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Home , Ashdod, Carmel Market, Damascus Gate, Tel Aviv

bought from lotterykiosks, newsagents or bookshopsand comein international calls canbemadefromanystreetcall box. Telecards are hasastate-of-the-art, card-operatedpublic telephonesystemand Saturday. to Thursday from7amto6pm,andFridaynoon, closed 132 ,onthecornerof Yehuda HaLeviStreet.OpenSunday OFFICE/TELEPHONE FACILITIES NIS, andnotesof5,10,20,50,100 and200NIS. is dividedinto100agorot. There arecoinsof10and50agorot15 dropped in1985aspartofarescueplantoreduceinflation. Thenewshekel speaking Englishtendto Anglicise anduse‘shekels’. The ‘oldshekel’ was (NIS). The HebraicallycorrectpluralisshekelimbutevenIsraeliswhen LOCAL CURRENCY luck forthecomingweek.It’s closedonSaturday. the oneaboutmakingaquickfirstsaleonSundaymorningtobring good is theorderofday, andthestallholders’ traditionalsalespatterincludes reputation forantiquesandinterestingorientalbitspieces.Bargaining Flea Market: To theeastof Yefet Streetisthefleamarket,whichhasa Friday wheneveryonewantstosellupbeforetheShabbat. best pricesaretobehadasthemarketcloses,especiallyabout3or4pmon and enticingstallsoffreshfruitsvegetables,hotbreadsspices. The past thefirstfewfeetofclothingandfootweartoreachmorearomatic The mainmarketstreetisHaCarmelStreet,andyouneedtopushyourway at MagenDavidCircle,fromwhereitrunsthroughthe Yemenite Quarter. : ’s loudandcrowdedmarketmeets Allenby Street with buskers,mimeartistsanddancers. afternoons andFridaysthestreetisalsohosttoacraftmarketfilled pedestrian mallfulloffashionablecafésandartyshops.On Tuesday haberdashery trade,privateinvestmenthasseenitrejuvenatedasabusy Nahalat BinyaminSt.: Tel Aviv SHOPPING FACILITIES Goldstar, Maccabeeand . Jewish GrandMarnier. SomepopularlocalbeersyoucantryareNesher, are someoftheIsraeliliqueurs,suchasCarmei-Zion’s Hallelujah,asortof Jaffa. Vermouth, sherryandportare alsoproducedlocally. Also available isreputedlythebestarakinIsrael;normallyonlyavailable wine-producing areas. Arak andbrandyarethebest-sellingIsraelispirits. in theHolyLandsince3000BC,makingitoneofworld’s oldest population also,ofcourse,abstains.However, vinesandwineshaveexisted and duringPassover. Spiritsarehardlytouchedatall. The Arab Muslim much. FormostjewswineisonlydrunkonholydayssuchasShabbat grocery shopslinedwithbottlesofwineandspirits,Israelisdon’t drink Local drink: Although youwillseeseveralshelvesinsupermarketsand numerous dairy-onlyrestaurants. kosher lawsofJudaismensurethatIsraelisadreamforvegetarians,with with salad,intoapittaorrolledinplate-sizedpieceoflaffa bread. The orchicken,slicedfromarevolvingverticalspitandstuffed, along as shwarma,alsoknownelsewherekebab. This islamb,orsometimes assortment ofsaladsinapittabread. The mostpopularwaytoeatmeatis with tahina(athinpastemadefromsesameseeds)andservedan with herbsandspices,shapedintoaballthendeep-friedinoil,covered Local Cuisine:Felafelisalocaldishmadeofgroundchickpeasblended do notexpecttobetipped;they’reusuallycontentjustovercharge. tips fromthecustomerstoevenbalance.NotethattaxidriversinIsrael Serving staff salariesinIsraelarecustomarilylowandthesystemrelieson bill arrivesappendedwithalarge handwritten“Serviceisnotincluded.” Tipping: Notlongago,apparently, noonetippedinIsrael.Nowyour The nationalcurrencyisthenewIsraeliShekel Formerly arun-downprovinceofthetextileand The mainpostofficein Tel Aviv isat Do youspeakEnglish?•tech-keeIngleesi? Toilet •beytal-may How muchisthis?•ah-deshhadah? No •la Yes •ay-wah Please •minfadlach You’re welcome•afwan Thank you•shoo-khran Good evening•masa’al-kheir Good morning•sabah-al-kheir Goodbye •salaamaleicham/ma-ah-salameh Hello •a-halan/mahr-haba In Do youspeakEnglish?•ah-TAH m’dah-BERang-LEET? bus •auto-boos Bank •bank Toilet •she-ru-TEEM How muchisit?