Seventeen years ago Ilan Ramon, of blessed memory, became the first-ever Israeli to go to space. Sadly, Ramon was on the Space Shuttle Columbia which disintegrated upon re-entry to Earth's atmosphere, killing Ramon and the other astronauts on board. Ever since then Israelis have wondered as to who will be next to take that giant leap forward, to infinity and beyond. Now we finally have an answer. At the end of 2021, 18 years after the Columbia tragedy, Eytan Stibbe is exp

There a ton of music and film festivals happening right now in Israel - as well as new Jewish documentaries available online as well. Here is a list of some of the highlights for you from your Israel tour guide! The Oud Festival - November 19-28 The oud is Middle Eastern string instrument and Jerusalem has held an international festival celebrating it for two decades. Due to COVID-19 it will not be happening in person. While this means that only local performers will be hig

When Sean Connery passed away last week, a number of his off-screen exploits and comments - both the flattering and not so flattering - were brought up. As a tour guide of Israel, I'd like to focus on one of them - a secret mission he undertook to Israel in 1967. Connery, who was starring in his legendary role of British secret agent James Bond at the time, visited Israel and at one point actually was taken to an Israeli Air Force Base. There he met with IAF Commander Motta

As a tour guide of Israel, for some reason this is a question I get a lot... what is Israel's stance on marijuana. Much is known about Israel being the world leader in medical marijuana, but legalization for recreational use has always lagged behind other countries. Well now that's about to change... Am Yisrael High. A major government hurdle has been passed on the way to legalizing and decriminalizing the use of recreational marijuana in Israel. This should allow a bill t

At the western entrance to the city of Jerusalem sits the Jerusalem Chords Bridge, designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It sits at a major junction and for the past decade or so has allowed the light rail to pass overhead. Said to look like David's Harp (though I think it looks more like a boat), it has become a noted architectural landmark on the city's skyline - and something, as a tour guide of Israel, I consistently get asked about at the various cit

Jerusalem's famed Tower of David Museum - which somehow has nothing at all to do with King David - is undergoing a huge renovation at this time, including putting in an elevator to allow everyone to get to the top and experience the most incredible view of the Old City of Jerusalem. The museum is situated just inside Jaffa Gate and is located in what served as the fortress of the city for 2000 years. The museum includes both the archaeology and history of the fortress, palac

In an undercover operation perhaps as fraught with danger as the one in the Israeli television series "Tehran," Israeli actress/singer Liraz Charhi is set to release her second album next month - a secret collaborative effort with Iranian musicians. Charhi's family is from Persia (Iran) and made aliyah back in 1970, before the Islamic Revolution took over Iran, and back when Israel and Iran were on good terms as opposed to mortal enemies. Charhi spoke Persian at home and eve

Israel has emerged now from a second lockdown, which was enacted over the Jewish holidays. While indoor spaces such as museums are still closed, the national parks are now open and more and more places will be opening in the coming weeks. As a tour guide of Israel, I cannot be more excited to get back to work providing incredibly meaningful, memorable and enjoyable experiences here for my clients. At this point, Israel has identified 34 green countries. These are countrie

You have almost certainly seen his work. Now is your chance to meet the man behind the portrait. Check out these two interviews with Israeli artist Amit Shimoni, who is the creator of the hipster caricatures of famous historical celebrities and world leaders, and whose work has been commissioned across the globe. Of course if you want to meet the man in person - and see his incredible studio - then you will want to visit Israel with me, your tour guide of Israel. Not only c

Charles Dickens wrote "A Tale of Two Cities," more than half a century before Tel Aviv was even conceived. And yet, it so easily could have been about Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, two cities which are such diametric opposites. As a tour guide of Israel, I always like to ask people to compare and contrast these two cities. Yet the truth is, despite their incredible differences, there are also things which connect them - and I don't just mean the new high-speed train. When it co

For all of you who are missing learning Israeli slang with your resident tour guide of Israel, I have enlisted a few of my famous - and slightly more attractive - friends to teach you street Hebrew. That's right. Get ready to learn Hebrew with Gal Gadot, Natalie Portman and up-and-comer Renny Grinshpan! Of course Vanity Fair also had Natalie Portman teach us some Hebrew slang a few years ago. Just note that her Israeli accent (and exact translation) is a bit off after mov

There is so much news to announce in the realm of Israeli Arts & Culture, and your resident tour guide of Israel has it all organized for you to enjoy. Just remember, when you come to Israel I am happy to take you on a tour focused on Israel's arts & culture scene - or just add some into any other specialty or regular tour here. For more on my arts & culture tour click here: https://www.tourguideofisrael.com/arts-culture-tours Now check out what's new and happening in the I

The Tel Aviv street art scene has flourished over the last decade or so but is also at risk of being wiped away as gentrification and development have taken over - especially in its epicenter of Florentin - which is pushing street artists even further away to poorer neighborhoods south of the city. If you want to see some of the incredibly bold and vibrant works of art - and the messages associated with them - you have a few options. Recently an initiative has been created

Israel set a record last year with 4.55 million tourists. That was an 11% increase over 2018 which itself was a 42% increase over 2016. Even more amazing is that 94.4% of visitors to Israel reported a good to excellent experience in the country. That's an incredible success rate and I take pride in that, as a tour guide of Israel, I have a small part to play in that. If you are unaware, becoming an Israel tour guide is like getting a master's degree. It is a 2-year course

As your tour guide of Israel - and guide to Israel's arts and culture scene - this past week has been full of huge announcements. Let's get you caught up with everything going on here... Israelis were disappointed to awake on Monday morning and find out that acclaimed young actress Shira Haas did not win an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series. It would have been the first Emmy ever by an Israeli [though a hit Israeli show Ramzor won an International Emmy a deca

There is so much happening this week when it comes to Israel. Here is your experience Israel online update, courtesy of your tour guide of Israel: 1) The Israel Festival is being re-run online this week between September 15-17. Check out performances by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, various Israeli musicians including Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai, jazz performances, performance art and dance performances by the great Israeli troupe Vertigo. All the information is av

Everyone is looking to be the next Netflix - especially during these corona days - and there are now 3 new interesting options out there. Izzy, which focuses on Israeli shows beyond Fauda and Shtisel, Chai-TV, which focuses on Jewish shows and TovTV, which creates modest versions of popular shows and movies (with content either removed or with the ability to skip over it). And hey, if you enjoy Israeli/Jewish arts & culture, consider taking an Arts & Culture Tour of Israel w

All around the world there are centers for the study of Kabbalah. A number of years back, it became the trendy thing to do in Hollywood. If you have toured Israel with me as your Israel tour guide, we may have gone to the mystical city of Tzfat (a highlight of any Jewish trip to Israel), which took Kabbalah from the hands of a chosen few and spread it out to the masses. Perhaps we even met with a cool artist who uses Kabbalah in his paintings; Tzfat has an amazing artist co

A major travel update: Visitors from 20 countries can now enter Israel without requiring entering into quarantine upon arrival. Israelis (or visitors coming from Israel) can also now enter into a few more countries without quarantining, though they will need to show negative tests for covid-19. Just keep in mind that if you do come to Israel, you may need to quarantine upon returning home, depending on the current rules in your home country. As a tour guide of Israel, this

Cinemas are closed and people are desperate to get outside and be entertained, yet remain socially distanced. The bright minds in Tel Aviv have come up with an amazing solution. That’s right, while some places have been going back 60 years to drive-in movie theaters [and yes, Tel Aviv was among them], they also got the idea to put a theater on the Yarkon Stream in Tel Aviv’s “Central Park.” People can rent boats and go out on the water and watch the movie. Talk about a live