Geological formation

Unique in the world, is Israel’s Grand Canyon, and it’s just about as breathtaking.   There are two other, major

makhteshim, the  “small” and the  “large,” and  ha-Makhtesh ha-Katan (“the Small Makhtesh”) is in some ways more spectacular because you can see the whole formation in one glance, and get a better understanding of  how  the geology works.  There are only seven makhteshim in the world, five in the Negev and two in the northern Sinai. In 2009, I had the pleasure of meeting and touring with guide Adam Sela, who specializes in tours of the Negev, with a particular focus on the natural and ecological aspects of the

central Negev highlands.  He lives in Midreshet Ben-Gurion, just outside Sde Boqer, the kibbutz made  famous as the adopted home of Israel’s founder, David Ben-Gurion.   I cannot recommend Adam highly enough – in two days, he showed me a side of Israel and the Negev that I not only had never seen but could never  have  accessed without someone like him.  I had heard of “off-road jeep tours,” but had no idea that one could drive a jeep where he took us!  We went up mountainsides and down through winding, dry wadi beds.   Adam

showed us the Makhtesh Ramon – and really made me understand for the first time the unique, geological process that created it.  He also showed us the remnants of the Nabatean, Roman, and ancient Israelite presence in the region over the centuries, and spectacular vistas that I would never otherwise have found, let alone be able to get to.  The jeep tours are not for the faint of heart, but they are unforgettable and totally worth it.  He is also delightful to spend time with.  For more information, see  www.adamsela.com, e-mail office@adamsela.com,  or call him at (050) 530-8272.  In the picture above, Adam is in the center with the gray hat  – not a great picture, but it was an unforgettable day of touring with Trip Advisor friends!

The Negev – Israel’s Desert South

Most people visiting Israel for the first time do not visit Eilat and the Negev desert (the southern half of the country, shaped like an inverted triangle).  Of course, your choice depends on your interests.  While most  tend to  focus on  the cities, culture, and history, those who want wilderness, a more nature/eco-style trip, or beaches may well head south.  And while Eilat itself is not all that special, the Negev – especially as I experienced it with Adam Sela – is amazing. Eilat is a lovely beach and resort city located on the Red Sea, Israel’s southernmost point.  But there are many  lovely beach cities in North and South America, Europe, and Australia, and I don’t see Eilat as all that distinctive or remarkable.  For return visitors who have seen the rest of the country, it may be a different story.  I think Eilat’s most remarkable feature is the underwater

observatory where you can see the Red Sea coral reefs and fish life.  Many people also enjoy swimming with the dolphins at Dolphin Reef.  For more information on these sites and hotels in Eilat, see www.tripadvisor.com or the Frommer’s guide.  Since I have never stayed overnight in Eilat, I don’t have specific recommendations on hotels or restaurants, but those sources will be very helpful.  Destination Expert “Bluesman” on Trip Advisor is also very helpful on Eilat. The Negev, on the other hand, is a  truly spectacular desert, and if you are so inclined, by all means take some time touring it.  Don’t miss the Makhtesh Ramon, the so-called  “Ramon

Crater” (it’s not a crater but a geological formation unique to the Negev) near Mitzpe Ramon in the central Negev.

Miscellaneous

Take an AM/FM radio.  Kol Yisrael (the Voice of Israel) offers 15-minute news bulletins in English at 6:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.,  and 8:30 p.m.   Google  “Kol Israel” and  “English news” to find the  frequencies  of the newscasts  before your trip; they seem to change constantly.  Especially if you are driving on your own, you want to keep an ear on the news.  Israel Television also has a nightly English news bulletin on Channel 1 at 4:50

p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 4:30 p.m. on Friday, and 5:00 p.m. on Shabbat. If you want to take your laptop, many hotels now have wi-fi service, though often at charge of up to $15 USD a day.  You probably won’t need a voltage converter other than what came with the computer (check to be sure, but most handle 220 as well as 120 current), but you will need the three-pronged adapter for Israeli plugs. Israelis love and live by their cell phones, and you’ll find it very convenient to have one.  I have rented several times from Amigo (www.amigo-us.com), and have found it very easy to use and reasonable in price.  They mail the phone

