David Citadel Hotel & Spa, Jerusalem

What else does The David Citadel Hotel have to offer, besides bragging rights that you stayed at a gorgeous five star hotel overlooking the walls of the Old City?

The David Citadel, among other things, has an unbelievable spa that was carefully designed according to “Feng Shui”.  No, Feng Shui is not some hot-off-the-press famous interior designer. Rather, it’s a theory of decorating that, like the Jews, has been around for a very long time (we’re talking over 3,000 years ago).  Feng= wind and Shui= water. It was developed in China back in the day, figuring out how to balance colors and objects in a room, with the belief that correct balance will produce  the best energies, benefitting the health of those living within. The energies will in turn give the residents good luck. Or, in Jewish speak, good mazel.

So how does the David Citadel Spa accomplish Feng Shui? With a delicate integration of intimate scents, lighting, running water,  and relaxing music. And an extremely long list of all different types of options to pamper yourself silly.

You can try Ayurveda, a traditional Indian treatment, which uses hot sesame oil. Or Aromatherapy, which uses aromatherapy oils taken from the essences of plants. Or get a special 25 minute scalp massage!  Like when getting a haircut, only much better and much longer. Designed to rebalance your blood flow.  Or do Reflexology. There is even a special massage for pregnant woman.

For the skin, there are a variety of “peeling treatments”. Facials, manicures, they’ve got it all. Meditation techniques, etc. I feel more vitalized just thinking about it. But do more than think, go! Treat yourself to the finest hotel spa in all of Israel.

To check out the David Citadel Spa, go to http://www.thedavidcitadel.com/Hotel.aspx?CatID=536

Originally blogged at http://shalomisraeltours.com/david-citadel-hotel-spa/

Bar Mitzvah in Tzfat

Having your son’s bar mitzvah at the Western Wall is no doubt an unbelievable opportunity. But say you to wanted to be different, do something more out of the Israel ordinary… where would you go? What would you do?

Otzar HaStam of Tsfat has already got an answer for you, with a complete Bar Mitzvah package that will blow other bar mitzvah ideas out of the water. Or out of the air. Because we’re talking Tsfat here.

Tsfat, the mystical city 900 meters in the air, in the North of Israel. Home to the kabbalist of kabbalists, Rabbi Isaac Luria ( the Ari) from the late 1500’s. Tsfat, the place that breathes spiritual intensity and history. Liberated during the 1948 War of Independence, by the Hagganah just days before the Declaration.

Jerusalem is one of the four holiest cities in Israel, according to Jewish tradion. Each city corresponds to one of the four elements: air, fire, water, and earth. Tsfat is connected with the element of air. You breathe differently here.

So on your son’s bar mitzvah day, breathing in the crisp mountainous air of Tsfat, what would the day look like? Otsar HaStam has it all planned out to meticulous detail a day fit for a Jewish king. Even if the king only happens to be 5 feet tall.

Step 1- Have the ceremony at an ancient synagogue. Cantor and musicians provided. Guidance about different customs announced during ceremony if desired.

Step 2- A gourmet Galilee-style breakfast post-ceremony in courtyard, with scrumptious delicacies .

Step 3- Tour of the Old City of Tsfat. Visit synagogues, observation points. Meet sculptors, painters, and watch Tallit-weavers in action with their loom. Discussion of the meaning behind the bar mitzvah day incorporated into tour.
Step 4- Tour the multimillion dollar Ostar Hastam interactive center- a window to the world of Jewish scribes. Astounding 3D video presentations of various themes, including an interactive trivia game and video of The Making of a Torah
Step 5- Bar Mitzvah Lunch/dinner on deck overlooking breathtaking views of the Galilee and the Golan Heights

Step 6- Customize everything to your liking. Want to visit a goat cheese factory? Do a torch- lit hike through the forest? No problem!

But if you’re looking for a cheap place to offset any other Bar Mitzvah costs, there’s a safe, groovy hostel right near by- called Ascent. A cozy, remodeled half hotel/half hostel, you get opportunities to take your Jewish education to the next level with their schedule of daily classes and resource center full of knowledgeable staff members.

A bar mitzvah combining education, kabbalah, painters, ancient synagogues, breathtaking views, and cheap room and board….

Now THIS is what I call becoming a man in style!

