Jewish Tours

In this menu, listed according to region, you’ll find sample itineraries and sites which will be of interest to Jews of all denominations.

Israel’s North Country is small enough so that you may choose to visit sites on the northern coast and Galilee on the same day. Or you may choose to view sites in the Galilee and Golan on the same day. It is a stretch to combine the Coast, Galilee and Golan in one day.

A must see in Israel’s north, the Sea of Galilee, giver of life and surrounded by history.

If you begin your day in Tel Aviv it is possible to travel north as far as the Lebanese border, seeing sites along the way and then return to Tel Aviv in time for dinner. But your total transit time in this scenario can approach five hours. An easier day would involve beginning in Tel Aviv and ending the day in a Coastal or Galilee location, to be fresh for the next day.

Fueled by solid economic growth, the Tel Aviv skyline is a work in progress, expanding every year.

If you begin your day in Jerusalem it’s easy to travel down to the Dead Sea as far as the resorts in Ein Bokek, 15 minutes south of Masada, and return to Jerusalem the same evening. Your total transit time in this case will be about three hours.

The ancient second temple’s Western (retaining) Wall, object of pilgrimage for millennia.

You may also start in Jerusalem and head north through the Jordan Valley in order to reach the Galilee, Golan and Sea of Galilee. Stay in one of those locations and begin fresh the following day.

Jewish Tours in the North Country

The Galilee and Golan are rich in Jewish history and culture. Since 1967 the only non-Jewish population left in the Golan are the Druze villages of the northern Golan, certainly worth a visit too. There is also one functioning church and a handful of Christians. If you only have a day it is possible to cover the entire region. For example if you are departing from a cruise ship from the Port of Haifa in the morning you can travel all the way to the Syrian border in the eastern Golan Heights, and see a couple of other sites during the day, before returning to the port for your ship’s departure. Bear in mind that it’s also possible to include sites from the Coastal Plain when you’re touring in the Galilee and Golan.

Amuka, hidden away amongst the hills of Upper Galilee is off-the-beaten track, a pilgrimage site for those seeking a spouse.

Below we group sites which are close together by sub-region (Golan, Upper Galilee, Lower Galilee).

For a more comprehensive listing of sites in the north which may interest you go to the Home page and click three times as follows: “Site Descriptions”—>”Jewish/Zionist Sites”—>”In the North: Galilee and Golan”. Also check out “Site Descriptions —-> “Coastal Plain and Lowlands”.

What follows are some of the more popular sites. Consult the “Sites” section for other possibilities.

Golan Sites

Early spring flowers carpet a meadow in the northern Golan near historic Baniyas, a source of the Jordan River.

Mount Bental, a mile from the Syrian border, the place to look into Syria and appreciate the Golan’s strategic importance for Israel in a volatile region.

Mount Bental, a former Israeli fortress along the Syrian border defended the nation in the late 1960’s and 1970’s. It is a must-see site viscerally communicating the importance of high ground in military conflict. Today the daily fighting in Syria can be viewed from here. Mount Hermon in the background.

Gamla National Park, site of a Jewish town from the time of the Second Temple and one of the earliest battles between Romans and Jews during the Great Revolt (66-70 CE) which culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem’s Temple in 70 CE. The site also appeals to bird-watchers who can scan the cliffs across the way for Eagles and other birds. Hikers can hike down to the archeological site of Gamla, or down to the Gamla waterfalls.

Gamla, whose Jews fell in the defense of Jerusalem at the beginning of the Great Jewish Revolt against the Romans in the year 67.

Baniyas National Park, in the far north of the Golan, a site with religious and cultural significance but also filled with beauty. Baniyas imparts a sense of serenity with its flowing waters and waterfalls, ancient bridges and mills, set amidst tall trees, cliff faces, and towering Mt. Hermon. Here ancient cultures worshiped deities and here Jesus brought the disciples to inquire of them who he was (aka Caesarea Philippi, Matthew 16:13). If you are in Israel’s northeastern corner don’t miss Baniyas.

A 20 minute hike from the parking lot takes you along the hanging trail, Israel’s most beautiful water walk, to the Baniyas waterfalls. A steep ten minute ascent takes you back to civilization.