to you before you leave, with a return envelope to send it back once you get home.  I only spent about $70 USD in charges each year. Take lots of sunscreen, sunglasses and sun hats.  Also, don’t forget to drink lots of water on hot days.  You’re dehydrating more than you think because, particularly in the drier

interior, you won’t feel sweaty.  You will need to force water frequently – if you wait until you feel thirsty, it’s too late and you won’t catch up.  The water in Israel is safe to drink everywhere, with the possible exception of small Arab villages.  I’ve gotten sick twice in such villages, but that may have been from food that was left out too long. Israeli hotels that aren’t luxury-level sometimes do not provide shampoo or enough soap,

so take them.  They also seem not to provide washcloths, if you care about that.  North American electrical appliances (other than the laptops) require a converter, which can be purchased there.  You’ll also need a plug adapter.  You can find these on the Internet as well.  If you are from a country that uses 220 volt current, you’ll only need the plug adapter.

Other Groups in Israel.

In addition to the Jewish-Arab dichotomy, and the Jewish-Muslim-Christian triad, Israel has a host of other, distinct groups that make up the balance of the population.  The Druze are a sect that grew out of Islam but keeps its religious beliefs and traditions secret.  They number some 80,000 and speak Arabic, but are a separate community.  The Druze are very loyal to whatever country they live in and serve in the IDF, often with great distinction and prominence.  There are two major Druze villages on Mount Carmel (see the Haifa section for more information.)  Druze in the Golan, on the other hand, consider themselves still  to be  Syrians.  The  Bahà’ìs are a modern faith founded in the 19th Century, and their world headquarters are in Haifa with another major shrine in Akko.  The  Bahà’ì  faith teaches that all religious prophets (Moses, Jesus, Muhammed, and Buddha among them) are from God, humankind is one, and women and men are equal.  The Bahà’ì gardens and terraces in Haifa  are among the most beautiful sites in all Israel.  Don’t miss them.  The Circassians are Muslims who are originally from the Caucasus area of southern Russia, and they settled in the area in the mid-1800s after fleeing the aftermath of a failed war against Tsarist Russia.  They speak Cherkesi, written in the Cyrillic alphabet, and live mainly in two Galilee communities.  The Bedouin Arabs are the famed desert nomads of romantic films and novels.  They comprise nearly 10% of the  Arab population and belong to some 30 tribes, most of them scattered over a wide area in the south. Formerly nomadic shepherds and herders, the Bedouins are currently in transition from a tribal social framework to a permanently settled society and are gradually entering Israel’s labor force.   This is  a controversial policy with decidedly mixed results.  You will most notice them in the Negev or in the Judean wilderness on the way to Masada and the Dead Sea.  Many Bedouin serve in the IDF, particularly as trackers, and have a very distinguished record of service.  If you tour with Adam

Sela in the Negev (see the Negev section), you may have a chance to meet local Bedouin.

Cultural tips

Israel is an amazingly diverse place.  Jews from over a hundred countries have come there, bringing their own cultures and traditions.  Also, of course, there is a large Arab population as well, and other, smaller ethnic groups.  This makes for a culture that is  very  complex, but infinitely rich and interesting.  It is one of the things I truly love about the country.  As the head of the YMCA pre-school said,  “Americans think of themselves as a  ‘melting pot,’ but we’re more like a salad.  The cucumber still knows it’s a cucumber, and a tomato knows it’s a tomato.  But add a little lemon juice and olive oil, and we can make something wonderful and delicious.”  What a delightful summary of the wonderful diversity that is Israel!

The Jewish Population. Jews comprise  76% of Israel’s population (excluding the occupied territories). 

