The Model of Second Temple Jerusalem, one of the capital’s best-loved visitor sites, first opened in 1966 on the grounds of a Jerusalem hotel. It was built at the behest of the hotel’s owner, Hans Kroch, in memory of his son Jacob who fell in Israel's War of Independence. But when construction activities around the hotel necessitated the model’s move, the Israel Museum welcomed it, and it was reopened in 2006. The 1:50 model now occupies 21,500 square feet next to the landmark Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest copies of the Hebrew Bible ever found, are displayed. Ancient Jerusalem’s palaces, homes, courtyards, gardens, theater and markets are all there in intricate detail, crowned by the Temple, the spiritual center of the Jewish People and the largest building project in the world of its day. A short film, screened in the new auditorium of the museum’s Dorot Foundation Information and Study Center, highlights the complexities of life in those days and is a companion piece to the Shrine of the Book and the model. The plot follows two fictional friends: one an acolyte of the sect that lived at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, the other a young Jerusalem priest, as each seeks his spiritual path in troubled times. The model’s new setting allows visitors both to circumnavigate it and to view it from above, getting a glimmer of the grandeur of this city, about which the sages said “ten measures of beauty were given to the world; nine were taken by Jerusalem.”
http://www.imj.org.il/

The 6,250-acre Ein Gedi Nature Reserve sits along the Syrian-African Rift, not far from the Dead Sea. The four springs - David, Arugot, Shulamit, and Ein Gedi - are literally the wellspring for a wealth of flora and fauna, providing a stark contrast to the parched desert environment all around. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature considers the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve a nature reserve with worldwide import. Many animals are attracted to Ein Gedi’s water and luxuriant flora. Some are accustomed to the sight of hikers and therefore can be observed from up close. The Nubian ibex, which lives in small herds, was at one time considered an endangered species, but thankfully is now thriving. The reserve also has a significant population of Syrian hyrax. Other large mammals living in the Dead Sea valley are wolf, red fox, Afghan fox, and striped hyena. The Judean Desert has a very small population of leopards, an animal considered threatened in this region. The Ein Gedi area has a wealth of reptiles and birds. Ein Gedi’s plentiful water and hot climate were important assets in growing unusual plants and achieving good crop yields. Historically Ein Gedi’s dates were in high demand and its therapeutic and aromatic plants were renowned. The oldest ruins found in Ein Gedi are from the Chalcolithic period (fourth millenium B.C.E.), when people in Eretz Israel first began to use copper. During this time, a lone temple, cut off from any settlement, was built on a rock facing the Dead Sea, not far from Ein Gedi Spring. During the Byzantine period, the Jewish residents of the area built an ornate synagogue here, on view at the Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park. After the Arab conquest of the area, Ein Gedi was reduced to a small settlement.

Blue in Yafo 6/14/2009 100 year-old Tel Aviv pays tribute to 5,000 year-old Yafo. As part of the city’s centennial celebrations, June’s main event will be dedicated to Yafo, the ancient port city from which Tel Aviv was born. The Blue Festival will take place on June 18-19 at various locations in Yafo. Blue is a cultural celebration that provides a place and stage to Yafo's singular brand of 'Mediterraneanism.' Just like the city itself, the festival is replete with diverse and composite colors, aromas and flavors that together create that special Yafo spirit. The Blue Route – a new tourist attraction that runs along the Tel-Aviv-Yafo coastline, starting in the south at the Yafo Ridge and Yafo Port and continuing on to the Tel Aviv Port in the north. Blue Week- a celebration of cultural, culinary and commercial discounts throughout Yafo. Blue Market - the finest of Yafo's produce all under the roof of a single stand. Jaffa Cinema - The auditorium at the "Nalaga'at" Center will turn into a movie theater during the Blue Festival, featuring a large selection of films in Hebrew and Arabic – for adults and children – dealing with Yafo, Tel Aviv, and other themes.

