Keep this video in a calm time, must see it on big screen with the music that accompanies it. So watch this wonderful creation.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1jL5jFcct0

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=rZq-mocUfD4

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4166543,00.html

IDF (Israel defend forces} soldiers are getting mach of education in addition to their jobs. Professional tour guides tour them in Jerusalem Yad Vashem , Masada Negev Galilee and more. Today I met this lovely tour guide girl guiding soldiers the history of the Golan Heights. Want to have her as your tour guide join the IDF.

                                                    Tphilin on Masada today

By Oded Ambar – a tour guide in Israel – www.israeltour4u.com

Masada is on the Unesco heritage list. The story of Masada is one of the most dramatic ones of Israel. Today, a well advance system of parking welcome visitors. I recall the days of the late sixties when the site was just opened to the public after years of Yigal Yadin excavations. To visit the tourists and other visitors had to come to the young town that was just founded in the middle of the Judean desert, Arad. Meeting place was one of the hotels in the city. Convoy of jeeps was expecting the travelers. In the first Jeep was a licensed tour guide speaking the group language. After boarding the jeeps convoy world made his way across the new city, towards the eastern edge. Where is established an environmental sculptor made by Yigal Tumarkin overlooking a breathtaking view of the Judean Desert.

After absorbing the inspiration of the desert the convoy began his way on a dirt road down toward Masada. After a drive of nearly an hour travelers reached the bottom of the mountain on its eastern side. Of the jeeps and start climb up the ramp built by Jewish war prisoners who were captured by the Romans during the great revolt against them.

By Oded Ambar – a tour guide in Israel – www.israeltour4u.com

Tour guide in his dealings with different people. Happens sometimes that you run into a remarkable and surprising situation. That’s what happened to me many years ago, on that day I received a group of Jewish tourists from the United States at the Ben Gurion airport after the group boarded the bus, we made our way to Jerusalem. These moments are very important because it the first contacts with the visitors coming to the Promised Land. They’re pretty tired after a long flight. These moments are used for a general briefing and introduction regarding the rest of the day tour. The nice way to start the visit in Jerusalem is to see the city from one of the outlook view points, and Jerusalem has a few great ones. Better than first contact will be a hotel lobby.

One day I’m on my way to Jerusalem with a group. One lady asked me to come close to her want to talk to me. When I got to her she whispered: “my father is here with me”. She was in her sixties and in the group was mo man who could be her father. She pointed to a cardboard box she was holding and told me “My father is in the box and I want to bury him land of Israel“, I was shocked. Luckily we got to an observation point, and I needed to talk to the group. When I finished I told the lady I need time to think about it, she agreed. No way could I go with her and tray bury the ashes in a cemetery, cremation is forbidden in Jewish religion. The only exaction was with ashes coming from crematoriums ovens used by the Nazis during Holocaust.  It can be visit in Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.  When I run into serious problem I am not ashamed to consult and ask advice from friends, so I did this time too. There were those how did not believed me and thought I was joking. Until one of my tour guides friends advised me to go with her to one of the trees  planting of KKL  Jewish national fund  buy trees and bury the ashes with the roots of the sideling’s . A brilliant idea and thankfully the lady accepted it. She bought seven trees to symbolize the Temple Menorah .

Many pilgrims visit the Holy Land to “walk in the footsteps of Jesus,” but spend most of their time on a bus!  The Jesus Trail, a 60-kilometer pilgrimage hiking trail in the Galilee region. The trail provides an alternative way of experiencing the sites by foot.  The Jesus Trail connects sites from the life of the Jesus, as well as beautiful landscapes and other sites of historical interest.

The Jesus Trail begins in Nazareth, where Jesus spent his childhood and now the largest Arab city in Israel.  Hikers can enjoy the smells of the Old City market, learn about the time period of Jesus at the open air museum Nazareth Village, sample delicious local sweets, and even spend the night in a restored Ottoman mansion at the Fauzi Azar Inn.  In first day, hikers walk from Nazareth to Zippori, an impressive archeological site that was an important administrative city at the time of Jesus.  From Zippori, the trail go through the village of Cana, the traditional site of Jesus’ first miracle of turning water to wine.

Second day, the trail continues through tranquil forests to the Moshav of Ilaniya, where an organic goat farm offers charming rustic cabins and fresh goat cheese.  For overnight hikers can stay at Hotel Lavi, in one of Israel’s seventeen  religious kibitzes in Israel.  

Third day is the most scenic, as the trail winds over the Horns of Hattin with its magnificent view of the entire trail, and continues to Nebi Shu’eib, the holiest site in the Druze religion.  From there, hikers continue through ancient olive groves in the Arbel Valley to arrive at Moshav Arbel for an overnight in one of B&B village.

The last day, the trail continues down the dramatic Arbel Cliffs, which provide an amazing view of the entire Sea of Galilee.  Through the plain of Ginosar, hikers then arrive to the northern Sea of Galilee to visit sites such as Tabgha, the site of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, St. Peter’s Primacy church on the peaceful shoreline, and finally Capernaum, the base of Jesus’ ministry.  

