From Samantha's Blog
Explore deep dives into Israeli history, culture, innovations, holidays, and travel tips.
10 Places to go during Advent in Israel
Advent is the time for preparing and waiting for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is observed by many Western Christian churches. It...
100 Anniversary of the ANZAC Victory Over Be’er Sheva
This year is a big year for Israel, including today and tomorrow. Today, November 1, 2017 marks the 100 year anniversary since the ANZAC victory over the city...
5 Things You Need to Know About Israel’s Independence Hall
Israel’s Independence Hall is the place where the Jewish leadership declared Israel an independent, modern Jewish state! It was an incredible moment during...
50 Years Since the Six Day War
This week marks the fiftieth anniversary since the Six Day War of 1967. The war was an intense fight between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. And guess how...
70 Years Since the UN Partition Plan Vote
This year is a BIG year for Israel and its history. It has been 100 years since the ANZAC victory over Be’er Sheva and the beginning of the British Mandate...
Family History- a Story of cups, & candlesticks
I’ve written posts on social media referencing some of my family history. I’ve talked about items like books, pictures, and candlesticks. And often times my...
A Mitzvah A Day Campaign
With Hanukkah starting soon, I want to talk about something very important to me. It’s a sort of campaign I hold myself to: doing one mitzvah (in this...
Agriculture in Israel
As you may imagine (or maybe experienced), Israel is a hot country. Agriculture in Israel is not something you may think about a lot. After all, Israel is...
Like Indiana Jones?! Check out archeology in Israel!
Archeology is a thriving industry and part of Israel. That makes sense because it is an ancient area in the world! There are remains from as far back as the...
The Balfour Declaration Turns 100 Years Old… Now What?
This year is a big year in Israeli history. It is Israel’s 70th Independence Day, the 70 year anniversary of the UN Partition Plan vote. It is the 100 year...
BDS: Buy Israeli Products! Do the opposite! Support Israel!
Many people in North America and Europe are familiar with the BDS movement. The movement was founded in July 2005 in order to put pressure on Israel in...
What can we learn from the City of Hebron?
Hebron is one of four holy cities in Judaism, along with Tzfat , Tiberias , and Jerusalem. Many can forget the city’s holiness because of the political tension...
Celebrating Ramadan in Israel
Israel is a country holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The Muslim population is the largest population in the country, and Arabic is the second official...
Christmas in the Holy Land
Christmas is one of the most important holidays in the Christian calendar. The second major holiday is Easter celebrated in the spring. Christmas celebrates...
Coexistence in Modern Israel
So I have recently finished guiding a Taglit Birthright group here in Israel. For those who don’t know, Birthright is a ten day trip for young Jewish adults in...
Downtown Haifa, Who Knew?
Haifa is Israel’s third largest city in the country. It is known for its universities, falafel, and coexistence. It’s a mosaic of different people, religions,...
What are you eating on Shavuot 2017?!
Today is the beginning of Shavuot 2017! Shavuot is the second of three pilgrimage ( Passover and Shavuot ) festivals to Jerusalem. It is the fiftieth day of...
Why is Eid al Fitr 2017 so important?
Today Muslims celebrate Eid al Fitr 2017, the celebratory end of Ramadan . It marks the first day of the month of Shawwal, when the fasting month of Ramadan as...
Eurovision Israeli Style
The Eurovision is a huge event for Europeans and other countries who take part in the contest. This year, in a few days, the Eurovision Finals will be hosted...
Israeli Fallen Soldiers’ Stories
There are many stories of Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror. They may not be with us today, yet they live on in our memory and in telling their...
Good-bye Mr. President: Remembering Peres
Dear Shimon Peres, As the nation, and the world, says “Good bye Mr. President” I want to share with you some thoughts of your impact on the world you just have...
The Great Adventure of the Ethiopian Aliyah
Before Israel was established, there were five waves of Jewish immigration. The First Aliyah began in 1882, and the Fifth Aliyah ended in 1939. But after...
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights
Tomorrow night is the first night of Hanukkah, an eight day long holiday that many of us have at least heard of. But how could not? We have four Hanukkah Songs...
Holy Cities in the Holy Land
The Land of Israel is the holiest place in Judaism. There are four cities that are specifically holy for Jews: Tiberius , Tzfat , Hebron , and Jerusalem . The...