While many are immigrants (especially from the former Soviet Union  in the past few years), an increasing portion of the population was born there.  The native-born are called “sabras,” after a native, prickly pear cactus that is “tough and prickly on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside” – a pretty good description of most native-born Israelis. Ethnically, Israeli Jews are broadly grouped in two major categories – the Ashkenazim and the Sephardim.  Ashkenazim, from the old Hebrew word for Germany (Ashkenaz), are Jews from western, central, and eastern European origin, including most North American Jews.  Most of the

original Zionist settlers and founders of the State of Israel came from this group, and they formed the cultural and political elite for most of the State’s early history.  The Sephardim take their name from the Hebrew word for Spain (Sephard).  This term originally referred to Jews of Spanish origin, including the dispersion that followed the expulsion of Jews from Christian Spain in 1492.  Later, the term was applied to all Jews of North African and Middle Eastern origin as well, including many Jews in Italy and the Balkans.  Following the founding of the state, huge numbers of Sephardim entered Israel after Arab countries expelled their large, long-time Jewish populations, nearly tripling Israel’s population in just three years.  The Ashkenazim saw them as more culturally backward, and the Sephardim often resented what they saw as condescending,

disrespectful, and discriminatory treatment by the Ashkenazi elite.  The Sephardim first gained significant political power with the rise of the right-wing Likud party under Menachem Begin, and still are largely aligned with the Likud and Sephardi religious parties, most notably Shas.  This is still a major fault line in Israeli cultural and political life.  Many Sephardim from Middle Eastern countries now prefer the term Mizrachim, meaning “eastern” Jews.  As an aside, I love Mizrachi food, music, and traditions. Two other groups are noteworthy.  With the era of perestroika and the eventual fall of the Soviet Union, the gates of emigration were finally thrown open to the huge community of Soviet Jews.  Since 1989, over a million Jews from the former Soviet Union have made aliyah (immigrated in Israel).  They  now make up roughly 20% of the Jewish population of Israel.  While they are overwhelmingly  Ashkenazi, integration has been rough.  Many were educated professionals arriving in a country already overly saturated with such talent and have been unable to find work in their fields (I’ve seen teachers working as hotel maids, as an example).  Others are not Jewish according to  halakha  (Orthodox Jewish law) and are thus unable to marry Jews in religious

ceremonies (the only way to get married in Israel, which has no civil marriage option).  One sees Russian signs everywhere, and you will also hear the language spoken on the street. Another fascinating group is the Ethiopian Jews.  This ancient community of black Jews traces its origin by tradition to the union of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and did not even know that other Jews existed until the late 1800s.  In the 1980s and 1990s, virtually the entire community was brought to Israel in two huge airlifts, Operation Solomon and Operation Moses.  In a matter of days, over 30 El Al  and air force cargo  flights airlifted the population to make a new life in the Jewish State.  Planes even had seats taken out to bring as many as out as possible, and  several babies were born in flight.   As recounted in Donna Rosenthal’s  The Israelis,

Solomon Ezra, the Ethiopian-born Israeli coordinating the evacuation, asked the last pilot  out how many were on his plane, and he replied, “Over a thousand.”  Ezra warned him that this was impossible, that the plane could not take off with  more than  five hundred.  The pilot calmly replied, “It’s okay.  I don’t want to leave any of my people behind.”  Ezra said, “I never felt more proud to be an Israeli,” and that flight set the Guinness record for the number of passengers on one flight.   Again,  the reality of  integration has proved tougher.  The cultural, social, and educational gaps were at least as great as with the Sephardim, and add to that the issue of skin color and the resulting racism.  Still, one sees evidence of Ethiopian Jews making their way in everyday Israeli life, including as soldiers.  The Army is the great integrator of Israeli life.

