Blog
Tour writeups, reflections on guiding and the occasional practical guide.
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124 articles
Yom Kippur in Israel: the day the country stops
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year, and in Israel the whole country stops: no flights, no cars, no shops. Here's what it's about, and how to experience it as a visitor.
Rosh Hashanah in Israel: what to expect as a visitor
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year: two quiet days of apples and honey, the shofar and family. Here's what it's about, and what it means if your trip to Israel bumps into it.
What five days on Israel’s culinary tourism course taught me
Five days on Israel’s only culinary tourism course for guides, and one idea that stuck. What the week actually taught me, and how it turns up on my tours now.
The Carmel Market and the synagogue that never was
The last field day of Israel’s culinary tourism course was a morning in Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market with Nurit Goren. How to read a market, why the hummus place with the ark is not what it looks like and what a horse’s saddle has to do with a herring.
The Western Galilee: behind every dish there’s a story
The fourth day of Israel’s culinary tourism course was the long one, north to the Western Galilee. A social-enterprise kitchen, a widow’s olives in a Crusader village, a logistics manager turned baker, the country’s first boutique distillery and a hummus place named for a father who never saw it open.
Zichron Ya’akov: wine, beer and a long lunch
Day three of Israel’s culinary tourism course was billed as a wine day around Zichron Ya’akov. What I remember is a scorned grape, a brisket queue, a bar mitzvah spent in a brewery and a horse farm that turned into a restaurant.
The Sharon: Israel’s quiet Tuscany
The first field trip of Israel’s culinary tourism course took us to the Sharon: an organic farm run by an ex-lawyer, a cheese-making family spread across the religious divide, olive oil and a boutique winery that revived a forgotten grape.
The theory of a good food tour
Day one of the culinary course was in a classroom. It changed how I think about a food stop, and gave me the line I still use with guests: behind the food, there are always people.
Why I trained as a culinary tour guide in Israel
I love food, and somewhere along the years it became a bigger part of my tours. So I took Israel’s only culinary tourism course for guides. Here’s why, and what’s coming.
What to do on Shabbat during your Israel tour
Some people think you need to plan an Israel trip around Shabbat as if it's an obstacle. I keep it myself, and I think something else. It's the one thing here you can't experience anywhere else.
If you are going to Israel, you would be mad not to give him a call.
Amol Rajan, BBC presenter and broadcaster
Having been on trips in Israel with seven different tour guides, Samuel stood above all the rest.
Seasoned Israel traveller
Samuel is one part walking encyclopedia, one part storyteller, one part stand-up comedian.
Berkeley Haas Business School student