Why is the Holy City of Jerusalem SO important?
Why is the Holy City of Jerusalem SO important? Jerusalem is the holiest city in Judaism, the center of the religion. It is one of four holy cities in Judaism,...
Holy Muslim Sites in Israel
The Land, and State, of Israel is the holiest place in both Judaism and Christianity. Cities like Jerusalem , Tzfat , Hebron , and Nazareth are holy to both...
Hot and Now Tours in Israel
Hot and Now Tours There are some sites in Israel that are must see sites. These sites have to be part of your itineraries, especially if it’s your first time...
How To Be a Private Tour Guide?
Tour guiding in Israel is an incredibly important job. It in many ways is Israel advocacy at its most basic level. Every time I meet a group, I take that...
India & Israel: An Israel Tour Guide’s Perspective
This week I guided a group from India for three days. We saw the Galilee, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv. Through this trip, we deepened the relationship between...
International Women’s Day in Israel
In honor of International Women’s Day I want to write about women in Israel. Israel has a lot to learn from when it comes to women’s rights and equality. The...
Introducing Samantha, Your Israel Tour Guide
Shalom! Hello! !ברוכים הבאים לישראל (Welcome to Israel!) My name is Samantha Kaplan, and I am your next Israel tour guide. One of my goals is to share the...
Israel Independence Tour
Israel Independence Tour Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948 in a small museum in Tel Aviv. There was a war raging around the leaders of the new...
Israel Memorial Day Trip
Yom HaZikaron Day Trip Yom HaZikaron is Israel’s Memorial Day. One way to remember the service of Israeli soldiers is to go on an Israel Memorial Day Trip. The...
Israeli Artists, What are we looking at?
In today’s world, we hear a lot about Israel’s politics, history, and religion. But the fact of the manner, is that there is so much more to the country—from...
Are These Israeli Authors on Your Bookshelves!!!
I am a bookworm–always have been, always will be. I was that kid who would spend Saturdays snuggled in bed with a book, and the kid who, if I was reading in...
What is Israeli Food, Really?
When many people think of Israeli food, they think of falafel, shawarma, and hummus. And all of those dishes are part of Israeli cuisine. But Israeli food...
Israeli Independence Day 2017
Today is Israeli Independence Day, Yom HaAtzmaut, is celebrated. It is a day full of celebrations, joy, and remembering the importance of declaring...
Israeli Innovations Are Saving the World!
In our day and age, we hear a lot about Israel in the News. But most of that News covers the political and military aspects of the country. We often also hear...
What does it mean to have an Israeli Passport?
Passports are not necessarily an item we think about on a day to day basis. But they are incredibly important in understanding the country from which they...
Israeli Singers Should You Be Jammin’ Out To!
When I was a teenager, I participated in a lot of the teen events of the JCC. It’s how I discovered so many Israeli movies and TV shows. Shortly before I left...
Ready for your Jewish Birthright Trip to Israel?
The Jewish Birthright trip is a special trip to Israel that has a lot of people talking. The organization brings young Jewish adults, aged 18 26, to Israel for...
Celebrate the Jewish New Year 2018!
It is now Jewish New Year 2018! Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year, and it is celebrated around the world. It is one of the most important holidays in the...
Can You Keep Up With These Israeli Athletes?
The Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish sports competition, began this weekend. The Games occur every four years, and began in 1932. The Maccabiah is the...
What Do You Know About Israeli Politics?
It may be easy for us to think that we know about the Israeli Political System. It began after the Partition Plan Resolution presented in the United Nations in...
What can we learn from Tisha B’Av today?
Tisha B’Av, or the ninth day of the month of Av, is one of five fast days in the Jewish calendar. Why do we fast on this day? On this day, the First Temple was...
What does it mean to have Sigd in Israel?
The holiday of Sigd is an Ethiopian Jewish holiday that became a national Israeli holiday in 2008. It takes place 50 days after Yom Kippur , and celebrates...
What is Sukkot 2018 All About?
What is Sukkot 2018? Why do we still celebrate this holiday? Sukkot is a autumn harvest festival holiday lasting a week, and once served as an ingathering at...
10 Most Meaningful Things to do at Masada
The story of Masada is a fascinating story. It’s a great site to visit while in Israel. But what can we do to make the visit unique? What are the 10 most...