Packing

Obviously, you should pack conservatively for such a far trip, and if you do forget something, it’s pretty easy to buy it in Israel (though  prices  may be higher).  Airlines are now charging more for baggage in excess of the weight limits, so beware!  On my last warm-weather trip, I got my main bag down to 42 lbs. (19 kgs).  I’m a congenital excess packer – if I can do it, you can.  - 10 - n terms of weather, Israel really only has two seasons.  The summer is from April to October, and it is warm to hot and sunny everyday, and almost never rains.  Sometime in October or November, the “winter” begins with the arrival of the rains (very welcome in this parched land), and this lasts until sometime in March or early April.  In October 2006, we had a surprising amount of rain, unusual for that time of year, but we still were able to do and see nearly

everything we wanted.  If you are watching costs, November  can be  a less expensive time to visit, but the weather can be unpredictable.   On two November trips, I had flawless weather, and even unusually warm on my last one, but in November 1993 I had quite a bit more rain, including major blocks over several days and temperatures in the 50s F (low teens C).  In November, take light sweaters and a light jacket, but remember to take hats for the sun, which can still be intense.  March can also be quite nice, with wildflowers blooming after the winter rains.  If you go in December through February, know that the weather can be quite cool, wet, and  even nasty.  Snow is quite rare (and only in the higher elevations, such as Jerusalem), but temperatures in the 40s F (single digits Celsius) with rain are common.  From May through midOctober, rain will not be a problem.  I have made three trips in late June, and it can be hot, but not generally brutally so.  May is a wonderful time to go, unless, like my friend Louis, you have allergies to olive tree pollen, because they’re in full bloom.  Temperatures are generally in the 70s F (high 20s C) every day except occasional heat waves, and the evenings are just delightful.  The temperatures were also quite nice in October, though more variable.  Even in the summer, we have sometimes needed a light jacket for evenings in Jerusalem, which remained lovely.  July and August will be quite hot, even brutally so, and more crowded, because that is when families travel.   The climate is basically the same as Southern California.   At the Dead Sea or Eilat, though, it is hot year around, and in the summer, extremely hot, like Arizona. Even in the summer, do not pack too many pairs of shorts – at most holy places neither women nor men can gain admittance in shorts.  Overall Israelis wear shorts less often than Americans, particularly women.  It’s not inappropriate outside of religious sites, but the shorts-and-sneakers look may identify you as American if you care about that.  On my most recent trip, I showed up looking like that, and an Israeli friend said  – with a smile  – “could you look any more American!”   On days when you will be touring religious sites, legs  and shoulders  must be covered (men and women).  For women, skirts  below the knee  or  long  slacks are required, especially at Muslim sites.  A shawl or light shirt or jacket that can be thrown over a sleeveless

blouse or dress will  also work.  Capris are fine if they go to at least mid-calf.  But in secular areas, less conservative attire is perfectly fine.  In Tel Aviv, almost anything goes!

Security issues

This is a constant aspect of Israeli life, and I won’t minimize it.  Despite what you hear and read, however, you are safer in Israel than in many major American cities, especially now with far less terrorism in the cities than was true in the awful years of 2001-03.  Here is a sobering statistic.  My hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio had some 80 homicides in 2006 out of a population of 350,000.  Extrapolated to a population the size of Israel’s 7,000,000 people, that would be the equivalent of 1,600 dead in just one year.  Yet there have not been that many people killed in terror attacks in 61 years of Israel’s history!  So where am I safer?

Every time I have traveled to Israel, I felt utterly safe at all times.  Neither I nor the friends I traveled with were ever afraid.  Don’t believe the media image!  Just pay attention to the news, ask for local advice on conditions in more sensitive areas, and use common sense.  Remember you won’t be in Gaza. Throughout the country, you will see armed soldiers or civil guards, some in uniform, some not. It does not mean something untoward is happening.  It is just a fact of life, and you will get used to it. Some Israeli civilians carry pistols, especially in Jerusalem.  Do what I do – if the Israelis around you look concerned, worry.  Otherwise, don’t.  Many restaurants, hotels, museums, or other public places have a security guard at the door who will check your bag, perhaps your ID, and you.  It’s a shame it has to be, but their presence makes me feel safer, not less so.  Some restaurants add a very small surcharge on the bill to pay for security; while you are not required to pay it, I do.  It’s obviously worth it. Never leave a bag or item of luggage unattended in Israel, at the airport or anywhere else.  If you do, you are both taking a huge risk and may well return to find that the bomb squad has arrived and blown up your bag.  Similarly, when approaching many religious or political sites, or other public places, you will need to open any bags, back-packs, or purses for inspection, as noted above.  It’s routine, and you’ll quickly get used to it.At the airport (your flight to Israel if on El Al; any flight going out) you will be subjected to intense questioning by Israeli security agents, some of which may seem pointless and intrusive.  I get asked where I learned Hebrew and for the names and addresses of all of my Israeli friends.  It can be intimidating.  Just answer honestly and keep your cool.  They are looking for nervousness, unrest, and inconsistency.  Your bags may be searched – mine