Originally blogged at: http://shalomisraeltours.com/tsfat-bar-mitzvah/

Aliens in Israel

So, apparently there’s a new way to go visit the Temple Mount- not by foot, not by helicopter….The first official UFO Temple Mount visit seems to have been conducted, without a formal invitation (hopefully BB’s doesn’t feel too slighted) , this past Friday, January 28^, 2011.

At 1 Am on Friday, three separate videocameras  were casually filming the Jerusalem skyline, capturing the scenery around the Dome of the Rock. And three cameras caught the same thing- a ball of light descending, hanging around the top of the Dome for approximately 24 seconds, and then shooting off back into space.

Was this some creative scheme by video techies to take attention off of Egypt? Or a high school prank? Or are there really aliens brave enough to find a way to get past Israeli security guards in order to take pictures at the Dome of the Rock?

Israel National News reported on the alleged incident, but couldn’t resist posting at the bottom of their article a link of how to create a light ball effect on a video.

Discovery Newsreporter, Benjamin Radford, observed that “If it is an extraterrestrial spacecraft, it is a very small one…Judging by the size and distance of the dome it apparently hovers over, it would likely be not much bigger than a limousine. This doesn’t mean it’s not a spaceship, but it does make you wonder,” he stated.

Good point, Mr. Radford. What kind of alien would visit Earth in such a tiny spaceship? Unless it was one of those Porsche Spaceships.

We can certainly take a precautionary lesson from this extraterrestrial light show  : Don’t go chilling near holy sites at 1 in the morning,  unless hanging out with aliens is your scene.

Videos below. Decide for yourself.  We aren’t here to judge, we love all tourists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY2FFEufsuY&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOf4qVMIg7k&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jczjyV4v3i0

originally blogged at http://shalomisraeltours.com/aliens-israel/

365 Ways to Discover Israel

We're tweeting a daily "365 Ways to Discover Israel" series highlighting the best of #Israel tours. Check @IsraelExpert for links!

Inbal Hotel - Holy Twitter Batman!

The Great Tweet Up

The Inbal hotel in Jerusalem is more than technologically savvy. It’s determined to use technology to make things happen . So synchronize your phones to the information coming out of this blog, and get ready to tweet.

On Sept 2, 2010, something happened at the Inbal Hotel that has never happened in Jerusalem before- the city’s first ever hotel Tweetup.

Are you muttering to yourself – “ What on earth is a Tweetup?” Well, mutter no more!

I’ll explain-

Twitter,a social networking site, allows people to connect with each other through posting short messages, no more than 140 characters, on their user profile page. People who “follow” a certain account get notified of their new “tweets” ( posted messages). Twitter, understandably, is sometimes referred to as the text messaging system of the internet.

The fearless Inbal hotel jumps on the Tweeting wagon, and decides to actually bring together people with common interests together, at an event in their hotel.  Their vision: An awesome, random party in which no one really knows each other, meeting for jazz and drinks in a posh hotel courtyard.  A sure fire way to be spontaneous and adventurous, yet also safe and sophisticated place at the same time ( a rare combination).  Inbals proceeds to set up a Twitter account, and the tweeting begins.

Advertising a Tweetup, word quickly spreads through Twitter and FB about the upcoming event. On September 2, the Inbal’s vision became a reality, as Twitter followers from around the city gathered to celebrate in a festive, technological reunion; a meetup, a Tweetup.

Then, again, on the 8^th of December, Inbal was at it again- a Special Hanukkah Tweetup. As they promised “Have your doughnut and tweet it too!”

To all those people who huffed and puffed that the internet would slow down direct human interaction- the Inbal hotel is out to prove you wrong. Meet your friends online, THEN meet them in person! The best of all worlds.

Microblog yourself into a really good time. Go tohttp://twitter.com/inbalhotel , and sign up to receive tweets from them on upcoming events. And join the Inbal Hotel FB page while you are at it http://www.facebook.com/inbaljerusalemhotel .

How far can Twitter get you? Twitter is now an answer to your deepest prayers.  Literally. Well, pretty much. At least it can direct them towards a really, holy location in order to get a good response- the Western Wall. If you sign up for twitter.com/thekotel, you can send private messages to this Twitter account. Your private message prayer will be printed out and delivered straight to the kotel. On Oct 2, the founder of TweetYourPrayers for The Kotel Twitter account delivered 3,812 printed out prayers to the crevices of the holy site’s walls.