Memorial Day for Yitzchak Rabin
Today is the Memorial Day for Yitzchak Rabin. Twenty one years ago, Rabin stood in front of hundreds of Israelis at a peace rally and gave a speech in hope...
Mimouna – North African Jewish Holiday 2017
Mimouna 2017, the North African Jewish celebration welcoming the Messiah With Passover having ended, there are many different ways to celebrate the end of the...
What Do You Know About Modern Israelis?
Who are these modern Israelis walking past us on our trip? Today I want to talk about modern Israelis . After all, when you come to visit, you’ll see a lot of...
The Munich Massacre of 1972
The 2016 Olympic in Rio De Janero ended not too long ago, so I want to take the opportunity to talk about certain Olympic Games that are very important: the...
Your Next Israeli Movie Night!
I remember when I was a teenager I would go to the Rochester JCC every month to watch the monthly screening of an Israeli movie. It was these monthly events...
Anniversary of November 29, 1947
Tomorrow is the 29th of November, which is a very special date in history. Why? Well, because on this day sixty eight years ago (November 29, 1947), the United...
Now You’re An Expert About the Russian Aliyah?
If you’re up to date on my blog, then you know I’ve been spending some time writing about all the different aliyot , or waves of immigration, to Israel. You...
Do you really know about the Passover Holiday 2017?
This week Jews around the world finished celebrating the Passover holiday. It is one of the most important, and better known, holidays in Judaism. And it is...
People of the Second Aliyah
When we talk about events like a major wave of Jewish immigration to the land of Israel, it is easy to forget that it was people who made these events happen....
Prep tips for Your Israel trip
For this blog, I want to talk about how to prepare for a trip to Israel. Everyone needs some prep tips for travel. How do we know a specific program is the...
Pride Month in Israel
June is Pride Month—thirty days of celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Parades and parties are held throughout the world. While some countries celebrate pride...
A Private Tour Guide’s Aliyah
For the past couple months, I’ve written about the waves of immigration, or aliyot , to Israel. It began with the First Aliyah in 1882, and continued until the...
Why Do You Really Care About Flag Day?!
Yesterday, we celebrated Flag Day 2017 in the United States. The day celebrates adaption of the U.S. flag on June 4, 1777 by the Second Continental Congress....
Really, Why Should I Care?
Hi everyone! Welcome back! I spoke before a little about myself , but I want to take this time to talk about why this tiny country, the size of New Jersey, is...
5 Reasons Why Tel Aviv is Great in the Summer
Tel Aviv is an AMAZING place to visit in the summer. The city is a cultural center of Israel that attracts young people and elderly, secular and religious, and...
Reflections for the High Holidays
Last week was Rosh HaShanah , and this week we will celebrate Yom Kippur , the Jewish Day of Atonement. It’s a busy time in the Jewish calendar, and a time...
Running in the Footsteps of Israeli History
A few weeks ago I ran the Ashdod Night Run. There were two races—one a 2K (1.25 miles), and the second a 5K (3.1 miles) along the shoreline…literally on the...
What Can You See on a Shabbat Dinner?!
Beginning every Friday evening, Jews around the world celebrate Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, or Sabbath. It begins with services in the synagogue. We add...
How Should We Celebrate Lag B’Omer?
Today we celebrate Lag B’Omer, the thirty third day of the Omer, a period of forty nine days between the second day of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot. It...
Simchat Torah 2017… Say What?!?!
What is that? Let me tell you all about Simchat Torah 2017! Simchat Torah means “the rejoicing of the Torah.” The holiday celebrates the completion of the...
How are You Starting a New Year 2017?
We have now started a new year, marking new beginnings, new chapters, and new times. It is customary to look back on the previous year and make resolutions to...
The Story of Masada
The story of Masada is a unique story that raises a lot of questions for us today. But there is much more to the story than many of us might know. The Jewish...
All About the Fifth Aliyah to Israel
There were five major waves of Jewish immigration before the State of Israel was born. We’ve talked about them before. The First Aliyah was one of great hope...
All About the First Aliyah to Israel
When someone Jewish moves to Israel, they are making Aliyah. Aliyah is a Hebrew word meaning ‘to ascend.’ We use this word because when you move to Israel, the...
