I’ve written posts on social media referencing some of my family history. I’ve talked about items like books, pictures, and candlesticks. And often times my family history comes through my writing, guiding, programing, and so much of my daily life. … Read More
June is Pride Month—thirty days of celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Parades and parties are held throughout the world. While some countries celebrate pride month in February, August, or September, Pride Month in June began in the United States to remember … Read More
The Eurovision is a huge event for Europeans and other countries who take part in the contest. This year, in a few days, the Eurovision Finals will be hosted in Tel Aviv. These Finals are a much-anticipated event here in … Read More
Over the past year, I have been to Masada at least once every. single. month. Some of you may think, “Gosh, by the thirteenth time you must have just about had it. You must have been so bored.” But actually, … Read More
In our day and age, we hear a lot about Israel in the News. But most of that News covers the political and military aspects of the country. We often also hear criticism of Israel from college campuses across the … Read More
When I was a teenager, I participated in a lot of the teen events of the JCC. It’s how I discovered so many Israeli movies and TV shows. Shortly before I left Rochester, New York for a semester of high … Read More
I remember when I was a teenager I would go to the Rochester JCC every month to watch the monthly screening of an Israeli movie. It was these monthly events that I really began learning about Israeli culture in a … Read More
I am a bookworm–always have been, always will be. I was that kid who would spend Saturdays snuggled in bed with a book, and the kid who, if I was reading in school, the teachers would have to shout my … Read More
Visiting an outlook might not seem like a spot to be on the top of your list to visit while in Israel. But visiting at least one outlook is VERY worthwhile. Having the vantage point that overlooks the area really … Read More
Passports are not necessarily an item we think about on a day-to-day basis. But they are incredibly important in understanding the country from which they come. It is easy to find the political implications of passports from around the world, … Read More
There are many different views of what graffiti means in society—some people disapprove of the graffiti on the walls of neighborhoods of their cities. Others view it as a form of art that reflect the issues and hot topics of … Read More
The holiday of Sigd is an Ethiopian Jewish holiday that became a national Israeli holiday in 2008. It takes place 50 days after Yom Kippur, and celebrates when G-d was first reveled to Moses. Ethiopian Jews climb up to the … Read More
When many people think of Israeli food, they think of falafel, shawarma, and hummus. And all of those dishes are part of Israeli cuisine. But Israeli food includes much more—it is a mosaic as colorful as the people who make … Read More
Today we remember the 23rd anniversary of Yitzchak Rabin’s assassination. Israel commemorates the date on the Hebrew calendar’s date, which is why we are not remembering his passing on November 5. But on November 5, 1995, Bar Ilan University law … Read More
In today’s world, we hear a lot about Israel’s politics, history, and religion. But the fact of the manner, is that there is so much more to the country—from food to music to regular day to day life. When we … Read More
The Land, and State, of Israel is the holiest place in both Judaism and Christianity. Cities like Jerusalem, Tzfat, Hebron, and Nazareth are holy to both religions. But it is holy to the religion of Islam as well. There are … Read More
What is Sukkot 2018? Why do we still celebrate this holiday? Sukkot is a autumn harvest festival holiday lasting a week, and once served as an ingathering at the Temple where sacrifices were made. It is the third of three … Read More
Rosh HaShanah has passed. So have the ten days of repentance between then and today, Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. One interpretation of this practice fits with the theme of the day—atoning. There are two kinds of sins: … Read More
It is now Jewish New Year 2018! Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year, and it is celebrated around the world. It is one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar. The holiday began in Leviticus 23:24: … Read More
Beginning every Friday evening, Jews around the world celebrate Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, or Sabbath. It begins with services in the synagogue. We add special prayers to the service in honor of the day. After the service, people … Read More
About a week ago, I attended a trip through Haredi Jerusalem. It was organized for tour guides, much like my trip in downtown Haifa. So often we here about the Haredi population in Israeli News, but we don’t often take … Read More
Haifa is Israel’s third largest city in the country. It is known for its universities, falafel, and coexistence. It’s a mosaic of different people, religions, and sites. But when many people come to visit, there are very specific sites they … Read More
The Land of Israel is the holiest place in Judaism. There are four cities that are specifically holy for Jews: Tiberius, Tzfat, Hebron, and Jerusalem. The TaNaKh, the Talmud, and other holy Jewish text mention the Land of Israel. But … Read More
This year is a BIG year for Israel and its history. It has been 100 years since the ANZAC victory over Be’er Sheva and the beginning of the British Mandate over Palestine. And it is the seventy- year anniversary of … Read More
