Gil Travel Group

Pretty much everything in Israel is special. Even valleys are not simply valleys. Many of these charming natural areas have both historical and religious importance, and they tell the travelers many vastly interesting stories. There are quite a few truly beautiful valleys to visit, but for this special ‘tour’, we’ve chosen four particularly interesting sites in Israel. Let’s visit each.

Did you know that there’s an entire ancient village under the sea in Israel? It’s a magnificent Stone Age village whose inhabitants gave their best to protect it against the rising sea levels, going as far as to build what archeologists find may have been the world's first – hence, today’s oldest – defense wall. This Neolithic wall is up to 7,000 years old, but it could not stop climate change, and the villagers eventually lost the battle.

The Bar and Bat Mitzvah mark a special transition in a life of young person, proudly celebrated with family and friends in love and joy, when many beautiful memories are made. And what more fitting place on Earth to have the ceremony than in Israel? We can choose to travel as a family and ex[eroemce a private bat and bar mitzvah tour to this breathtaking land. The tours come with a unique experience of Israel, its very long and fascinating history, culture and tradition. What’s more, we can have these tours perfectly tailored to make our young ones’ dreams come true, whether they’d like a traditional ceremony in one of Israel’s historic cities and sites, or they wish an alternative celebration in a contemporary place.  This is an opportunity to begin forging a Jewish identity and ties to Israel that will last a lifetime. 

Masada is a site that all the travelers ought to visit at least once in their lives. Regardless if you’re a fan of history, of architecture, ancient stories, ancient religions, archeology, or the most amazing views, Masada has all of that and much more. This stone fortress situated in a desert, on an isolated plateau, is today an Israeli national park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a home to a long, rich and unique history and the lives of the people living 2,000 years ago – their struggles and their accomplishments. Let’s take a closer look.

There have been Jews in the capital of Austria for nine centuries. The communities have formed and grown here, built their synagogues, houses, buildings, schools, and hospitals, and taught their children about Jewish culture and tradition for generations. The area in Vienna that was inhabited by this community is known today as Judenplatz (Jewish Square), and it has a great historical significance that you can learn about by visiting it.  At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna became one of the greatest centers of Jewish culture on the continent, but during the Holocaust, the community was almost annihilated. However, their resilient nature helped them to slowly recuperate after the war and reestablish their homes in this metropolis. Let’s see four of many old and new sites you ought to visit if you wish to learn about Vienna’s Jews.

The history of the Jews of Spain is truly remarkable. Spain has been home to a Jewish community which has influenced Spain’s history, culture, art, and customs for centuries. The name Sephardi itself, meaning ‘’Spanish’’ or ‘’ Hispanic’’ in Hebrew, is derived from Sepharad (ספרד), a Biblical location, identified as Hispania, or the Iberian Peninsula. Prior to 1492, Jewish communities thrived in many Spanish and Portuguese provinces. Jews, as a minority, constituted the population of cities like Lisbon, Toledo, Seville, Córdoba, Granada, and Málaga.

Welcome to a fascinating and ancient site, of a great historical significance for a number of nations and through multiple centuries. The Negev Incense Route encompasses incense roads, as well as the spice and luxury goods routes, which once linked Arabia to the Mediterranean, all the way back during the Hellenistic-Roman period. Knowing this, you can imagine its relevance at the time. The end of the incense route in the Negev Region has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides the forts, caravanserai, and the irrigation system, you’ll find here the four Nabataean towns, situated on the main route from Gaza to Petra, which prospered particularly between 300 BC and 200 AD. The Nabataeans were an Arab people who lived in the northern Arabia and the Southern Levant, and they were immensely skilled at engineering in the difficult conditions of the region. You can witness their way of life in the antiquity, and see just how masterful they were, in their four ancient cities.

Prague has had a vibrant Jewish community since the 10th century. With time and increasing antisemitism, however, the community was concentrated within the walled ghetto, which centuries later became known as Josefov, Jewish Quarter, or Josefstad. This largely demolished area, surrounded by the Old Town of Poland’s capital, is a site of great tragedy, but also of history, culture, great architecture, art, and of life. It’s home to a number of significant monuments, many of which are now a part of the Jewish Museum in Prague – a Jewish heritage museum and one of the city’s most popular institutions, established in 1906. It houses 40,000 objects, 100 000 books, and a large archive of the history of Czech and Moravian Jewish communities situated in the Smichov Synagogue. 

For a truly unique experience in Israel, how about joining thousands of runners in the Jerusalem Winner Marathon, where you’ll get to enjoy the exciting course through the old and modern city of the beautiful Jerusalem?  If you feel excited at the thought of it, this special six days/five nights-tour is the perfect choice for you. But running the marathon is not all.

Jews came to Austria probably during the exodus of Jews from Judea under the Romans, and there was a Jewish community in Vienna for over eight hundred years, ever since Jews started settling in the area today known as Judenplatz around 1150. Over the centuries, the community grew, and Judenplatz got a Jewish hospital, a Synagogue, a bath house, a house of the Rabbi, and a Jewish school.