Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

A view from the Malkiya Overlook. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

September 17, 2023, 9:16 am

A land with a view: Visit these scenic Israeli overlooks featuring audio guides

Scattered throughout the country’s mountains and hills are hundreds of lookout points with histories both modern and ancient. Here are just a few of them

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

A multimedia production in Zedekiah's Cave in Jerusalem, August 2023. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

August 19, 2023, 10:03 am

Go ‘back to the future’ of ancient Jerusalem with these high-tech history exhibits

This summer, enjoy a wide array of cutting-edge interactive and multimedia displays highlighting the capital’s current beauty and colorful past

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

Steve Gray, a member of Kibbutz Hanaton, stands in an ancient mikveh moved to the kibbutz. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

August 12, 2023, 7:46 am

Immerse yourself in the Holy Land’s history by visiting these ancient ritual baths

Essential to Jewish religious life, mikvehs can be found throughout Israel — and some tell captivating tales of life millennia ago

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

A view of Jerusalem from the rooftop of the Christian Information Center. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

August 5, 2023, 8:27 am

Explore these stunning panoramic views of Jerusalem – and the histories behind them

The Holy City’s characteristic rolling hills make for a veritable wonderland of overlooks, rendered even more spectacular by the towering belfries and balconies visitors can climb

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

In Sussita, a marble pillar lies next to a platform that likely once held a statue donated by a prosperous couple who moved to Caesarea. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

May 13, 2023, 12:18 pm

Revamped as a national park, ancient Sussita’s rich history is even more accessible

Settled 2,200 years ago and razed in an earthquake in 740 CE, the Golan Heights site changed hands numerous times over the years. It is now easier to reach for intrepid visitors

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

A monument at the Golani Museum, west of Tiberias. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

April 22, 2023, 8:24 am

For Memorial Day, tales of heroism and sacrifice, and the places that honor them

The stories of some of the 40 Israelis to have been awarded the military’s Medal of Valor, and of the battles in which they defended the state

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

Walking the Cedar Trail in the Jerusalem Forest. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

April 12, 2023, 9:35 am

Enjoy Jerusalem’s Cedar Trail, now serene and picturesque site of historical battles

Located in the heart of the Jerusalem forest, the scenic area is replete with trenches and ancient dovecotes marking its history from the times of King David to David Ben-Gurion

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

A memorial dedicated to the Jewish boatmen lost at sea during World War II in North Tel Aviv. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

February 25, 2023, 9:05 am

Hundreds of Jewish fighters were lost at sea in WWII. Here’s how Israel honors them

560 warriors from Mandate Palestine who fought with the British against Axis powers are still missing. While a nonprofit searches for them, Israelis dedicate a day to their memory

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

A new wing at Jerusalem's Edward and Helen Mardigian Armenian Museum. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

November 19, 2022, 9:34 am

Visit the Old City monastery that holds Jerusalem’s 1,700-year-old Armenian history

A new museum at the Armenian Monastery offers displays of stunning mosaics and artworks, artifacts and architecture, going back to Armenia’s 4th-century roots in the Holy Land

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

Panoramic view of Tel Gezer national park. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

November 12, 2022, 6:38 am

Tour the well-fortified Tel Gezer, the biblical Canaanite holdout that wouldn’t fall

One of the rare sites with written evidence matching it to its Bible location, the massive 32-acre park is free for all and boasts layers of history down to King Solomon’s time

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

Giving a Face to the Fallen founder Dorit Perry visits the grave of Moshe Wilinger. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

October 29, 2022, 9:22 am

Formerly faceless, these fallen soldiers can now be visited – in person or virtually

Thanks to a nonprofit, hundreds of virtually anonymous heroes who died in the Holy Land in 1948 and prior have been identified. Their stories and photos now preserve their memories

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

An undated photo of the Notre Dame guest house, convent, and church, located just outside Jerusalem's Old City. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

October 8, 2022, 9:57 am

The night time is the right time for enchanting Jerusalem Lights Tour

The Holy City’s famed golden stones glow as dozens of the city’s historical sites are lit up at night. Through December, an illuminating guided bus tour tells their stories

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

In this undated photo, Dr. Einat Ambar-Armon, from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), talks about the site at Usha. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

August 27, 2022, 8:05 am

Explore the nearly 2,000-year-old Jewish metropolis of Usha in the western Galilee

Remains of the city founded by rabbis fleeing Roman persecution in Judea were recently uncovered, revealing roads, stunning mosaic floors, ritual baths and oil and wine presses

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

A pharmacist is part of the lifelike exhibit on Artisans' Way in Rishon Lezion. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

August 20, 2022, 6:54 am

In unassuming Rishon Lezion, a treasure trove of Israeli history comes alive

With museums boasting lifelike reproductions of life in the olden days and a seemingly endless number of historically significant sites, one of Israel’s oldest towns is a must-see

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

Modern-day photo of the Old City apartment above the Cotton Market that Eliezer and Dvora Ben-Yehuda once lived in. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

July 30, 2022, 8:08 am

If these walls could speak: Hebrew pioneer Ben-Yehuda’s legacy lives on in Jerusalem

The capital is rich with historical sites marking the life and work of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and his family, who toiled to give the nascent Jewish state a language of its own

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am