I want to dedicate a space to the amazing moments I have had with the women in my groups, especially in light of recent events. To give a voice to the women who have inspired me, taught me, and motivated … Read More
Why is the Holy City of Jerusalem SO important? Jerusalem is the holiest city in Judaism, the center of the religion. It is one of four holy cities in Judaism, along with Tzfat, Tiberius, and Hebron. It’s a city that … Read More
This year is a big year in Israeli history. It is Israel’s 70th Independence Day, the 70- year anniversary of the UN Partition Plan vote. It is the 100 year anniversary to the ANZAC victory over Be’er Sheva. And it … Read More
This year is a big year for Israel, including today and tomorrow. Today, November 1, 2017 marks the 100- year anniversary since the ANZAC victory over the city of Be’er Sheva. This victory would lead to the British conquer over … Read More
Hebron is one of four holy cities in Judaism, along with Tzfat, Tiberias, and Jerusalem. Many can forget the city’s holiness because of the political tension that exists surrounding the city from as early as 1929. But it is indeed … Read More
There are four holy cities in Judaism: Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberius, and Tzfat. Each city is connected to an element of nature. Tzfat is located in northern Israel, and an incredibly spiritual city. It is known as a Kabbalistic center and … Read More
What is that? Let me tell you all about Simchat Torah 2017! Simchat Torah means “the rejoicing of the Torah.” The holiday celebrates the completion of the year’s Torah cycle. Simchat Torah began in the 9th century CE. The early … Read More
Last week was Rosh HaShanah, and this week we will celebrate Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. It’s a busy time in the Jewish calendar, and a time reserved for self- reflection, and thought. Between the two holidays it … Read More
The 2016 Olympic in Rio De Janero ended not too long ago, so I want to take the opportunity to talk about certain Olympic Games that are very important: the Games and events of the 1972 Munich Olympics. Forty-four years … Read More
If you’ve ever been to Israel, you might have noticed that there is very little water– very, very LITTLE water! There is one body of fresh water, the Sea of Galilee. The are few sources flowing into the Sea. And … Read More
Tisha B’Av, or the ninth day of the month of Av, is one of five fast days in the Jewish calendar. Why do we fast on this day? On this day, the First Temple was destroyed in 586 B.C.E. The … Read More
Israel is filled with museums addressing topics ranging from history to archeology to science to politics. You can spend hours in each one of them, and every time you come back to Israel you’ll find a new museum or center … Read More
Tel Aviv is an AMAZING place to visit in the summer. The city is a cultural center of Israel that attracts young people and elderly, secular and religious, and really all kinds of people. Simply put a Tel Aviv summer … Read More
The Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish sports competition, began this weekend. The Games occur every four years, and began in 1932. The Maccabiah is the third largest sporting event in the world and under the supervision of the International Olympic … Read More
Many people in North America and Europe are familiar with the BDS movement. The movement was founded in July 2005 in order to put pressure on Israel in relation to the conflict with the Palestinians, and to stop what the … Read More
Today Muslims celebrate Eid al Fitr 2017, the celebratory end of Ramadan. It marks the first day of the month of Shawwal, when the fasting month of Ramadan as come to an end. The holiday is an occasion for showing … Read More
Yesterday, we celebrated Flag Day 2017 in the United States. The day celebrates adaption of the U.S. flag on June 4, 1777 by the Second Continental Congress. Pennsylvania was the first U.S. State to make Flag Day as a state … Read More
This week marks the fiftieth anniversary since the Six Day War of 1967. The war was an intense fight between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. And guess how long the war lasted?! Six days! What led to the Six … Read More
Today is the beginning of Shavuot 2017! Shavuot is the second of three pilgrimage (Passover and Shavuot) festivals to Jerusalem. It is the fiftieth day of the Omer. The holiday lands on the sixth and seventh day of the month … Read More
Israel is a country holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The Muslim population is the largest population in the country, and Arabic is the second official language. In order to fully understand the country, we must understand all the people … Read More
Today is Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), celebrating the city and its reunification during the Six Day War. In 1967, Israel fought in a war against Syria, Jordan, and Egypt that lasted a total of six days. In less than a … Read More
Today we celebrate Lag B’Omer, the thirty- third day of the Omer, a period of forty- nine days between the second day of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot. It is a joyous holiday that breaks the mourning period of … Read More
A few weeks ago I ran the Ashdod Night Run. There were two races—one a 2K (1.25 miles), and the second a 5K (3.1 miles) along the shoreline…literally on the wet part of beach. Participants came from Tel Aviv, Be’er … Read More