were in 1993 – and I mean searched: everything taken out and carefully felt by hand.  The airport also uses more sophisticated X-ray techniques these days, and you may be asked to open just one bag because something unusual was seen on the screen.  That happened to me in both 2005 and 2006, and was no big hassle.  But the experience is  very different from US airport security, and, frankly, it’s far more effective. 

I’ve heard Israelis say that “you screen things.  We screen people.”  Don’t take it personally – the security agents cannot read minds or hearts.  You also need to understand that there is an overt profiling aspect to Israeli security.  If you are of Arab ancestry or “look Middle Eastern,” or have visited Arab families or areas, you will be subject to far more questioning and perhaps searches than others.  If you are Jewish, it will probably be easier.  Is this racist?  Perhaps to some degree it is.  As a non-Jew who speaks Hebrew, they don’t quite know what to make of me, and I was very upset when I was pulled out for two and a half hours of  intensive  questioning and the complete item-by-item search of my luggage in 1993, all because I had stayed with some Israeli Arab friends and  don’t otherwise fit the profile of Christian  visitors to Israel.  I even wrote a half-dozen complaint letters to everyone from the Prime Minister on down.  After the September 11 attacks, I would be far more understanding that Israelis don’t have the luxury to debate the

need for this in a world where there are people trying so hard to kill them.

Getting around

If you can afford it, I highly recommend renting a car and driving around the country.  It is hands down the best way to see Israel.  Israel is very small (about the size of New Jersey), and nothing is very far apart

(except for Eilat, at the southern tip of the country on the Red Sea).  Indeed, you could drive from the northernmost tip to Eilat in five to six hours, though  no one would ever do that since there are so many

wonderful places in between.  Most road signs are in English as well as Hebrew and Arabic, and it is fairly easy to get around, at least outside the cities.  By renting a car, you are not slave to bus schedules or someone

else’s idea of what you should see and when.  Also, because most of the terrorist attacks of the early 2000s were on the buses, some people feel safer in a car.  That said, at this point I would feel perfectly safe on a bus

– it’s been years since there has been a bus bombing (praise God!).  The bus service also is quite extensive, inexpensive, and good.  You can even put your luggage underneath in the cargo hold You should definitely rent a car before you leave; you will save money over waiting to rent once you arrive in Israel.  I recommend an Israeli company called Eldan for rental cars.  On my last two trips, they had by far the best rate, with a 20% discount for Internet bookings at www.eldan.co.il.  Eldan also has a hotel in Jerusalem next to the YMCA; you can book the hotel with the car as a package deal. Hertz, Avis,  Budget,  Sixt (Israeli)  and  Kemwell

(European) also offer rental cars in Israel.  You can at least initially check comparative prices using Orbitz at www.orbitz.com (though the best prices seem to be through booking directly on the particular company’s Israel web site).  I have used Avis in the past and was happy with it; see www.avis.co.il.  Budget is a newer player in Israel, and I used them in October 2006, getting a great rate at www.budget.co.il.  We have had a lot of complaints about Budget’s service on the Trip Advisor forum, though, and I had  a very bad customer-service experience of my own in 2006, so it’s not my first choice.  You should not need an international driver’s license as long as your license has the information in English.  If not, you will need to obtain the international

driver’s license, which basically translates the information into English.

