Rav Shaanan as Yossele the Fifer
"Rav Shaanan gave myself and others a very informative, engaging and inspiring full day tour of Jerusalem" - Former Mayor of Toronto, Senator Art Eggleton
Shaanan's tours are unique in that they offer professional pedagogy, entertainment, passion and Rabbinic expertise which is unusual for most tour guides. Shaanan works with a team in Israel to organize all logistics and planning for families and groups of all ages and backgrounds and will cater to individual needs.
Shaanan's tours are unique in that they offer professional pedagogy, entertainment, passion and Rabbinic expertise which is unusual for most tour guides. Shaanan works with a team in Israel to organize all logistics and planning for families and groups of all ages and backgrounds and will cater to individual needs.
Rav Shaanan as 'Yosef Ha Samech Tet'
Rav Shaanan is a fully Israel licensed tour guide and is able to guide all sites in Israel covering Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Israel- Arab conflict, history, geology, flora and fauna, wineries, foods, agriculture, religious minorities, memorials and any other subject related to this land. Shaanan's extensive experience in Jewish education makes his tours not only informative but experiential! His tours always include videos, interactive games, entertainment and other engaging activities.
Rav Shaanan is currently a full time teacher at a Jewish Day School therefore OnlyInIsrael tours are only available in Israel in July, August and winter vacation. He does offer 'Virtual Israel Tours' year-round. Please see 'Virtual Tours' for more information.
We are happy to design many Israel tours that fit the needs and interests of your group. Below are some examples of tailor-made tours that Rav Shaanan has led.
Rav Shaanan as 'The Babaganoush'
1) Jerusalem: 3000 years of Jewish history in 3 hours. This walking tour brings the Tanakh alive, offers a clear history of the city and introduces you to some theatrical characters of the Holy City over the past 3000 years. You will leave this tour with a better understanding of Jerusalem's very complicated history and a deeper appreciation for Jerusalem as the Eternal Capital of the Jewish people. The theatrical visitors on this tour make it child- friendly (if you are not travelling with children, then the tour can bring out the child in you!)
Length: three hours
2) Jerusalem: Between Mecca and the Vatican. This tour is a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. We explore Jerusalem as a Holy City for the three monotheistic faiths. The religious fervour for Jerusalem is evident by meeting the various Haj, ministers and rabbis in the alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City. This religious experiences also focusses on the various methods of prayer by the three religions as we discuss when, why, whom, where, what for and how does each religion pray. This spiritual tour will enhance your appreciation for prayer and religious significance of Jerusalem: the city that never stops praying!
Length: 4 – 8 hours.
3) A Musical Tour of the City of David: This walking tour explores the archaeology, brings the Tanakh to life and experiences the adventures of the historical tunnels in the City of David. Shaanan guides you with a Tanakh in one hand and a guitar in the other as we enhance our City of David experience by singing songs written by the greatest poet of all time.
Length: 3 – 4 hours..
Length: 3 – 4 hours..
Independence Hall in Tel Aviv
4) 1948: This full day tour takes you from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. We begin in Jerusalem's Old City and travel westward stopping by various battle sites of tragic human loss and incredible miraculous battles. The tour ends at Independence Hall in Tel Aviv where David Ben Gurion gave a short speech that changed the course of history and future for the Jewish people. Highlights include: Castel battle site, Latrun tank museum, the Burma Road, the Palmach Museum and Etzel Prison museum in Jerusalem. Entrance into museums depends on early bookings.
Length: 6 - 10 hours depending on depth.
Length: 6 - 10 hours depending on depth.
The Spiritual Experience of the Stars and Sand of the Negev Desert
5) Stars and Sand: Avraham was promised that he will be the father of a great nation. God told Avraham that his people will be as numerous as the sand on the ground and the stars in the sky. On this twelve hour tour (must go late to see the stars), we walk through the deserts that our ancestors walked and experience it's simplicity, quiet, and spiritual calling that some of the Tanakh's greatest prophets went through. We will revisit this famous promise from God to Avraham as we look at the greatest view of the stars in Israel and hike on multicoloured sand in the Negev.
