ABOUT

Most of all I am a guide of stories. I picked them up. A lot from my grandmother Simi who was an exceptional woman for her time who told me stories in Hebrew spiced with Spaniel. At the age of 24 I worked for five years as a salesman for photocopiers in what was then called the “West Bank.” Days passed from morning to night in Jericho and Bethlehem, Hebron and Nablus and of course in East Jerusalem so I discovered the wonderful stories of Arab culture. Our Arab neighbors have a wonderful sense of humor, and it is a shame that in the heat of the conflict most of us do not know Juha, Abu Nawas, Karakuz and Hajiouw, who star in their stories.

I also like to look for magical corners. There are many in this country. And interesting – a magical corner is a matter of both day and hour. The rooftops above the market in the magical Old City in the morning when the market under you opens and the boys cook morning coffee for the merchants. The garden of St. Andrew’s Inn is wonderful with beer at sunset in the summer but also with hot chocolate in its height in the winter from the lobby that often hosted Lawrence of Arabia. The incredible structure of Augusta Victoria that hosted Whiston Churchill in 1927 is amazing in the snow and the most amazing balcony in this Mediterranean basin of the sculptor Ilana Goor in Jaffa should be visited in the early afternoon when you can almost see Cyprus and a wonderful wind blowing from the sea.

I am a graduate of the Hebrew University and specialize in history and international relations. I have a special interest in Muslim periods (early and late). They controlled this country more than any other occupier and left behind a lot. Architecture, culture and even the food we eat.