Israel’s Independence Hall is the place where the Jewish leadership declared Israel an independent, modern Jewish state! It was an incredible moment during Jews and non- Jews alike around the world came out to the streets or sat next their … Read More
Today is Israeli Independence Day, Yom HaAtzmaut, is celebrated. It is a day full of celebrations, joy, and remembering the importance of declaring independence. Israeli Independence Day lands on May 14, or the Hebrew date of the 5th day of the … Read More
Yom HaZikaron is Israel’s Memorial Day. It remembers soldiers who fell during their military services, and those killed in terrorist attacks throughout Israel’s history. Today we remember people who made a very important sacrifice on Yom HaZikaron 2017. The Hebrew … Read More
Archeology is a thriving industry and part of Israel. That makes sense because it is an ancient area in the world! There are remains from as far back as the beginning of the homo sapiens all the way through the … Read More
What was the Holocaust? Today we mark the Israeli national day we remember the Holocaust, or Shoah in Hebrew, which unfolded in during World War II (WWII). In Hebrew, it is called Yom HaShoah. It is commemorated on the 27th … Read More
As you may imagine (or maybe experienced), Israel is a hot country. Agriculture in Israel is not something you may think about a lot. After all, Israel is located in the Mediterranean and Middle East, half of the country is … Read More
Mimouna 2017, the North African Jewish celebration welcoming the Messiah With Passover having ended, there are many different ways to celebrate the end of the holiday, and the beginning of a new time in the Jewish calendar. North African Jews celebrate it … Read More
Every spring, Christians around the world celebrated the holiday of Easter. It is one of the most important holidays on the Christian calender. It is celebrated around the world, including in Israel, the Holy Land. But it is NOT about the Easter … Read More
Passover 2017 is starting tonight. It is a week off from school and for many jobs here in Israel. It’s a week to celebrate becoming a nation free from slavery in Egypt, arriving at Mount Sinai when nation building gets … Read More
This week Jews around the world finished celebrating the Passover holiday. It is one of the most important, and better-known, holidays in Judaism. And it is certainty a holiday during which you can see a lot going on in Israel. … Read More
This week we are celebrating the holiday of Purim. It is a fun and exciting holiday, yet it is one that is not written about or referred to in the Torah. So where did this holiday come from? What happened? What … Read More
We have now started a new year, marking new beginnings, new chapters, and new times. It is customary to look back on the previous year and make resolutions to improve ourselves for the new one. I find this tradition to … Read More
Christmas is one of the most important holidays in the Christian calendar. The second major holiday is Easter celebrated in the spring. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Visiting the Holy Land during the Christmas can be … Read More
With Hanukkah starting soon, I want to talk about something very important to me. It’s a sort of campaign I hold myself to: doing one mitzvah (in this instance, a good deed) per day. I call it the “a Mitzvah … Read More
It may be easy for us to think that we know about the Israeli Political System. It began after the Partition Plan Resolution presented in the United Nations in 1947. We read and hear about it in the headlines, Israeli … Read More
The story of Masada is a fascinating story. It’s a great site to visit while in Israel. But what can we do to make the visit unique? What are the 10 most meaningful things to do at Masada? Let’s start … Read More
For the past couple months, I’ve written about the waves of immigration, or aliyot, to Israel. It began with the First Aliyah in 1882, and continued until the Fifth Aliyah ending in 1939. The Yemenite, Ethiopian, and Russian Aliyot took … Read More
Advent is the time for preparing and waiting for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is observed by many Western Christian churches. It begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas and lasts until Christmas day. The Eastern … Read More
If you’re up-to-date on my blog, then you know I’ve been spending some time writing about all the different aliyot, or waves of immigration, to Israel. You know that there were five waves before Israel was even established beginning in … Read More
Before Israel was established, there were five waves of Jewish immigration. The First Aliyah began in 1882, and the Fifth Aliyah ended in 1939. But after Jewish leaders declared Israel independence in 1948, several more waves of immigration occurred in … Read More
Today is the Memorial Day for Yitzchak Rabin. Twenty-one years ago, Rabin stood in front of hundreds of Israelis at a peace rally and gave a speech in hope that the recent Oslo Accords would hold water. It was an … Read More
Tour guiding in Israel is an incredibly important job. It in many ways is Israel advocacy at its most basic level. Every time I meet a group, I take that moment as the very moment where my tourists say: “Ok, … Read More
This week I guided a group from India for three days. We saw the Galilee, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv. Through this trip, we deepened the relationship between India and Israel. This relationship has beginning to flourish in recent years. It’s … Read More
Before Israel was established in 1948, there were five major waves of immigration to the land. The First Aliyah began in 1882, and the Fifth Aliyah end in 1939. Over the course of fifty-seven years, great state- building took place. … Read More
