Blog
Tour writeups, reflections on guiding and the occasional practical guide.
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121 articles
The Eichmann in the Room
On a Friday evening in Holon, the elderly Yemenite gentleman sitting in my usual synagogue seat turned out to be Shalom Nagar, the man who hanged Adolf Eichmann.
Hiking the Zavitan Stream
A short hike on the upper Zavitan stream in the Yehudiya Nature Reserve, with basalt-column pools, a waterfall and plenty of opportunity to cool off in the Golan heat.
The Israel tour guide exam, Part Two: the oral exam
The oral exam is the final stage in qualifying as a licensed Israel tour guide; here are the questions I can remember being asked, covering my itinerary, the Hermon, Jerusalem itineraries and a few curveballs.
Launch of new website
I've passed my exams, so the site is getting a refresh — a new landing page, an updated about section and a set of testimonials from previous clients. The blog stays.
I passed!!
After two years of study, an oral exam in front of four senior guides, and the wait for results, the verdict came in a single Hebrew word: 'avarta' (you have passed).
Flying falafel at Mifgash Golani
Mifgash Golani in Afula is famous for its falafel, but really for the falafel acrobatics performed by the staff. Quite remarkable, and well worth a stop on the way north.
The Israel tour guide exam, Part One: the written exam Part B (summer 2014)
The actual Part B paper from my written tour-guide exam: a three-hour itinerary marathon where you build a two-day tour for one of three groups – synagogues, Crusader pilgrimage or human heritage in the South.
The Israel tour guide exam, Part One: the written exam Part A (summer 2014)
How the Israeli Ministry of Tourism's written tour-guide exam works: 50 multiple-choice questions on Part A, a three-hour itinerary marathon on Part B, with a 65% pass mark.
Just testing…
I swore off exams after graduating. The tour guide course had me sitting more tests than my entire degree: a written exam after every subject, then mid-term and final exams before the Ministry of Tourism's national exams could even begin.
In the Classroom
Although the blog has mostly tracked our weekly field trips, the tour guide course also involved a huge amount of classroom time. Here's what we actually had to study: history, geography, the main religions, contemporary Israel and the practical side of guiding.
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