The Fourth Aliyah of Israel
When we look at Israeli society today, it can be easy to think how all of it got started, from the tall buildings of Tel Aviv to the flourishing desert...
Learn about the Holiday of Shavuot
Today we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, the holiday of the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. It comes 49 days after Passover , each day counted. Those...
Jewish Weddings
Hi again! In light of my recent engagement to my now fiancée, I would like to write a little bit about what a wedding looks like in Israel. Actually more of...
The Second Aliyah to Israel
Before the State of Israel was born, there were five major waves of Jewish immigration to the land. Each wave of immigration is called an aliyah. The 1st...
All About the Third Aliyah to Israel
An aliyah to Israel is when someone, or a group of people, move to the land of Israel. Before Israel becomes an independent state in 1948, there were five...
Are You Sure You Know About the Yemenite Aliyah?
Before Israel was established in 1948, there were five major waves of immigration to the land. The First Aliyah began in 1882, and the Fifth Aliyah end in...
The Time I Guided a Group of Women
I want to dedicate a space to the amazing moments I have had with the women in my groups, especially in light of recent events . To give a voice to the women...
Must Know Tips for a trip in Israel
Ever wonder about tips for a trip in Israel? When people prepare for a trip, there are some things that are easy to forget. Sometimes we get so excited, and...
Top 10 Museums in Israel
Israel is filled with museums addressing topics ranging from history to archeology to science to politics. You can spend hours in each one of them, and every...
Top 10 Things to Do in Israel During Passover 2017
Passover 2017 is starting tonight. It is a week off from school and for many jobs here in Israel. It’s a week to celebrate becoming a nation free from slavery...
My top 15 Israel Book List
Hi everyone! I wanted to take this time to discuss some of the must read book list concerning Israel and the Middle East. A recommended book list can help out....
Top 10 Graffiti Art in Israel
There are many different views of what graffiti means in society—some people disapprove of the graffiti on the walls of neighborhoods of their cities. Others...
Top 10 Outlooks in Israel… Have You Seen Them?
Visiting an outlook might not seem like a spot to be on the top of your list to visit while in Israel. But visiting at least one outlook is VERY worthwhile....
Our Trip in Haredi Jerusalem
About a week ago, I attended a trip through Haredi Jerusalem. It was organized for tour guides, much like my trip in downtown Haifa . So often we here about...
Tu B’Shvat, the Holiday of Trees
This week we celebrated the holiday of Tu B’Shvat, commonly called the Holiday of Trees. It is a holiday that signals the beginning of spring and trees...
Water in Judaism, what does it really mean?
If you’ve ever been to Israel, you might have noticed that there is very little water– very, very LITTLE water! There is one body of fresh water, the Sea of...
What does Tzfat have for me?
There are four holy cities in Judaism: Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberius , and Tzfat. Each city is connected to an element of nature. Tzfat is located in northern...
What is Purim 2017 really all about?
This week we are celebrating the holiday of Purim. It is a fun and exciting holiday, yet it is one that is not written about or referred to in the Torah. So...
What is the meaning of Easter?
Every spring, Christians around the world celebrated the holiday of Easter. It is one of the most important holidays on the Christian calender. It is...
What was the Holocaust?
What was the Holocaust? Today we mark the Israeli national day we remember the Holocaust, or Shoah in Hebrew, which unfolded in during World War II (WWII). In...
Yitzchak Rabin… How Do We Remember?
Today we remember the 23rd anniversary of Yitzchak Rabin’s assassination . Israel commemorates the date on the Hebrew calendar’s date, which is why we are not...
All About Yom HaZikaron 2017
Yom HaZikaron is Israel’s Memorial Day. It remembers soldiers who fell during their military services, and those killed in terrorist attacks throughout...
What is Yom Kippur 2018 All About?
Rosh HaShanah has passed. So have the ten days of repentance between then and today, Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. One interpretation of this practice...
Why is Yom Yerushalayim so important?
Today is Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), celebrating the city and its reunification during the Six Day War. In 1967, Israel fought in a war against Syria,...
Zippori the Roman capital of the Galilee
In the 3rd c. CE, Zippori was an important Jewish city and seat of the Sanhedrin, the traditional Jewish legislative assembly. We must bear in mind that the...