Length: Up to 12 hours:
Length: Up to 12 hours:
Rav Shaanan with a group at the
Tomb of the Patriarchs
6) Israel's holy graves ? The first real estate purchase in Israel was when Avraham bought land in Hevron to bury his wife, Sarah. The significance of Jewish tombs in Israel has continued to this day where many tombs have become pilgrimage sites and channels for specific blessings from God. From monetary, political and religious incentives, the various holy graves in Israel has stirred up controversy and opened up the hearts of many dedicated Jews. This tour visits various tombs of Tzaddikim and discusses the controversy over each one. The tour is a full day bus tour and is friendly to daveners, religious skeptics and Cohanim!
Length: This is 6 – 12 hour tour depending on starting and finishing point of tour.
Length: This is 6 – 12 hour tour depending on starting and finishing point of tour.
Rav Shaanan at Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy
7) Biblical Archaeology 101: This tour goes off the beaten path to the most relevant sites related to Biblical Archaeology. The tour explores the different major Biblical Archaeologists of the past two centuries and explains the various schools of thought in this complicated field. Tells mentioned in the Tanakh, such as Gezer, Lachish, Hazor and Meggido are options to explore. The tour is travelled best when concluding with the collection of Biblical Archaeology in the Israel Museum (can be done only on Wednesdays when museum is open late). After a day of exploration you be the judge whether archaeology enhances or detracts from the Authenticity of the Tanakh. This is a full day bus tour.
Length: 8 – 10 hours depending on itinerary (Tel Dan and Hazor entail more travel time)
8) When in Rome -an Empire, Do as the Romans do? This full day bus tour explores some of the best preserved Roman Cities in the world. As we visit Caesaria, Bet Shean and Bet Guvrin, we bring to life some of the Talmud's most fascinating discussions about the role of the Jew in Secular society. This experience includes Talmud study on site of where the stories took place, reviving ancient Roman Theater and a gladiator match or two, depending on the comeraderie of the group ;)
Length: 8 – 10 hours depending on depth of tour.
9) Jerusalem: God's Answers to our Prayers: A full day bus tour of Jerusalem that looks at the Holy City through the lens of our daily tefilot; The Shemonah Esrei. The tour begins in the Old City and continues throughout Jerusalem as we see the fruition of 2000 years of Jewish prayer through exploring the Holy City. The day brings the tefilot in the Shemona Esrei to life as we witness and experience all of the 19 tefilot in process. This tour will not only be an exciting day around Jerusalem, it will enhance your tefilot for the rest of your life!
Length - 6 - 8 hours
Length: 8 – 10 hours depending on itinerary (Tel Dan and Hazor entail more travel time)
8) When in Rome -an Empire, Do as the Romans do? This full day bus tour explores some of the best preserved Roman Cities in the world. As we visit Caesaria, Bet Shean and Bet Guvrin, we bring to life some of the Talmud's most fascinating discussions about the role of the Jew in Secular society. This experience includes Talmud study on site of where the stories took place, reviving ancient Roman Theater and a gladiator match or two, depending on the comeraderie of the group ;)
Length: 8 – 10 hours depending on depth of tour.
9) Jerusalem: God's Answers to our Prayers: A full day bus tour of Jerusalem that looks at the Holy City through the lens of our daily tefilot; The Shemonah Esrei. The tour begins in the Old City and continues throughout Jerusalem as we see the fruition of 2000 years of Jewish prayer through exploring the Holy City. The day brings the tefilot in the Shemona Esrei to life as we witness and experience all of the 19 tefilot in process. This tour will not only be an exciting day around Jerusalem, it will enhance your tefilot for the rest of your life!
Length - 6 - 8 hours
