Jerusalem is a magical city for any visitor, but for those exploring the city on their own there are several experiences not to be missed. Here are the best tourist attractions in Jerusalem to check out on your own: Join a Food Tour in the Shuk Available from many companies and guides during the day […]
Jerusalem’s ancient walls are one of its defining characteristics. Since its founding more than three thousand years ago, the city has been protected by walls. The walls that stand today date from the 16th century, and contain the 7 gates of Jerusalem, plus an additional 8th gate, called the Mercy Gate, that is no longer […]
Many people dream of spending the Passover Festival in Jerusalem. And indeed, the city sees thousands of visitors during this time, from abroad and from within Israel. This should not come as a surprise, as in addition to the holiday itself, there are special and unique activities all over the city. Creative and Traditional Passover […]
For a food festival, Jerusalem is one of the best cities. Especially in the Machane Yehuda Market, or “shuk,” as it’s called in Hebrew, every day is like a food festival. Traditional and modern ingredients and ideas come together for exciting and innovative food experiences. One treat that has been gaining popularity is the “kurtosh,” […]
Jerusalem has become famous around the world for its food traditions and lively dining scene. In addition to dozens of new restaurants, including many around the bustling Machane Yehuda central outdoor market area, the city is home to multiple food festivals each year. No matter when tourists visit the city, there is a good chance […]
The Bible refers several times to Jerusalem’s water gate. The water gate Jerusalem is the place where the prophet Ezra read the Torah teachings to crowds, and it is one of the many gateways to the Temple complex listed as being rebuilt when the Isralites returned from their exile in Babylon. Scholars say the water […]
Jerusalem has long had a creative spirit, and is home to the country’s most renowned art school, the Bezalel Academy of Art of Design, now part of Hebrew University. Even the Biblical tradition highlights the role of design, with much text dedicated to describing how the Isralites should build their tabernacle, temple and altar. In fact, […]
The courtyard gardens of homes; the rooftops of churches and winding alleyways. These are some of the scenes only possible from the Ramparts Walk along the tops of Jerusalem’s Old City walls. With two routes, one beginning near Jaffa Gate and one starting from the Tower of David, this walk is one of the most […]
When tour guide Yael Goodman leads a group of runners over the bridge by Jerusalem’s Cinematheque, they often stop to gaze out at the scenery and catch their breath. Goodman then usually briefly talks about how this area was once the border between Jordanian-controlled East Jerusalem and Israeli-controlled West Jerusalem before the 1967 Six Day […]
In recent years, the word has spread about Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market turning into a center of nightlife, with a unique collection of bars and pubs. Even long after the last produce stalls have closed, the market is filled with people out for food, drink or dancing. One of the best ways to truly experience […]
Beginning on the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul, many Jewish communities wake up before sunrise to recite selichot, prayers asking for the atonement of sins. They continue this ritual for 40 days, through Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. “It is a really intense and special atmosphere on the streets at this time of year,” […]
But during this month that focuses on repentance, leading up to the high holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, it is not just the glory of King David that is talked about, but also his sins. This is just one stop on the so-called Selichot Tours offered by Yalla Basta, a local family-owned interactive […]
When Ruth Wexler started working as a nurse at Jerusalem’s Hansen Hospital in 1983, it was still a place that many people feared. Just a short walk from the Inbal Hotel, this complex behind stone walls was where people were treated for leprosy. By the time Wexler started working here, leprosy was treated with antibiotics […]
He was always with his camera said Kahvedjian’s grandson, also named Elia, who now runs the shop that his grandfather started in 1930. First located on Jaffa Road, where the elder Elia bought the existing Hanania Brothers photo service shop, the shop moved to its current location in 1949. Now it is a sort of […]
In addition to telling the story of the life of David–the shepherd boy who became a Biblical King–the show also illuminates the citadel walls with hundreds of works of art made throughout history that have immortalized David. So viewers see Michelangelo’s famous carved marble David statue and Chagall’s bright painting of David with a harp, […]
Before the state of Israel was established, the artist Anna Ticho lived with her husband, the eye doctor Avraham Albert Ticho in a stone home in the center of Jerusalem. Both left significant legacies, with Anna encapsulating the landscape of the Holy Land in her paintings and drawings, and Avraham Albert developing a treatment for […]
Along the shop-lined cobblestone pedestrian Yoel Solomon Street in the city’s Nahalat Shiva neighborhood, one store stands out among the others because it has two names. The door reads Cadim, but the sign on the building says Altogether 8. While it can be confusing, the shop does indeed have two names because two different ceramic […]
This the Jerusalem Atelier, a cooking and dining space in Mahane Yehuda, where a group of visitors will soon arrive to participate in a culinary workshop, learning not just the traditions and recipes from the city’s diverse cuisine, but how to prepare dishes with the best ingredients from the surrounding market. In addition to culinary workshops, […]
There are always surprises, especially in the spring, says Kacal, an Israeli immigrant from Trinidad who has been bird watching since she was 8 years old, and is now the director of the bird observatory, operated by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and located in the middle of Jerusalem, between the […]
This is just one example of the important and surprising spiritual, cultural and financial role that the color blue played in the ancient world. Examining the origins of the color blue, a new exhibit called Out of the Blue takes visitors on a journey through thousands of years and thousands of miles, from the blue […]