Many years ago a few months after the Six Day War. Life slowly returned to normal. Tourism also recovered and visitors from abroad came back to visit the Holy Land.  We became tour guides explaining war. That was what tourists want to learn some of them might have come following this war.
One day I’m going down from Safed to Akko where on the east side toward the city’s soccer field. I notice a large sign “captured weapons exhibition of the Golani Brigade.” I parked my tourist car to visit the exhibition. After the visit we returned the car and there was a huge traffic jam. Because Yitzhak Rabin chief of staff of the six is visiting the exhibition. Suddenly I noticed his vehicle parked just to the right said of my vehicle. Cannot get on the west or east rode toward Acre Safed all blocked with cars. Yitzhak Rabin was accompanied by two motorcycles. I approached one of them and I told him I knew how to get out to the north through the neighborhood where I grew up as a child for many years. While waiting for the confirmation came a few minutes later on the army radio. I need not describe the existent of my tourists, and my excitement leading Yitzhak Rabin Highway through my childhood neighborhood. When we reached the main road walked out of my car and waved goodbye.

Some years later, Yitzhaks Rabin is the Israel ambassador to the United States. During his visit Israel he was staying at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv. One morning I waiting for my guests and suddenly I see Yitzhak Rabin step out of the elevator. I was very close to him and of course I greeted him a big Shalom. Rabin came over and whispered to me “where I can have a cup of coffee here.” I didn’t tell him where breakfast room is how led him to reach the desired place. Such modesty he could have ordered a full breakfast to his room. People like him deserve the admiration and pity are not too many of them.

Qumran site is located on the northern part of the Dead Sea, 20 minutes from Junction Route 90 longest one in Israel from Metula to Eilat. Leads south to Ein Gedi Masada and Sodom.

Who among us does not remember the traditional kibbutz of old days? With a common dining room, equality between the residents. Collective production and collective consumption. Mutual aid, equality, education. It seems that such an old kibbutz is located near the Dead Sea 2,000 year’s ego known as Qumran. The sect of Aseneas lived a full life of sharing and extreme asceticism and make sure the practices of baptism and purification.  

Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness
According to the findings of excavations at the site, apparently there was a Jewish community dating back to the temple compound first, the period of the kings of Judah. In 1947 the Dead Sea Scrolls were first exposed in caves by Bedouin from Bethlehem. Archaeologists started digging on the site under Jordanian rule and thus exposed to the settlement. The proportion of the scrolls, as well as apocryphal others and books unique life of the sect, can be seen today Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, who also represents architecturally the sect: the wall of black and a white cap – “sons of light and darkness”, as they called the sect themselves (white) and the rest of the world (the dark = black).
 The excavations showed explicitly that the settlement was built so that provided all the existential needs of the sect.
They lived a life of sharing full and extreme asceticism and make sure the practices of baptism and purification. Community meetings were special rooms, central dining room where the ceremony took place and of course dining kitchen, ritual baths, central watchtower, laundry, workshops, tools and even a barn and a cemetery of the sect of the whole area.
 One of the most important discoveries on the site is the presence of desks and inkwells rooms, with which the cult writers probably wrote much of the scrolls. A closer look at a surface site on the impressive cliffs west of Qumran would see the doorways of caves that were used for residential as well as a hiding place in times of trouble sect library. Immediately after the Six Day War, was transferred to the treatment at Qumran National Parks Authority and the site managed today.

One of the dilemmas faced by planning to come to Israel is how to plans the correct the itinerary. The fundamental question is whether to start with Jerusalem or leave it for the end of the tour. There are differences of opinion among professionals in this field, sum of them think to leave Jerusalem to the visitor will go home with the  ​​taste of the holy city. A tourist who comes to Israel for a visit to the Holy land in most cases will stay between seven and ten days. He will always, will be in Tel Aviv, Galilee, and Jerusalem. Sometimes Haifa in the north and the Dead Sea in the south and sometimes would go down to Eilat.

In the nature of the tourist in the early days of the tour he is full of energy and strength to see as much as possible. Our small country relatively small when travel distances from place to place are not big, so the effort of touring is for many hours of the day with short drives.

This is why I would recommend starting the tour in Jerusalem. I think the best is to go Jerusalem first, Galilee second and Tel Aviv at the end. Since we have two cities in the middle would be perfect to stay in Galilee or anywhere else in the north.

You have the choice of a kibbutz hotel or a B&B and the north is full of them. This will provide you the wonderful nature of the Galilee or the Golan. Hiking in nature reserves, rafting, jeep tours, artist villages, bird watching and moor.

For those how wish to visit the south of Israel I’d recommend to do it after or before the north. If you go down to Eilat or Dead Sea hotels. Try to find out if you can that the hotel is not full with Israeli groups, they are so noisy you want have a pleasant time. From Eilat recommended to do the visit of Petra in Jordan.           

Before returning back home nothing better like Tel Aviv. Old Jaffa, beach, shopping, entertainment, good restaurants.  And then B G airport return home and see you ageing next time.

Jerusalem,Tel Aviv,Jaffa Galilee,Golan,Dead Sea,Eilat,Petra