Israel Bucket List

Aside from internships and networking meetings, the TAMID Fellowship program is a great opportunity for students to explore the land of Israel.  I wrote a short guide for the group, featuring an Israel bucket list–Israel’s must see places.  For anyone who is planning a visit to Israel, I hope this can be a helpful place to start.

Jerusalem:

• The Old City(Ir Ha’atika)  — Walking in the Old City feels like walking into a time machine to thousands of years ago.  Only one-third of a square mile, the Old City is jam-packed with holy sites for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.   Particularly significant to Jews is the Kotel (Western Wall) and Temple Mount.
  

  The Western Wall sits at the foot of the Temple Mount

• City of David/ Hezekia’s Tunnel – Outside the Old City’s Dung Gate, this is an archaeological excavation of King David’s palace.  King David was the greatest Israelite King (1000 BCE) and author of Psalms.  Continue to Hezekiah’s Tunnel.  The Bible tells of an impending siege of Jerusalem, when King Hezekiah ordered the construction of an underground tunnel to bring water in from outside the city.  Work teams built the tunnel from each end, meeting at the middle.  The precision of the engineering is a historical wonder, and saved the city.  Walking through Hezekiah’s Tunnel is a wet experience, so wear water-appropriate shoes.
• The Shuk (Mahane Yehuda Market) – A bustling outdoor marketplace featuring hundreds of small booths featuring fresh local produce, baked goods, spices, nuts, juices, cheeses, restaurants, and really anything you could imagine.  The crowd, the aromas, and the hollers of bargaining are overwhelming and amazing.
• The Israel Museum– A world-class museum featuring fine art and historical artifacts.  Special exhibits feature an astounding collection of pieces relevant to Jewish and Zionist history.
• Yad V’shem Museum –Israel’s Holocaust Memorial.  Walking through the museum tells the history of the Holocaust, primarily focused on the Jewish experience.  Notable memorials include a room with a biography of each Holocaust victim, a room with a memorial flame, and a garden with trees planted in honor of individuals who saved Jews during the Holocaust.
• Ben Yehuda area –Ben Yehuda Streetis a pedestrian walkway with lots of touristy shops, great food, and hippies playing bongo drums.  A side street at the bottom of Ben Yehuda will take you to the center of Jerusalem’s nightlife—bars like Zollies, Egon, and Mike’s Place are always bumping.

Tel Aviv

• Hatayelet – The promenade along Tel Aviv’s Mediterranean coastline.  Chill on the beach for hours or take a walk down the boardwalk.  A long walk can get pretty hot, but there are bars literally on the beach where you can stop and enjoy a drink.  Or, of course, you can just hop in the water.  The beach has beautiful sunsets at night.
  

  The Tel Aviv Coastline

• Dizengoff Street– Tel Aviv is famous for its café culture, and this pedestrian mall has some of the best places to chill with a cup of coffee.   Lots of cafes, upscale shops, and a colorful fountain.
• Independence Hall Museum– Visit the site where David Ben Gurion announced Israel’s independence as a state in 1948.
• Palmach Museum– This interactive lightshow museum tells the story of the Palmach—an elite underground group that fought forIsrael’s independence in the 1940s.  It’s worth a visit both because the story is crucial toIsrael’s history and because the museum’s lightshow design is really awesome.
• Old Jaffa–Jaffais a historic port neighborhood in south Tel Aviv.  It features the Jaffa Clock Tower, the Jaffa Lighthouse, churches, parks, and beautiful views.
• Nachalat Binyamin –A pedestrian mall with an art fair every Tuesday and Friday with some really cool, affordable stuff.
• Ha’namal (the port) –Tel Aviv’s best spot for nightlife.  A bunch of old warehouses on the waterfront were converted into nightclubs and restaurants.  Clubs here will often have an arbitrarily high age limit (like 23+, it’s kind of weird), so be ready to sweet-talk the bouncers.

South:

• The Dead Sea – At the earth’s lowest elevation point, the Dead Sea is a lake in the Judean Desert with some of the world’s saltiest water.  The water is so densely salty that you can literally sit on it.  The water is said to have therapeutic value, and many people rub the mud into their skin.  Dunking your head underwater or urinating will be a very painful experience.
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  A waterfall at Ein Gedi

  Ein Gedi – A mountain oasis in the Judean Desert.  In the Bible, as the Israelite King Saul was hunting the young future-King David, David sought refuge at Ein Gedi.  Today, it is a beautiful hike with waterfalls, desert animals, and breathtaking views.  Ein Gedi is very hot in the summertime, so bring plenty of water.  Cross the street to visit aDead Seabeach.

• Masada – A mountain in the Judean Desert with ancient fortresses.  In the first century CE, after the Israelites suffered a defeat to the Roman Empire, the Romans moved towards the Israelite outpost at Masada.  The Jews on Masada chose to commit a mass suicide rather than subject themselves to captivity in Rome.  Either hike very early in the morning or take a cable car up. Masadais very hot in the summertime, so bring plenty of water.
• Eilat – A small beach town with a European feel, on the Red Sea at Israel’s southern tip.  A rocky desert hike with amazing views ofEgyptandJordanends at the beach.  There are plenty of places to do water sports.  Scuba or snorkeling to see Eilat’s amazing coral reef is a must.
• Hebron– A city deep in the West Bank.  The majority of the city is controlled by the Palestinian Authority, and it is unsafe for tourists to wander into these areas.  There is, however, a Jewish neighborhood that is heavily protected by the Israeli Army.  The residents are religious Jews who want to maintain a Jewish community near Ma’arat Hamachpela—the Cave of the Forefathers.  Biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah are buried here. Today, Ma’arat Hamachpela is a building that is both a synagogue and a mosque.

 North: 

• Kinneret – The Kinneret is a lake in Northern Israel.  It is both Israel’s main source of water and a popular leisure destination.  The easiest place to visit the Kinneret is a small city called Tiberias.  Plenty of young people will camp out on the beach instead of paying for a hotel or hostel.
• Tsfat – A hilly city in northern Israelthat has become a center of Kabbala (Jewish mysticism).  Tsfat is Israel’s art capital.  Highlights include the Mikva (ritual bath) and synagogue of mystical Rabbi “the Ari,” lots of candle shops, quirky vendors, and interesting people.
  

  Yehudia Nature Reserve

• Yehudia – I think Yehudia Forest is the most beautiful place in Israel.  It’s in the Golan, a region north of the Kinneret.   The Yehudiya has a couple of very tough hikes, but the payoff is so sweet—the one I took leads you to a stunning pond and waterfall.  Be prepared to get everything wet.  Another beautiful (and less difficult) hike in the Golan Heights is Banias.
• Yam L’yam (sea to sea) – A grueling three day hiking trail from the Kinneret to the Mediterranean Sea.

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