•KA-mahzehule? Where is…• AYE-fo…? Yes •ken You’re welcome•allow da-VAAR Thank you•to-DAH Good evening•erevtov Good morning•BO-kertov Hello/goodbye •sha-LOM In Hebrew USEFUL WORDS point. intercity busesdepartfromthe6thfloor, wherethere’s alsoaninformation recently openedcentralbusstationisamammothcomplexwhereoutgoing TRANSPORTATION all othertimes. according totwotariffs: onebetween5:30amand9pmthesecondat they arestillanexpensivewayofgettingaroundthecity. They operate TOURIST INFORMATION ( andthe West Bankareacode)+localnumber. access +972(Israelcountrycode)03(Tel Aviv andJaffa areacode)or02 To call Tel Aviv fromtheUnitedStatesorCanada,dial011 International country code)+areacodelocalnumber. To calltheU.S.from Tel Aviv, dial00Internationalaccess+1(U.S. (48 NIS). denominations of10units(12NIS),20(24NIS)and50 purpose. While weworktoensurethattheinformation containedhereiniscorrect,wecannotaccept This informationhasbeencompiledfortheconvenience ofourguestsandisintendedsolelyforthat No•loh responsibility foranychanges thatmayhavetakenplacesinceprinting. and phrases Doublingasamultistoryshoppingcenter, Tel Aviv’s © RCCL 2009. All rights reserved. All Tel Aviv taxischarge bythemeter, but

the cityexperienced anykindofeconomicupturn. wasn’t until the1970sandgrowthof privatesectorthat contending with furtherimmigrationandurbanexpansion. It struggled throughtheearlyyears ofIsrael’s independence, population fled,leavingtheold town inIsraelihands. Tel Aviv forces attackedJaffa andafterbloodyfightingmostofthe Arab million Allied troops.In1948,astheBritishpulledout, Jewish war didbreakoutin1939, Tel Aviv playedhostto abouttwo from overseas,manyfleeingthethreatofNaziGermany. When accommodate thenewcomers. The 1930ssawwavesofarrivals 65 homesto40,000inhabitants. The towngrewquicklyto for Tel Aviv, wherethepopulationwentfrom550people in to continue. Arab riots inJaffa in1921sentmanyJews fleeing with theBritishvictoryin WWI developmentwaspermitted broke upthe settlement and expelled the fromthe area, but Progress onthenewtownwasbrieflyhaltedwhen Turks Spring). the newtownwasgivenname Tel Aviv (meaningHillof in Jerusalem.ItcenteredaroundwhatisnowHerzlStreetand of ProfessorBorisSchatz,foundertheBezalel Art School modeled afteraEnglishgardencity. The planadoptedwasthat planners wereinvitedtosubmitschemesforthenewtown who hadplanstocreateamajorJewishtown.Severaltown families whowereledbyMeirDizengoff, anambitiousfigure of the Arab town.Beforelongtheywerejoinedbyanother60 (1890), amongthedunesonsandycoastalplanejustnorth two smallcommunitiesNeve Tzek (1886)andNeveShalom established, predominantly Arab Jaffa. Initiallytheysettledin migrate fromthecrampedandunsanitaryconfinesoflong- Tel Aviv wasbegunbysmallgroupsofJewswhowishedto on driveandambitioncoupledwithtownplanningblunders. epic, themakingof Tel Aviv isamodernshortstorycentered HISTORY Massada, JerusalemandBethlehem. at Tel Aviv. isyourgatewayto Tel Aviv, Jaffa, taken muchworkfromHaifaandcausedtheclosureof sites. Itisalsoamajorportwithdeep-waterharborthathas Ashdod isaplannedcityofuniformbuildingsandindustrial 3,000 yearsago.Establishedonlyasrecently1957,modern andanimportantculturalreligiouscenter. That was and , Ashdod wasoneofthefivegreatPhilistine GENERAL INFORMATION © 2009 maps.com While thehistoryofJerusalem isagrandbiblical Along withGath,Gaza, to takevaluableswithyouwhengothebeach. flags postedalongthebeaches;whitemeansthatareaissafe. Itisalsowisenot caution whenswimmingasthereisastrongundertowinthearea. Heedthewarning 3 on late19th&early20thcenturyworks. Art, at27HaMelekhShaul Ave, ishometoasuperbcollection,particularlystrong 2 Saturday. to 5pm, Wednesday from10amto7pm,andFriday92closed and cultureinexile.OpenSunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from10am models, dioramas,filmsandpresentationschroniclingthediversityofJewishlife 1 10 amtopm,FridayandSaturdayfrom2pm Sunday, Mondayand Wednesday from10amto6pm, Tuesday and Thursday from around town–takeawanderinareaslikeJaffa andthe Yemenite Quarter. Open make gooduseofthecity’s superbbeaches. Also maketimeforafewexplorations enjoying Tel Aviv istotreatitasaresort;cruisethecafés,hangoutatbarsand neighborhoods, aresultofthediversebackgroundsitsinhabitants. The keyto under ratedMediterraneancity. Itpossessesanabsorbingarrayofdistinctive concerns ofsecular Tel Aviv arefinance,businessandfun. Tel Aviv isagreatly religions. Forsakingsynagoguesforstockexchangesandtraditionfaddism,the 3,000 yearhistoryoftheHolyCitywithitsshacklestraditionandconfrontational Barely acenturyold,themodernmetropolisof Tel Aviv thumbsitsnoseatthe Tel Aviv