Katzrin Talmudic Park is one of more than 30 examples of Jewish towns in the Golan Height from the early centuries of the common era with a synagogue, proof of vibrant Jewish life in this region of the Land of Israel. Beyond the synagogue, made of the locally quarried Basalt stone, an entire village is laid out to inspect and we can glean a better understanding of local daily life in a small Golan town from the Talmudic, or Byzantine era.

Relief from decoration on the ancient Katzrin Synagogue in the Katzrin Archeological Park.

Golan Heights Winery in Katzrin Who knew Israelis made such good wine? Increasingly, everybody who pays attention. And the Golan Heights Winery, headquartered in Katzrin’s industrial section is one of the best, having won the Gran Vinitaly Special Award as the best wine producer at the 19th International Vinitaly Wine Competition in Italy in 2011. No one regrets sampling the offerings here.

Golan Height Jeep/ATV/Tomcar Tours There isn’t a better way to independently get a feeling for the landscape of the Golan while having so much fun as getting behind the wheel of a Tomcar or ATV, or getting out on a trail with a local guide in a Jeep. Always a highlight.

Count on four wheel drive jeeps to get you to the most interesting sites in the Middle East–tracking rare wild life or viewing ISIS squaring off against Hizbullah just across the Syrian border. The local guides know their stuff and bring it home.

Upper Galilee

Safed Art and Kaballah Visits to Safed always take longer than expected. Between the Artist Colony, the historical synagogues, mountain air and the views, people like to linger here. Everyone finds there own niche here, their favorite aspect of Safed.

Family-centered sculptures dominate this art shop in Safed’s artist colony.

Tel Dan Archeology and Water Hike. This place has it all. History from biblical times and archeology to prove it, nature in the form of Israel’s biggest water supply and towering trees, views towards Lebanon and modern history of the Middle East, all encapsulated in this tiny national park in Israel’s far north. Between this place and Baniyas you’re covered.

The original cultic site at Tel Dan was built as an alternative sacrificial site to the great temple in Jerusalem. Dan is mentioned in the bible as the northern border of the Land of Israel.

Agamon Hula Nature Reserve The reserve, found in the Hula Valley is an excellent bird-watching site. Here we can watch birds migrate, court and nest. There are a variety of ways to circumnavigate the Agamon Lake including mountain bike, bicycle and club cart. Check their website for other programs, www.agamon-hula.co.il/node/21

The Hula Valley plays host to 500,000,000 birds annually on their journeys between Africa and Europe.

Jordan River Rafting This is a good traditional outing for multi-generational families. Depending on the rains from the previous Winter the Jordan River may be a slow, lazy and shallow stream, or a more lively, brisk and robust waterway. Either way you’ll get wet, get some sun (cover up with hats and sunscreen) and appreciate Israel’s precious water resources with a new perspective.

An hour floating down the lazy Jordan with the family usually works out well.

Lower Galilee

Situated in the heart of the Lower Galilee, equidistant between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee (23 kilometers each way) Tzippori is one of the most comprehensive archaeological sites in Israel with relics from both Roman/Pagan and Jewish cultures. It’s centrality in the Galilee means one can visit it in the same day as several other sites in the Galilee while traveling along an east-west axis.

The Mona Lisa of the Galilee mosaic at Tzippori decorates the floor of an upscale Talmudic era mansion on the town’s summit.

Just a ten minute drive from Tzippori, and easily visible to the north from Tzippori’s hilltop is the Kfar Kedem Ancient Village, located in the settlement of Hoshaya. This is a hands-on experience teaching the whole family what it would be like to grow and produce the raw materials which fed and clothed people in biblical times, including wool, olives, pita bread and grapes.

Heading west and less than a 25 minute drive from Tzippori you arrive at the national park of Bet Shearim. Bet Shearim was the first Galilean location of the Jewish Sanhedrin (religious court) in the post-temple period of the second century and it eventually moved east across the Galilee finding homes in both Tzippori and Tiberias. But Bet Shearim’s true fame comes from its cavernous tombs where wealthy Jews and notables were buried in the chalky caves over a period of hundreds of years. The most famous burial tomb belongs to Rabbi Judah the Prince, head of the Jewish community in part of the second century and the editor of the Mishnah.