As you head out to sail on the Sea of Galilee from the pier Tiberias, Genesaret, Capernaum National Park or Ein Gev, the spray refreshes you, gulls wheel overhead, and other “sailors” call out greetings. But the highlight is when your captain cuts the motor and you’re surrounded by landscapes sacred for thousands of years. In your wooden boat, resembling ancient ones, you feel you’ve gone back to a time when people depended on wind and waves for their livelihood and their miracles. Here, Jesus walked on the water (John 6:19-21), calmed a storm (Matt. 8:23-26), and showed the disciples miraculous catches of fish (Luke 5:1-8; John 21:1-6). Many Jewish visitors also take the lake trip, heading out to where tradition says Miriam the Prophetess caused a miraculous spring to appear. Ask your travel planner or hotel staff to make your boat-ride reservation during your Galilee stay.

Tel Aviv is a perfect city for tourists and people who love having fun. It is a bustling city of lights, saturated with a vivacious passion for a life while offering every possible type of evening entertainment. Called the city that never stops, Tel Aviv lives up to this description every day of the week from dawn to dusk and dusk to dawn. Start with a good restaurant by the sea and enjoy a romantic sunset, see a play or musical performance in the evening, watch a movie at midnight, have a drink after the movie, and then go dancing until daybreak and see the sunrise over the rooftops.

On the brink of Tel Aviv 100th anniversary, it is becoming one of the most interesting and attractive cities for tourism in the world Thousands of tourists fill its hotels on the shores of the Mediterranean, many tourists tour the streets of the "white city" to get to know the Bauhaus style, preserved in the city's unique architecture, and youngsters from around the globe come to fit into this vibrant "city that never stops" pastime "scene". Tel Aviv is unique not only because of its tourism gems, but also because it is the first Hebrew city in modern times. This fact is an additional interest to historians, architects, scholars and various researchers. This is added to the interests of a large international business community, which finds a broad anchor for its activities in the city. Rothschild Boulevard, which branches off Herzl Street, invites one to observe a row of houses that combine the Eclectic style with "Bauhaus" style. This tour is like one inside a picture, in an unusual cultural atmosphere, while observing the processes the city went through from those days until today. Many restaurants and coffee shop are scattered along the boulevard, inviting one to sit and enjoy the views in every direction. One of the houses along the boulevard tells the story of the founding of Israel. This is the house of Meir Dizengoff, Tel Aviv's first mayor, which currently houses the Israel Bible Museum. In this house, David Ben Guryon declared the founding of the State of Israel on May 15th 1948. Across the house, at the center of the boulevard, stands a monument commemorating the builders of the city, and next to it - a water fountain

The Jerusalem BiblicalZoo is the most popular Site in Israel.In second place stands Hamat Gader, followed by the Masada National Park. The Zoological Center of Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan and the Caesarea National Park came fourth and fifth The Dun & Bradstreet survey ranking the 100 leading tourist sites in Israel in the volume of visitors determined that the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo is the leading site for 2005. During that year, over 550 thousand tourists visited the zoo. The sap site Hamat Gader takes the second place with around 550 thousand visitors, followed by the Masada National Park with just under 500 thousand visitors. The Zoological Center of Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan comes fourth with around 480 thousand visitors and the Caesarea National Park, with 440 thousand visitors, takes the fifth place. The list of the ten leading tourist sites in Israel also includes the Coral World Underwater Observatory in Eilat at the sixth place with 416 thousand visitors. In seventh comes the Mini Israel site in Latrun with over 408 thousand visitors, followed by Ba-Lagan amusement park in Kibbutz Yagur in eighth place. The Hermon Mountain site only reached ninth place with 350 thousand visitors. The Luna Gal at the Sea of Galilee closes the list of the top ten tourist sites with approximately 350 thousand visitors. The Dun's 100 list ranks Israel's tourist sites by the number of visitors, taking into account the sites where there is an entrance fee. Other popular sites such as the Western Wall and the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa were not included in the survey because entry to these sites is free of charge.