of finewhitesandwhichfringesthealluringlyblueMediterranean Sea.Use includes lawcourtsandthemunicipalcentrallibrary, the Tel Aviv Museumof actually displayanyartifactsfromthepast.Rather, thisisacollectionof Beaches Tel Aviv Museumof Art Diaspora Museum & SHOPPINGGUIDE Possiblythebiggestmajorattractionin Tel Aviv isthelengthystretch PORT EXPLORER Ashdod The museum,alsoknownas BeitHatefutsothdoesn’t ISRAEL Partofanattractivemoderndevelopmentthat continued over © 2009 maps.com New .The is the main attraction for everyone: the religious, the keystone to the Jewish and Muslim faiths and something of an obstacle to � 4 historian and the more casual visitor. Within its walls you will find the holiest peace between the two peoples. Jewish site, the ; the third holiest Muslim site – the Haram ash- Enclosing the sacred rock upon which Abraham Sharif/ Mount, from where Mohammed rose to heaven; and the holy prepared to sacrifice his son and from which, according to Islamic tradition, Christian sites of the trial of Jesus, His crucifixion, burial and resurrection. 13 the Prophet Mohammed launched himself heavenward to take his place , along with the Old City, was under Jordanian control until alongside Allah, the Dome was built between 688 and 691. 12 1967. The Old City has Arab markets, and in East Jerusalem you could be in any modern-day Arab town. The New City is cleaner, more modern and less Western Wall (Wailing Wall) In stark contrast to the gaudy magnificence of 11 exotic. However, here you will find some of Israel’s leading museums, the the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall is nothing more than a bare stone building and most of the city’s Jewish restaurants, cafés wall. However, it still manages to be one of the most captivating places in all 10 and nightlife. of Jerusalem, and indeed Israel.The wall is regarded as the most holy of all Jewish sites. and grew as a place of pilgrimage during the Ottoman period The Old City A bazaar of living history, the Old City is a densely packed where Jews would come to mourn and lament their ancient loss. 9 labyrinth of more than 100 streets, 1,000 shops and stalls, and 3,000 years of Mt. Zion This compact area contains some of the most important sites in 8 human experience. As you walk along the Via Delarosa you are treading on the same paving stones that were there at the time of Christ. Jerusalem, including the possible site of the biblical Last Supper and a less 7 probable Tomb of . Also here is the grave of Oskar Schindler, the man Walls & Gates The walls as they exist today are the legacy of Suleyman the with the list. 6 Great, who oversaw their construction between 1537 and 1542. Gate One of the most impressive structures of Islamic architecture in Jerusalem, Damascus Gate is also the busiest and most Bethlehem was actually well-known long before the arrival of Jesus. Rachel photogenic of the Old City gates. the Matriarch died here and Ruth and Boaz romanced here which, down 3 Herod’s Gate It was just 328 feet (100m) east of this gate that the Crusaders the line, resulted in David, local shepherd and future king of Israel. Despite breached the city walls on July 15, 1099. being the birthplace of Christ, for almost two centuries after his death, 2 Bethlehem was a center of paganism. It wasn’t until May 31, 339 that the St. Stephen’s Gate This is the gate that gives access to the mount of Olives town’s first was dedicated by Queen Helena on the site and Gethsemane, and from their positions on that biblically famed hillside, of the present-day Church of the Nativity, built over the accepted birthplace of paratroopers fought their way in through this gate on June 7, 1967 to Jesus. capture the Old City. Church of the Nativity Built like a citadel over the cave where it’s believed The gate was probably sealed by the in the 7th that Jesus was born, this is one of the world’s oldest working churches.

