Under the Subject:
Surf
In this section, you’ll find information to enhance your understanding of Israel, Judaism and her people through websites based on the people, places and things of interest to the region and its relations with broader aspects to the world. See the agencies which operate in Israel and the support groups which help her. Take an armchair traveler’s look at some of the sites of Israel, as seen through web sites of people who want to keep you in the loop and in the know. Expand your practical knowledge and your spiritual mind as you delve beneath the surface, emerging with an enhanced appreciation for all things Israel. Check the sidebar under the subject: “Surf” for more behind-the-scenes looks.
Hebrew:
Learning beforehand the language of the country you plan to visit can help to enhance the experience you will encounter while there.
Hebrew is both the modern and ancient language of the Jewish people. Hebrew is written and read from right-to-left. Its alphabet consists of twenty-two letters, along with ten vowels (nikkud), which are a series of dots and lines which can appear within, beneath, above, or beside each corresponding letter. The vowels are usually seen in later versions of the Torah, although they are not used in most other printed matter. The Hebrew alphabet uses two different scripts — one for printed text, such as in newspapers, magazines, and the Torah; the other is used for handwritten effects, such as letters of correspondence, etc. Several of the Hebrew letters take a different format when they appear at the end (“Sof,” in Hebrew, means “end”; the term for the final-end form of a particular letter uses the given name of that letter, plus the term “Sofit” added to it). A few letters take different sounds, depending upon placement of a dot within its center, but they are still counted as a singular letter within the alphabet. The name given in Israel for a class for non-Hebrew speakers learning the language in-country is known as “Ulpan”.
Here is a very good primer from Hebrewpod101 to learn to read and write the Hebrew alphabet:
(https://youtu.be/sEuRdbtQNYE)
Hostels:
Hostels are budget-suitable accommodations built in mind for travelling youth, individuals, and even families, looking for economical arrangements with their own, unique amenities to offer, as well. Some might offer communal living in dormitory style rooms with bunkbeds, and singular kitchen and bathroom facilities for all, while others might offer private rooms, or larger group facilities.
Israel’s hostel program, the Israel Youth Hostels Association, was established in 1937 under the government’s Ministry of Education portfolio, and it is an active member of the Hostelling International global network of some 4,000 hostels operating in over 60 countries.
Israel Youth Hostels Association:
Kibbutzim:
Israeli kibbutzim are a unique phenomena pegged to an idealistic vision of an egalitarian society built on equality of rights, equivalent distribution of labor, and the collective outlook of a society’s members working together for the good of all. This is known as the Socialistic society, which Israel saw as its way to combine the contributive endeavors of all to the shared societal growth and concerns of the whole. The method undertaken helped to establish a strong society of industry, labor, agronomy, and governance for the fledgling growth in the re-establishment of a booming nation for the Jewish state. These societies are still found in collective establishments dotted throughout Israel, in combination with the burgeoning free-market society engulfing the overall country, as a whole. Here, people still live as active participants of their societal enclave, working either within or without its bounds. Many have established guest hotels, where you’ll mingle with other guests and kibbutzim members (Kibbutzim being the plural of Kibbutz).
Kibbutz Hotel Chains:
Tour Operators:
Marty Friedlander:
martytours@gmail.com
http://www.haaretz.com/misc/writers/marty-friedlander-1.491453
http://www.tours.com/tour_operators/ami-travel.htm
Go to where it says website, and click that link which says: http://www.amitravel.com, which will then bring you to the AMI Travel homesite at http://www.amitravel.com/Home
Friendly tour-guides with wide-ranging options: overnights, made-to-orders, more!
http://shalomisraeltours.com – Mobility-friendly, winery tours, Kibbutz hotels, more!
Travel Tips:
General:
gamintraveler(dot)com – Ruben Arribas’s travel blog, Gamin Traveler, has great information for travelers, and this post hits up all the best ideas for shoestring-budget ways to get around, practically free.
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