Israel

Trip Details

  • I have been to Israel four times
  • December/January 2008-2009 – 10 day family mission trip with Jewish Federation Detroit
  • July 2010 – 35 day teen mission trip with Jewish Federation Detroit
  • July 2012 – 15 day teen trip with 92Y New York
  • March 2019 – 10 day Birthright trip + 4 days in Tel Aviv on my own after

Cities Visited

  • Tel Aviv is the only city I have visited on my own without a tour group
    • Read my full Tel Aviv travel guide here
  • On these trips, I have also been to Haifa, Jerusalem, Tiberius, Eilat, the Negev, Tiberius, Tzfat, Masada, and the Golan Heights
    • I can’t remember everything I did in all these places but feel free to send me questions and I can try to answer the best I can

Where we stayed

  • On the 2008 family trip, we stayed in nice hotels like the Tel Aviv intercontinental
  • On my other trips, I stayed in hostels and not as nice hotels
  • Know that buildings in Israel are very old and may not feel very modern or clean because of that

Foods to Try

  • Hummus + pita
  • Falafel pita sandwich (my favorite place is Moshimos on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem)
  • Shakshuka
  • Shawarma pita

Favorite Things to See & Do

  • Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem for great Judaica shopping (but super touristy)
  • Tzfat is one of my favorite cities – if you love hippie/artsy places, this is a must see. Lots of Judaica also.
  • Float is the dead sea – make sure you bring shoes that you can wear in the water. The bottom is all sharp salt crystals
  • Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem – go on Friday before Shabbat if you want the busy market experience
  • Western Wall – make sure you have conservative clothes
  • Yad Vashem – holocaust museum
  • Old Jaffe

My #1 experience I have had in Israel was celebrating Purim in Jerusalem (at Machne Yehuda). If you are flexible with the timing of your trip, I highly recommend visiting during Purim!

Money

  • As technologically advanced as Israel is, credit card is not super commonly used (more in Tel Aviv than other places), so make sure you have shekels – especially for the markets

Any other tips

  • There is lots of security in Israel, specifically for museums so be prepared for that
  • Also, there are people in the military walking around the streets with their large guns. It is startling at first and can feel uneasy but it is totally normal there.

Blog

See all my Israel blog posts here!