� century to deny access to the Haram ash-Sharif/ to non- 1� 5 Muslims. A popular alternative theory is that the Muslims sealed it to prevent Milk Grotto Chapel Tradition has it that on their way to the Holy the Jewish Messiah from entering the Haram. Family took shelter at this Franciscan chapel. While Mary was breast-feeding her baby, so the story goes, some of the milk dripped to the floor, causing the PLACES OF INTEREST Presently the smallest of the city’s gates, at one time it was even rock out of which the cavern is built to turn chalky white. more diminutive. The Jordanians widened it during their tenure in the city in (Eretz Y’Israel) Museum This actually consists of 11 town in Jewish hands. Since that time, Jaffa has been extensively renovated order to allow cars through. Bethlehem Museum On Paul VI Street, just from Manger Square and on small museums constructed around an archaeological site, Tel Qasile. and developed as an artists’ quarter, with attendant galleries, craftshops and the north side, this small museum has exhibits of traditional Palestinian crafts 4 This gate had to be punched through to give access to the and costumes. Open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to noon and 2:30 to The museum complex is made up of, among others, a glass museum, a cafés. Franciscan monastery left outside the walls by Suleyman’s architects. ceramics museum, a folk-lore pavilion, a reconstruction of a medieval 5:30 pm, closed Sunday. The Clocktower & Flea Market The Ottoman clocktower, built in 1906 on During the 1948 War Israeli soldiers holding Mt. Zion also tried to burst bazaar, a planetarium and a couple of halls housing temporary exhibitions. . To the west of the clocktower is the Mahmudiya Mosque, which through here in a desperate attempt to relieve the besieged Jewish Quarter. A King David Cinema & King David’s Well On Star Street, about 1/2 mile (.8 Open Sunday to Thursday from 9 am to 2 pm (Wednesday until 6 pm) and was built in 1812. memorial plaque to the fallen is inset within the gate while the bullet-eaten km) north of Manger Square, the King David Cinema presents a film, Jesus, Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm facade gives some indication of how ferocious the fighting must have been. which is a virtual word-for-word dramatization of Luke’s gospel. The three Museum of Antiquities of Tel Aviv-Jagga At 10 Mifraz Street, the Tower One block west of Street is the restored water cisterns in the car outside the cinema are associated with museum was originally a Turkish administrative and detention center, the The actual gate is the small block through which the doglegged imposing bulk of Tel Aviv’s major landmark, the Shalom Tower. The II Samuel which relates the tale of the thirsty David offering the water to 5 building is now home to a display of local archaeological discoveries. pedestrian tunnel passes (the dogleg was to slow down any charging enemy God as a sacrifice. lower floors of the tower are a while higher up are the offices forces) the breach in the wall through which the road now passes was only St. Peter’s Monastery This orange-painted Franciscan church was built above of the Ministry of the Interior. The 30th floor has an observation deck that is made in 1898 in order to permit the visiting Kaiser Wilhelm II and his party Rachel’s Tomb One of ’s most sacred shrines, also revered by a medieval citadel and in later used as a Christian hostelry once visited by great for views of the the city and beyond. Open Sunday to Thursday from to ride