So tell anyone back in your hometown whose upset they haven’t been back to the Western Wall since their bar mitzvah; all is not lost. You can Tweetup with God at the Western Wall, and ask for some Divine Guidance, without leaving the comfort and safety of your  own living room.

Originally blogged at http://shalomisraeltours.com/inbal-hotel-jerusalem-twitter/

IDF Wine Evening with Daniel Rogov

On this past Thursday evening, attendees shuffled into The Great Synagogue, one of central Jerusalem’s largest synagogues. This building, modeled after the 1^st and 2^nd Temple’s, seats over 1,000 people, and was surely grand enough to host the evening’s noteworthy event. This elegant fundraiser was held in honor of one extraordinary group of members in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). Today, there are 5,700 lone soldiers who serve in the IDF from around the world. These brave young souls join the army alone, without the support of their family nearby. The Lone Soldier Center is the only organization dedicated solely to meeting all of the physical and social needs of lone soldiers, and provides guidance and support before, during, and after their IDF service. Soldiers are provided with Shabbat dinners, one-on-one counseling, pre-army seminars, furniture, and more. As one soldier stated, “The Lone Soldier center is my home away from home”. The center is dedicated in memory of Michael Levin, a lone soldier from the United States who fell in battle in 2006.

This incredible foundation drew in numerous speakers to its event, including Daniel Rogov, Israel’s preeminent wine critic. Rogov spoke of the significant improvement of Israel’s wines in the past 20 years, and entertained the crowd with humorous stories of Israel’s early, humble wine production days. Claiming that when he first moved to Israel, he refused to have Israeli wine in his cellar, he proudly admitted that today, 30% of his wine cellar consists of Israeli wines. Rogov pinpointed the most “fruitful” areas to plant vineyards; the Galilee, the Golan, and the Judean hills.  Many of Israel’s finest wineries can be found in those regions and all of them warmly welcome visitors any time of year.

Following inspiring and engaging speakers, live music began to play as the crowds meandered over to tables laden with fine wine and cheese. There, guests mingled amongst the lone soldiers and enjoyed the rich cheeses and delectable wines featured from up and coming wineries such as Carmel, Dalton, Barkan, and Golan wineries. The Great Synagogue was the perfect setting to honor brave young soldiers and the organization that helps take care of them, while the lovely sound of violin along with delicious sampling of wine and cheese topped off the night with an elegant and tasty spin.

originally blogged at http://shalomisraeltours.com/idf-israel-wine-daniel-rogov/

Tel Aviv Jazz Fest

The Tel Aviv Jazz Festival approacheth! Four days of exquisite, eclectic, and distinguished jazz in Tel Aviv.  February 15-18.

For such a young country as Israel, the jazz festival is an established tradition- this is it’s 22nd year in the making.

It’s got top of the line musicians from around the world performing in it, alongside Israeli stars.

We’re talking Dee Alexander “Queen of Chicago”, the young piano talent from Armenia, Tigran Hamasyan,  the daring, experimental  Nicole Mitchell Trio, and New York City’s rising star saxophonist Jaleel Shaw.

Jazzed up Jewish music will also be floating through the air; Steven Bernsteinand his group specialize in dazzling audiences with their traditional Jewish songs funkified through lively Latino arrangements.

In addition, keep your ears tuned for the  original, Israeli production entitled “Tel Aviv- Paris-New York” to be performed, with singer of the year Efrat Gosh.

This jazz festival is about presenting the gamut of jazz forms to the public, encouraging new and creative works to step forward. You will be sure to get a taste of all different jazz forms, and brave musicians who electrify the air with energetic and improvised jazz delicacies.

Like the State of Israel, jazz is a newer creation- dating to the beginning of the twentieth century. It began in the Southern US, in African American communities, and is a mix of European and African styles . Jazz music is characterized with  a certain swing in its step,  improvisation playing a major role in its unique style.  It’s about the musician’s interacting with the other performers and the audience in the moment, in a type of “call and response style”, so come and be ready to experience art in the making.

Be sure to block off from 8 pm to midnight in your schedule every night when touring in Tel Aviv.  If you can’t make one of the performances, don’t sweat it. There are 20 fabulous performances packed within these four days of fun in Tel Aviv.   To check out what happens when, go to http://www.jazzfest.co.il/english/show.html .

Originally blogged at http://shalomisraeltours.com/tel-aviv-jazz-festival/