Getting there

You have a number of carriers to choose from in flying to Israel.  Obviously El Al Israel Airlines serves the country with the most flights.  El Al flies directly from New York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles.  The cost is competitive, and El Al offers the most frequent flights,  plus an early start to your Israel experience.  I also rank El Al’s more intensive security measures as a plus, though they can feel like a hassle and can be intrusive.  On the negative side, El Al has, in my experience, poorer (and surlier) service and seemingly a more chaotic clientele.  In fairness, I note that I have not flown El Al since 1991, and I have heard the service has

improved since then.  But remember that El Al does not fly on Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, which runs from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.  This can cut into your available vacation time.  I flew El Al the first two times, largely for patriotic reasons, but have since found other airlines more convenient.  Delta Air Lines now

offers nonstop flights from Atlanta and JFK/New York to Ben Gurion Airport  and back.  Because Cincinnati is a Delta hub, this is a very convenient option for me, and I liked the service overall.  Note:  Delta reduced the Atlanta service to four days a week over the winter months in 2009; daily service will resume in the busier season.  For right now, fly to and from Atlanta if you can, because the Boeing 777 jets are much more comfortable than the 767-300ER jets used for the JFK service.  I am grateful that Delta will be upgrading the JFK service to 747- 400 jets in June 2010, which will be much  better.  Continental also offers non-stop flights to Israel from Newark, and I’ve heard that is a good option. US Airways has added daily non-stop

service from Philadelphia recently, giving another option.  For Canadian (and even American) readers, Air Canada offers convenient, nonstop services from Toronto.  Lufthansa, Air France, KLM,  and British Airways also serve Israel, and they are easy to connect to in Europe via various American carriers. In 2005, I flew Delta to Europe and connected through KLM (going) and Lufthansa (returning), both  very good carriers.   With  tourism to Israel  booming again,  other options may become available.

travel guide

The Israel travel guide you are reading is a greatly expanded version of one I first prepared for an American friend  some fifteen years ago.   In it,  I have  tried to  share  my experiences and knowledge of Israel based on a lifetime of study and ten visits to the country, most recently in November 2009.  I enjoy independent travel, and this guide was written primarily with such travelers in mind, though I hope the information will be helpful to those on group tours as well.  As an American, I have produced a guide that is, no doubt, US-centric.  I hope my readers from other countries will forgive that, and still find useful information. I am not in the travel industry.  I am a labor lawyer who happens to love Israel passionately, and I want to encourage others to travel there and experience this wonderful land.  My first visit was in November 1988, and I caught the bug; thus I started visiting every other year or so thereafter.  After my June 1999 trip, however, I had not returned for several years because of the level of violence and despair in the country.  I returned in May 2005 and had one of the best trips of my life.  The eruption of the Second Lebanon War in August 2006, just months before a visit in the fall of 2006, again raised security concerns.  Even in  2009, some friends still asked,  “are you sure you want to go back to Israel?”  So what is the reality?  Each trip has been a dream, and travel to Israel is one of the great joys of my life.  The security situation is nothing like you may fear.  My trips have all been calm and peaceful, and while security is present everywhere, we were never afraid, and Israelis are not either.  The country certainly does not feel as if it is under siege, despite the “CNN image.”  So please don’t give in to irrational and uninformed fears, and don’t listen to your friends saying “I can’t believe you’re going to Israel!!”  We don’t refuse to travel to New York  after the September 11 attacks; life in the United States has goes on – even though we are a country at war.  The same is true in London, Madrid, and Moscow.  It does in Israel, too.  In my most recent visit, I saw people out everywhere, outdoor cafés were packed, the country was full of tourists, hotels were full, and prices are up.  So you need to book ahead, or you risk being closed out of things you want to do or see.   With that in mind, I hope you find the information I prepared about traveling in Israel and life in that country interesting and helpful.