with full pomp into the city. Muslims and Christians, this is the tomb of the matriarch Rachel, wife of 9:30 am to 6 pm, Friday from 9:30 am to 2 pm, closed Saturday. Napoleon. Jacob and mother of Benjamin. This is the most modern of all the gates, opened in 1887 by Sultan Simon the Tanner’s House This is the traditional site of the house where the Jaffa Abdul Hamid to allow direct access from the newly built pilgrim hospices to Apostle Peter stayed after restoring Tabitha to life. SHORE EXCURSIONS To make the most of your visit to Ashdod we the holy sites of the Old City’s . The legends of stepping shore from the mouth of the whale and the suggest you take one of our organized Shore Excursions. For information Kedumim Square ’s reconstructed center, ringed by restaurants, spectacle of Peseus circling the harbor on his winged horse Pegasus are Ramparts Walk One of the best ways to see the Old City and its concerning tour content and pricing, consult your Shore Excursion Order clubs and galleries. both connected to Jaffa, a place that lays claim to the title of world’s oldest surroundings is to walk around the top of the walls. The walls are Form or contact the Shore Excursion Desk. When going ashore, be advised working harbor. According to the old testament, the port was founded by Artists’ Area Along Mazal Dagim Street and the intersecting alleyways surprisingly high in parts, and the views across the Old City rooftops are a to take only necessary items and secure any valuables onboard. Japheth, following the flood of his father Noah. The King of the named for the signs of the zodiac. Among the galleries at 4 Mazal Dagim is treat. Such a walk will also enable you to make some kind of sense of the LOCAL CUSTOMS Bartering: Bargaining is not always the fun it is made lost the town in 1468 BC to the Egyptians, whose soldiers made their the Ilana Gur Museum with three floors of modern eclectic pop and ethnic layout of the place. out to be. Mostly limited to Arab markets it can be time-consuming and surprise entry hidden in clay pots. The tides of Islam swept over the port art, created by artists from Israel and abroad. The Citadel (Tower of David) This is one of the country’s most impressive frustrating. The shopkeeper usually attracts your attention and gives you a in the 8th century to be repelled briefly during the time of the Crusader Jerusalem restoration projects and a major museum complex. price three to 10 times above the realistic going rate. If you are genuinely conquests. From that time on, Jaffa remained in Muslim hands until the interested you pull a face and state your offer in a ‘take it or leave it’ manner. British General Allenby drove out the Turks in 1917. Jews had lived there Jerusalem is the highly disputed capital of Israel and possibly one of the most Museum of the History of Jerusalem The museum and its numerous rooms This should be substantially below the amount you are actually willing since at least 1840 and by the end of the century, Jaffa had become a major fascinating and beautiful cities in the world. It is also surely the holiest city contain some impressive dioramas and artifacts, holograms and videos to pay. Whatever, stick to your guns and do not be bullied or cajoled into gateway for boatloads of arriving immigrants. This created conflicts between of all – so many people have attached so much importance to Jerusalem, for employed to a version of the city’s story. paying too much. Turning away from a bargaining session can often cut a the Arab community and the Jews for decades and in 1948 the defeat and so many different and conflicting reasons, and for so many years. Jerusalem Haram ash-Sharif/Temple Mount Dominating not just the Old City but in price in half. subsequent flight of the majority of Jaffa’s Arab population left the ancient can be divided into three parts: the walled Old City, East Jerusalem, and the some ways the whole country, this vast has become a spiritual