North
Northern Israel covers the Galilee hills, the Hula bird-migration corridor, Mount Carmel, the Golan Heights, and the slopes of Mount Hermon. The posts here include hiking days (the Zavitan Stream, Nachal Amud) alongside the region’s settlement history and older sites: Crusader fortresses, Roman ruins, biblical narrative places.
29 articles
29 articles
Southern Golan Heights
A stormy field-trip day around the southern Golan Heights: Hamat Gader's Roman bathhouse, the Peace Vista over the Sea of Galilee, Gamla's last stand, and the reconstruction at Umm el Kanatir.
Beit Shearim and Zippori
A day in the lower Galilee at Beit Shearim and Zippori: the story of Alexander Zaid, the vast necropolis and tomb of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, and Zippori's Roman synagogue, fortress, mosaics and reservoir.
Campus Upper Galilee day three: Eastern Upper Galilee
Our campus moves to the Eastern Upper Galilee, taking in Roman ruins at Tel Kedesh, battle sites at Tel Chai and the Koach Fortress, the Tanur waterfall, a view into Lebanon from Metulla and the vast tel of Hazor.
Campus Upper Galilee day two: Central Upper Galilee
Day two of our Upper Galilee campus: the Druze village of Pekiin and its synagogue, Nebi Sabalan, the summit of Mt Meron, the Paar Cave, the tomb of the Rashbi, Rehaniya's Circassian community, and the Baram synagogue.
Campus Upper Galilee day one: Western Upper Galilee
The first day of our three-day campus in the Upper Galilee: an arab cemetery at Kfar Yasif, a crusader sugar refinery, the Adamit and Goren parks, the grottoes at Rosh Hanikra, and two memorials to war-of-independence operations.
Tiberias
A day in Tiberias, one of Judaism's four holy cities: the Sapir Station of the national water carrier, Ottoman ruins from Daher el-Omar's era, Roman and Byzantine remains, and the ancient synagogues of Hammat Tiberias.
Akko (Acre)
A full day in the old port city of Akko: the British Mandate prison museum, Al-Jazzar Mosque, the Hospitaller Fortress, the Templars' Tunnel, Hammam al-Basha, and the Bahji gardens just outside the walls.
Haifa
A day in Haifa: the Bahai Gardens spilling down Mount Carmel, the Ahmadiyya mosque, Stella Maris and the cave of Elijah, the German Colony, and a hike in Nachal Siach to round off.
Campus Golan Day 3: Mount Hermon
Day 3 of our Golan Heights course: up the Mt Hermon chairlift for views into Syria and Lebanon, then the Druze tomb of Nabi Hazuri, the Nimrod Fortress, the waterfalls at Banias and a sombre stop at the Helicopters Memorial.
Campus Golan Day 2: the Lower Hermon and the Northern Golan Heights
Day 2 of our Golan Heights course: Tel Dan's salamander, the world's oldest arch, the Hellenist temple at Banias, the Yom Kippur battlefields at Mt Bental and the Valley of Tears, and a kumzitz to close.
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