25 minutes east of Tzippori and only a quarter of an hour from Kfar Kedem one can participate in a deeply meaningful acitivity in a new forest close to Kibbutz Lavi, Tree Planting in the Galilee (with JNF). Out in the fields of the Galilee one quickly appreciates the physical effort required to bring life to the rocky soil while digging, placing and covering the new saplings in the warm earth. As the years pass one can return to the forest and observe the growing forest and the trees the family planted years ago.

Jewish Tours In Areas Surrounding Jerusalem including Judea and Samaria (West Bank)

A local sheperd grazes his flock amongst the winter grasses in eastern Samaria.

There are a remarkable number of important and interesting historical, religious and entertainment sites within easy distance of Jerusalem. Bear in mind that Jerusalem is surrounded to the north, east and south by the West Bank (historic Judea and Samaria). This area is the biblical heartland of the Jewish people and among the most beautiful and unspoiled in the Land of Israel. It is home to Jews and Palestinians and conflict here can lead to security concerns which should not dissuade the interested traveler from discovering worthwhile sites. Below, we have divided the area surrounding Jerusalem according to the points of the compass: south, west, north and east. We can spend day trips in each of these regions as the abundant listings below will make clear.

South of Jerusalem, in Judea (West Bank)

Herodium One of King Herod’s seven desert palaces, this one is the closest to Jerusalem and thus the easiest to view. It’s also the most important. Herod named this place after himself and he chose to be buried here. Finding the burial site of Herod was the life’s work of the renowned Israeli archeolgist Ehud Netzer who himself died of injuries sustained from a fall here at Herodian which occurred while he was guiding the site. Prepare to be impressed when you arrive here. First class Roman accommodations and secret, underground escape tunnels are a part of the dramatic landscape on the edge of the Judean Desert with Jerusalem and Bethlehem easily visible in the distance.

Caliber 3 (Firearms Training in Efrat)

When you pull up to Caliber 3 you get the idea that this is no theme park. Come here on any day of the week and you’ll see Israeli security personnel being trained by the same no-nonsense, bulked-up, ex-IDF soldiers that will train you. You’ll get to shoot pistols and assault rifles at targets. But more than that you’ll begin to see the IDF ethos in action as your instructors share with you the split-second decision making that must be made to ensure that innocent civilians aren’t harmed when terrorists mix among them.

Hebron, Cave of the Patriarchs (Machpelah)

A close look at the ashlar stones over the Cave of the Machpelah in Hebron reveals their similarity to the stones used at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Both structures were built by Herod the Great.

For the true pilgrim wishing to understand the Judeo-Christian connection to the Land of Israel, Hebron is a must see. Although only 45 minutes south of Jerusalem few foreign tourists come here but that should not dissuade you. Hebron earns mention in Genesis, when Abraham, father of the Jewish nation buys a plot of land for a handsome price to be used as his family burial plot. Today Jews and Moslems venerate the spot, appropriately located within a grand building built by the greatest builder of the ancient Roman world, Herod the Great. Close to 1000 years later King David first ruled here, before moving his capital to Jerusalem. Hebron and Jerusalem represent the epicenter of the Moslem-Jewish conflict in the Holy Land.

Gush Etzion Bloc

Riders enjoy the scenery easily accessible only via vehicles and guides provided by ATV Gush Etzion.

West of Jerusalem

Tel Azekah

This was one of a string of fortresses which protected the approaches to Jerusalem from the west. The haunting lines: “We can no longer see the signal fires of Azeka.” were written about this place in the 6th century BC as Babylonian armies overwhelmed Israelite defenses. Each summer archeologists and their teams dig into the earth here at Tel Azekah which was an Israelite settlement. Situated above the Ella Valley, the site contains, among other finds, 8th century BC (Iron Age II) and 13th century BC (Late Bronze II) settlements from pre-Israelite and Israelite periods.

Sha’arayim (Ela Valley)

The name of this archeological site means “two gates” and it’s the only site in the area which has two (recently discovered) gates around it. As a result many archeologists surmise this is biblical Sha’arayim which is mentioned in the account of the battle between David and Goliath. Upon Goliath’s defeat the Philistines fled the battle ground, and were killed “on the road to Sha’arayim” (I Samuel 17:52). Sha’arayim was one of a series of Israelite fortresses, including Tel Socoh, Lachish and Tel Azekah which protected Jerusalem from the west.

