Judaism
Israel’s Jewish heritage spans biblical sites, Second Temple Jerusalem, Talmudic Tiberias and Beit Shearim, and the kabbalistic tradition in Tzefat. Posts here cover the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, the Beit Shearim necropolis, and the Galilee Jewish centres of Tiberias and Tzefat.
16 articles
16 articles
Jerusalem: First Temple and Second Temple Periods
A field-trip filling in the gaps between the two Jerusalem temple-period days: the Roman 10th Legion's camp under Binyanei Hauma, the Western Wall Tunnels, an advance preview of the Eastern Cardo, the Kidron mausolea and the burial tombs at Ketef Hinnom.
South Mount Hebron
Returning from glandular fever for a complex field-trip to the South Hebron Hills: the Cave of Machpela, Tel Rumeida, the Byzantine ruins of Susya and Anim, and the illegal outpost at Avigail. Politics unavoidable, the day deeply absorbing.
Tel Aviv Museums
A field-trip day around Tel Aviv University — the Zoological Gardens, the Botanical Gardens, the Palmach Museum and the Diaspora Museum, with a chameleon cameo and a touching memorial.
Ein Gedi
Ein Gedi on the western shore of the Dead Sea: a hike up the David stream past plunge pools and a Chalcolithic temple, a Byzantine synagogue with a cryptic curse, the date palm groves, the Dead Sea sinkholes and a final stop at the kibbutz botanical gardens.
Mount Carmel
A day on Mount Carmel, from the panoramic Mishmar HaCarmel viewpoint and the burn scars of the 2010 fire to Little Switzerland, the Chai Bar wildlife reserve, the Druze town of Daliyat-al-Carmel and the Muchraka monastery linked to the prophet Elijah.
Northern Judean Desert
First trip of the guiding course took us down into the northern Judean Desert, from the Inn of the Good Samaritan and the Wadi Kelt viewpoint to Einot Tzukim, Qumran and Nabi Musa. Twelve hours, eight sites, plenty of Hebrew vocabulary added to the lexicon.
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