2 min

Is Israel Still the "Start-Up Nation?"

In 2009, Dan Senor and Saul Singer wrote a book called "Start-Up Nation" about Israel's incredible propensity for creating start-up companies. The book tried to understand the factors which turned tiny Israel into a global tech power, and in doing so, gave a new nickname to the country. Yet a decade and over a dozen billion dollar exits later, two questions arise. Are we still the start-up nation or have we now morphed into something else? And, perhaps more importantly, d

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The Greatest Rabbi/Ethicist of Our Times Has Passed Away

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Nov 10, 2020
2 min

The Greatest Rabbi/Ethicist of Our Times Has Passed Away

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, whom I consider to be the greatest rabbi, teacher, ethicist and philosopher of our generation, passed away on Shabbat. His deep knowledge of secular subjects, literature, history and philosophy from ancient to modern was unique among Jewish thinkers and as such, he was able to relate to a non-Jewish audience as well as a Jewish one. An ambassador for faith and morality, tolerance and repairing the world, his books have been and his videos have bee

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Israel Opens Airport COVID Test Center + More Tourism News

Kobi Tour Guide of Israel

Nov 9, 2020
2 min

Israel Opens Airport COVID Test Center + More Tourism News

As a tour guide of Israel, I am happy to let you know of some good news regarding the opening of tourism to Israel. Israel hit a milestone today when it opened today a coronavirus test center which allows for testing for both arriving and departing passengers. Outgoing travelers who test negative will then receive a medical passport which can be used to enter a number of countries. No word yet on whether incoming travelers from "red" countries will still be forced to quaran

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