Jerusalem Jewish Orthodox Neighborhood Walking Tour
Description
Explore the Orthodox Jewish quarter of Jerusalem, on a 3-hour walking tour. Led by a knowledgeable guide, the tour offers a fascinating insight into the life and culture of the city’s Haredi Jews. Visit the places integral to their way of life such as an active synagogue, bakery and community center. Sample traditional Jewish pastries and bread, admire ancient artifacts in a local library, and learn all about the role of the religious community in modern Israeli society.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Davidka Square is a historic public square located in the heart of Jerusalem, Israel. It is named after the Davidka, a homemade mortar used by Jewish forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The square is surrounded by notable landmarks, including the Mahane Yehuda Market, the Jaffa Road pedestrian mall, and the Jerusalem light rail station. Today, the square serves as a bustling transportation hub and a popular gathering place for locals and tourists alike.
Our Meet the Ultra-Orthodox Jews Tour is designed to give you a glimpse into the rich cultural and religious identity of the Ultra-Orthodox Jews, better known as Haredim or “God fearers,” living in Jerusalem. We will visit a traditional neighborhood, which isn’t typically visited by tourists, giving you the opportunity to remove the veil of a culture that most people have only observed from the outside. The tour is guided by a member of the local Ultra Orthodox Community, who will take you for a walk around the streets of a nearby Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood. Along the way, your guide will point out many significant religious symbols, customs and sites. You will also be shown places such as a book store, music store, restaurant, typical bakery, clothes shop, synagogue, Yeshiva and more to get an insight into. Note that some of these places won’t be possible to enter as it’s forbidden by the local community, so you’ll get a glimpse from the outside with explanations from you guide.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Modest dress code is required for both men and women
Reviews(21)
I had a tour booked for today, 9th February, at 4:30pm leaving from Abraham Jerusalem, at Davidka Square. I showed up at the place and nobody appeared. I wrote to the company with no avail; nobody explained what happened? The person at the reception desk of where used to be Abraham Jerusalem Hostel, where it should be the starting point (it is not the same hostel anymore, and they say nothing in the website!) said she knew of no tour leaving from there! No tour. No explanation. I want the refund of the money paid!
I was expecting a real immersion in the Israeli Orthodox Jewish world and this excursion did not meet my expectations. The guide is a former member of the Orthodox community, so his explanations are turned in a negative way towards this community, without real objectivity. We did not interact with members of the community, the only visit to a business was in a bookstore. Does not correspond to people who know the Jewish world because they will learn nothing, and those who know nothing about it will come away with a negative vision of this community which is nevertheless fascinating.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your experience with Abraham Tours. We sincerely apologize that your tour did not meet your expectations and appreciate your honest input. We understand that you were seeking a genuine immersion into the world of Orthodox Judaism in Israel, and we regret to hear that the guide's perspective did not align with your expectations. Our guide in this tour is a former member of the Ultra-Orthodox community and tells his personal story from his perspective. We believe that by being exposed to variety of perspectives our travelers can learn and we encourage our travelers to raise complex questions as well. If you would be open to sharing more details about your tour, such as the date and specific locations visited, it would greatly assist us. Please feel free to reach out to our customer service team so that we can address your concerns more effectively. Once again, we apologize for any disappointment you may have experienced and appreciate your valuable feedback as it helps us continually improve our services. Best regards,
This is an amazing tour! Motti was very good in explaining everything about the Haredim and answered to any questions we had. He is extremely knowledgeable and even brought us to experience one of the best Jewish food in the neighbourhood. I highly recommend it, this is a must go tour if you’re interested in the Jewish culture. Very informative and I’ve learned a lot.
Dear Sergio, Thank you for your enthusiastic review! We're delighted to hear that you had an amazing experience on our tour. We greatly appreciate your recommendation and agree that this tour is indeed a must-go for those interested in Jewish culture. We're thrilled that you found the tour highly informative and left with valuable insights. Thank you for choosing our tour, and we hope to welcome you back for more enriching experiences in the future. Best regards,
How do I begin....Just to some it up, the tour is done by a man who was born and bred in Mear Sharim but is completely anti everything the neighborhood stands for and is secular. He describes the Jews in this neighborhood as radical and brings mostly negative views about them. Didn't enjoy it. I'm glad we accidentally lost the tour and enjoyed just walking thru and speaking to the locals ourselves for over an hour who were really kind and friendly, not radical at all. Chaya and Eli
Although our walk around the Orthodox area was pleasant, and our guide quite interesting, this tour was not at all what was advertised. It was more like a lecture 'on the hoof' and the only places we stopped were in a small bookshop and also a store selling religious clothing. We did not : Visit a working synagogue See a community center and a soup kitchen Meet a Haredi family in their own home to learn about their culture Step inside a bakery to sample Jewish pastries and bread or Browse ancient Jewish artifacts inside a local library i queried the length of the tour, and it is 2 1/2 hours, not 4 ( which was fine for us)
I found the tour good though I found the explanations of the guide were more important and enlightening than the walk through the neighborhood. The main streets are with few people and nothing different from what I saw in the streets of other neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Also we did not enter the neighborhood considered more orthodox since the guide said that sometimes they could be violent.
This tour was extremely interesting. The tour guide was extremely knowledgable, interesting and funny. We learned a lot and really enjoyed it.
We came to Israel for our honeymoon and we’ve been doing several tours here so far and this was one of the best tours we did in Israel! Motti was sincere, fun, and informative!! He was in the society and that’s why he was able to explain with so much details. It was very interesting and I think we learned a lot about Jewish society in the most interesting way!! Thank you so much for offering this tour, it is unforgettable!!!!
Guide was knowledgeable and have an interesting, fair and balanced view of this segment of current Israeli society
Very interesting tour of the ultra orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Jerusalem by Mordechai ‘Motti’ who was a former Haredi Ultra orthodox member himself. Very informative and entertaining. The tour took us deep into the heart of the community over nearly three hours and we were fascinated. This tour is highly recommended.