Castel National Park As one approaches Jerusalem from the west, one crests a hill and sees the holy city for the first time. At that point above us to our right on the highest hill is the Castel, where Jewish and Arab armies fought fiercely to control the high ground and thus control of the road leading to Jerusalem during Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. Stop here as part of a Zionist tour to appreciate what Yitzchak Rabin, former Israeli Prime Minister, said– the battles for Jerusalem were the toughest the IDF ever fought.

Yad Kennedy

Just outside of Jerusalem, to the west, in the middle of the John F. Kennedy Peace Forest, stands a memorial to President Kennedy meant to look like a tree cut down too early. This is a good place to bring a family for a picnic or to set off from here on hikes on the many nature trails in the area. Views of Jerusalem and even the Mediterranean Sea are excellent from here, a place of quiet contemplation when school groups aren’t passing through.

Less than a 20 minute drive from the entrance to Jerusalem you can find yourself at Sataf in the Judean forest overlooking the Sorek Stream bed, discovering ancient agricultural terraces which were first created 45 centuries ago and which were still utilized by local farmers into the 20th century. Explore water sources in hewn caves and swim in man-made pools here. Today some of the fields are farmed by city dwellers in Jerusalem who travel here to connect to ancient agricultural techniques. Close at hand across the valley you’ll spot the St. John in the Desert Monastery.

Sataf

50 minutes from both modern Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in the beautiful, low, rolling hill country west of Jerusalem, a series of fortresses protected Jerusalem from the west. Just before the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC the stronghold of Lachish was the last holdout protecting Jerusalem. In a haunting message relayed to a military commander his subordinate reports that they can no longer see the signal fires from Lachis’ neighboring fortress at Azekah. The message is confirmed by the prophet Jeremiah’s historical account of the fall of the forts to Jerusalem’s west. 20th century archeologists identified the siege ramp and walls protecting the city from the time of the towns’ conquest.

Latrun Armored Corp Museum

Mini Israel

Bet Guvrin

Huge chambers remain millennia after miners chiseled building material from beneath the surface in Bet Guvrin.Kiftzuba (for kids)

Soreq Cave

Matzok Tomcar, Bicycle and Jeep Trips

North of Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria (West Bank)

The hills of Samaria after the winter rains are an empty, tranquil biblical landscape come to life.

Tel Shiloh (Biblical)

For the serious student of the bible, Shiloh is a must see. Home to the Ark of the Covenant for several centuries until David brought it to Jerusalem, Shiloh is located in biblical Samria, amongst some of the most beautiful countryside in the Land of Israel.

A unusual combination of stone carvings at Shilo hint at it’s unique status as an Israelite cultic site.

Beth El

Sebastia

Mount Gerizim

East of Jerusalem, in Judean Desert (West Bank)

Genesis Land (Judean Desert)

Jewish Tours In The Desert

A Jewish tour in the desert can encompass several stops on the way to the southern port resort of Eilat.

The Gulf of Eilat, viewed from one of Eilat’s residential neighborhoods.

Hatzerim

Sde Boker

Mitzpe Ramon and Craters

Arava

Jewish Tours From Jerusalem To The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea region is in Jerusalem’s backyard. Within a half hour of passing out of Jerusalem and into the Judean Desert we have descended 1200 meters (4,000′) to the lowest place on Earth, the Dead Sea. The Sea is fed by the lower Jordan River and it was not far from here that the Children of Israel crossed the dry river bed into the Holy Land.

We experience the sudden transition from green Jerusalem to the Judean Desert, the smallest desert in the world. Due to its quiet and proximity to the Holy City, it became, during Byzantine times a popular place for monks to live out one of the ideals of Christian life. Today in some of those places the largest Jewish town in Judea, Maaleh Adumim, continues to expand, a bedroom community of Jerusalem, whose industrial area was home to a Soda Stream factory where both Palestinian Arabs and Jewish Israelis were employed side by side.

As we descend further the trees become more sparse. Camels, goats and sheep can be spotted by the observant on the ridge lines above the highway and small Bedouin shanty towns appear as well. When we gaze upon the still-life scenes at the Bedouin encampments we should reflect that this is as close as we can come to understanding the life-style of our Biblical patriarchs and matriarchs who lived here close to 4,000 years ago.