There were five major waves of Jewish immigration before the State of Israel was born. We’ve talked about them before. The First Aliyah was one of great hope and inspiration. The Second Aliyah focused on state building and creating the … Read More
Dear Shimon Peres, As the nation, and the world, says “Good-bye Mr. President” I want to share with you some thoughts of your impact on the world you just have left…. Actually, not just about your impact on the world, but … Read More
When we look at Israeli society today, it can be easy to think how all of it got started, from the tall buildings of Tel Aviv to the flourishing desert communities of the Negev to the holy sites of Jerusalem. … Read More
Today we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, the holiday of the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. It comes 49 days after Passover, each day counted. Those 49 days are called the Omer, and begin the first full day … Read More
An aliyah to Israel is when someone, or a group of people, move to the land of Israel. Before Israel becomes an independent state in 1948, there were five major waves of Jewish immigration to the land. Each is called … Read More
Before the State of Israel was born, there were five major waves of Jewish immigration to the land. Each wave of immigration is called an aliyah. The 1st Aliyah lasted from 1882 to 1902. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Aliyot … Read More
When we talk about events like a major wave of Jewish immigration to the land of Israel, it is easy to forget that it was people who made these events happen. They were people just like you and me, with … Read More
There are many stories of Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror. They may not be with us today, yet they live on in our memory and in telling their stories. These are just some of Israel’s brothers’ and sisters’ … Read More
The story of Masada is a unique story that raises a lot of questions for us today. But there is much more to the story than many of us might know. The Jewish Zealots built up the fortress before the … Read More
When someone Jewish moves to Israel, they are making Aliyah. Aliyah is a Hebrew word meaning ‘to ascend.’ We use this word because when you move to Israel, the holiest place in Judaism, you are ascending to a higher spiritual … Read More
The Jewish Birthright trip is a special trip to Israel that has a lot of people talking. The organization brings young Jewish adults, aged 18- 26, to Israel for ten days to explore the country and begin to truly think … Read More
In the 3rd c. CE, Zippori was an important Jewish city and seat of the Sanhedrin, the traditional Jewish legislative assembly. We must bear in mind that the Sanhedrin moved several times during its existence and not less than six … Read More
In honor of International Women’s Day I want to write about women in Israel. Israel has a lot to learn from when it comes to women’s rights and equality. The country also has some way to go. Women vote in Israel, … Read More
For this blog, I want to talk about how to prepare for a trip to Israel. Everyone needs some prep tips for travel. How do we know a specific program is the right fit for us? What about the tour … Read More
Hi everyone! I wanted to take this time to discuss some of the must- read book list concerning Israel and the Middle East. A recommended book list can help out. Sometimes the situations, histories, peoples, etc. can seem very complicated. … Read More
Hi again! In light of my recent engagement to my now fiancée, I would like to write a little bit about what a wedding looks like in Israel. Actually more of what a Jewish wedding looks like in Israel. Why … Read More
This week we celebrated the holiday of Tu B’Shvat, commonly called the Holiday of Trees. It is a holiday that signals the beginning of spring and trees beginning to bear fruit. Where does it come from? It is mentioned in … Read More
So I have recently finished guiding a Taglit- Birthright group here in Israel. For those who don’t know, Birthright is a ten- day trip for young Jewish adults in Israel to explore, discover, and define their Jewish identities and roots … Read More
Ever wonder about tips for a trip in Israel? When people prepare for a trip, there are some things that are easy to forget. Sometimes we get so excited, and wrapped up in the trip it makes sense some stuff … Read More
Tomorrow night is the first night of Hanukkah, an eight day long holiday that many of us have at least heard of. But how could not? We have four Hanukkah Songs from Adam Sandler, the Rugrat’s Hanukkah at least one episode of … Read More
Tomorrow is the 29th of November, which is a very special date in history. Why? Well, because on this day sixty- eight years ago (November 29, 1947), the United Nations (UN) voted in and passed a particular plan, or resolution. … Read More
Who are these modern Israelis walking past us on our trip? Today I want to talk about modern Israelis. After all, when you come to visit, you’ll see a lot of Israelis walking around, drinking coffee, living their lives. And obviously … Read More
Hi everyone! Welcome back! I spoke before a little about myself, but I want to take this time to talk about why this tiny country, the size of New Jersey, is so important. I mean after all we are always … Read More
Shalom! Hello! !ברוכים הבאים לישראל (Welcome to Israel!) My name is Samantha Kaplan, and I am your next Israel tour guide. One of my goals is to share the beauty of Israel while clarifying complex layers that create this fascinating country. Why … Read More