Jewish Tours On The Coastal Plain And Lowlands

Heading South Out of Tel Aviv

Using Tel Aviv as our base, we can drive south along the coast and a few kilom eters inland making a large loop. The day will bring us to the pre-state of Israel Ayalon Institute where, under the noses of the British authorities young Kibbutz members descended underground each day to secretly produce two million bullets which would be used in defense of the Jewish communities before and during the War of Independence. The tour here takes us down spiral staircases underground into the factory itself.

From modern Zionist history we head for the lovely rolling hill country of Bet Guvrin to experience elaborate, large caves which ancient communities utilized for residences, defense and commercial activities from the time of the first Jewish Temple, through Greek times and into the Roman perioid of rule over the Land of Israel

After a stop for lunch we are ready to reengage in modern Zionist history at Kibbutz Yad Mordehai where desperate farmers accompanied by 20 Haganah defenders engaged in a desperate holding action to stop a much larger Egyptian force from destroying the Kibbutz and then continuing up the coast to capture Tel Aviv.

We are now ready to drive the short distance from Yad Mordechai to the town of Sderot, where the point is brought home that the struggle of the residents of Yad Mordechai in 1948 to prevail upon forces determined to promote Israel’s destruction is now fought by the residents of Sderot against implacable forces from the Gaza Strip.

Heading North Out of Tel Aviv

Driving north out of busy Tel Aviv we notice that the morning rush is in full swing in the opposite direction. Within 20 minutes rural scenes intermingle amongst the heavily populated coastal settlements and by the time we reach Cesarea green is the norm. An hour out of Tel Aviv and we reach our first stop, the Atlit Detention Center where the British imprisoned illegal Jewish immigrants from Europe who had survived the holocaust and now wanted to start a new life in the Land of Israel.

Leaving Atlit, Haifa is visible, only ten kilometers away and soon we are climbing the Carmel mountain and entering Haifa’s residential neighborhoods set amidst a profusion of trees and views in every direction. Near the Carmel Center with its hotels, shops and restaurants we come to the beautiful Bahai Gardens overlook. The overlook view is a revelation: Haifa’s German Colony, it’s busy downtown and expanding port in the foreground. In the middle distance dozens of container ships sit, anchored in the bay awaiting to import and export goods. And in the distance, the hills of Galilee sloping down to the Mediterranean Sea at Rosh Hanikra, the border with Lebanon. The gardens below you are a marvel as well, 18 levels of lavish manicured grass, plants, trees and flowers.

Leaviing the Gardens above us, we descend through the city of Haifa and pick up a new highway which carries us up to the Lebanese border in 45 minutes where we will spend about an hour enjoying the sea and grottos at Rosh Hanikra.

It’s time for some lunch, and then a drive back south towards Tel Aviv. We’ll save some time cutting through the Carmel mountain tunnel from the north to the south side of Haifa and a quarter of an hour later we arrive at En Hod Artists Village which was established by artists after the creation of the state of Israel. The village contains galleries, museums and restaurants with a calming view towards the Mediterranean Sea.

Our last stop before returning to Tel Aviv tonight will be in the sleepy village of Zichron Yaacov, home to Israeli’s first Winery, the Carmel Winery. Zichron was among the first new farming communities to be established by early Zionist pioneers in the 1880’s and it has a pedestrian street lined with shops and eateries. It also has two recommended museums, the Museum of the First Aliyah dedicated to understanding the first pioneers who settled here, and the Aaronson House museum, dedicated to the history of the Aaronson family and their importance to the new yishuv (community) of Jewsh settling the Land of Israel in the 19th century.

Jewish Tours

Jewish Tours

Jewish Tours in the North Country

Golan Sites

Upper Galilee

Lower Galilee

Jewish Tours In Areas Surrounding Jerusalem including Judea and Samaria (West Bank)

South of Jerusalem, in Judea (West Bank)

North of Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria (West Bank)

East of Jerusalem, in Judean Desert (West Bank)

Jewish Tours In The Desert

Jewish Tours From Jerusalem To The Dead Sea

Jewish Tours On The Coastal Plain And Lowlands

Heading South Out of Tel Aviv

Heading North Out of Tel Aviv

Tour Options

Jewish Tours by Region

Bar Mitzvah Tours