Monday, October 22, 2012

JERUSALEM

BAKERIES, COFFEE, ICE CREAM, JUICE & TEA
Kadosh – 6 Shlomzion HaMalka Street (Center); 011-972-02-625-4210; kadoshcafe.rest-e.co.il; bakery and café.
Kaffee Haus – 37 Via Dolorosa (Old City, at Austrian Hospice); 011-972-02-626-5800; austrianhospice.com; Viennese-style coffees and pastries.



BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
Adom – 4 David Remez (Old City, First Station); 011-972-02-624-6242; gojerusalem.com/discover/premium-item_67/Adom; moderately priced; great bar with good house wine (served by glass at reasonable price); after 10 pm, when Adom becomes bar and gathering point, special menu of half-courses and tapas.
Bar Putin – 19 Jaffo Street (Russian Compound, near Jaffa Gate to Old City); 011-972-5-2431-9695; pays quirky homage to Putin.
Barood – 31 Jaffa Road (New City, through Jerusalem Courtyard, in Feingold House; 011-972-02-625-9081; gojerusalem.com/discover/item_93/Barood; open on Sabbath; authentic, cozy little place with real charm and spirit; party atmosphere starts late Friday afternoons and Saturday nights; sometimes live music; wide range alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks; pleasant Jerusalem Courtyard.
Lion’s Den – 5 Yoel Salomon Street (Center, Mamilla); 011-972-52-870-9993; hagovsportsbar.blogspot.com/; sports bar that airs American professional sports game on flat screen televisions.
Mona – 12 Shmuel HaNagid Street (Center); 011-972-02-622-2283; monas.co.il; great bar.
Shoshana – 7 Yoel Moshe Salomon Street (New City); 011-972-77-559-0201; great bar.
Sira – 4 Ben Sira Street (New City); 011-972-02-623-4366; gojerusalem.com/discover/item_339/Sira.
Uganda – 4 Aristobolus Street; 011-972-02-623-6087; uganda.co.il.



HOTELS
American Colony Hotel – 1 Louis Vincent Street (near Old City, on seam between Palestinian East Jerusalem and Israeli West Jerusalem, at Nablus Road); 011-972-02-627-9777; americancolony.com; converted Pasha’s palace, 10-minute walk from Old City; accommodations in 3 buildings set among gardens; some new loft suites have private balconies and city views.
Austrian Hospice – 37 Via Dolorosa (Old City); 011-972-02-626-5800; austrianhospice.com; affordable with lovely atmosphere.
David Citadel Hotel – 7 King David Street (Center); 011-972-02-621-1111; thedavidcitadel.com; glass-domed lobby of 1998 limestone building facing David Citadel; kosher sushi.
Harmony Hotel – 6 Yoel Moshe Salomon Street (New City); 011-972-02-621-9999; atlas.co.il; beautiful, well-run boutique.
Inbal Jerusalem – 3 Jabotinsky Street (Talbiya, at Liberty Bell Park); 011-972-02-675-6666; inbalhotel.com; perfect-scoring location in former olive grove in Talbieh district; near German Colony.
King David Jerusalem Hotel – 23 King David Street (Center); 011-972-02-620-8888; danhotels.com; stately, 6-story limestone landmark; kingsize beds.
Lutheran Guest House – St. Mark’s Road (Old City); 011-972-02-626-6888; luth-guesthouse-jerusalem.com; most beautiful, atmospheric place to stay in Old City (and perhaps in all Jerusalem); well-run guesthouse occupies restored stone building series with terraced gardens overlooking main bazaar; 4-minute walk from Jaffa Gate; secluded oasis that has breathtaking Dome of Rock views; simply furnished but comfortable; most bathrooms have showers only; call for directions before arrival and arrange baggage porter to meet you.
Mamilla Hotel – 11 King Solomon Street (Center); 011-972-02-548-2200; mamillahotel.com; beautiful design.
Market Courtyard – 30 HaCarmel (across from Mahane Yehuda); 011-972-050-295-3234; marketcourtyard.com; not hotel, not fancy, no breakfast, smallish rooms & bathrooms, but charming, renovated, old Jerusalem building; little off-beaten-track and probably not good for 1st time visitor.



RESTAURANTS
Abu Taher – 16 Al-Lahamin Market (Old City); 011-972-02-627-7893; closes at 3 pm; hummus, etc.
Adom – 31 Jaffa Road (New City, through Jerusalem Courtyard, in Feingold House); 011-972-02-624-6242; gojerusalem.com/discover/premium-item_67/Adom; moderately priced; menu ranges from exquisite to hearty; Jerusalem stone dining rooms are atmospheric and spacious, service friendly, and music carefully chosen; dinner menu varies daily.
Angelica – 7 Shatz (Center, in Montefiore Hotel); 011-972-02-623-0056; angelica.rest- e.co.il; kosher; gnocchi in tomato-tofu sauce.
Arcadia – 10 Simtat Agripass (Givat Ram, on Agripass Alley, in lane between 63 Jaffa Road & 10 Agrippa Street, 2 blocks west of King George Avenue); 011-972-2-624-9138; arcadiarest.com/en/ezra-kedem; considered city’s finest restaurant; little hideaway (reached through little 19th Century pedestrian lane); minimalist decor and dining garden; Chef Ezra Kedem is inventive with food but not flashy; French/Mediterranean menu constantly changes and done with light touch; appetizers include oven-roasted shrimp with citrus sauce and basil flowers, saffron-scented seafood soup, or herbed lamb ravioli on beet-root salad; for main courses, always slow-cooked baby lamb dish; sometimes, pan-sautéed duck livers on warm lentil salad; carefully and simply prepared seafood; fixed-price, 2-course meals worthwhile; be advised that pigeons can make dining under trees in garden fraught with danger.
Azura – 8 Ha’Eshkol Street (Nachlaot, at Machane Yehuda market); 011-972-02-623-5204; legendary budget restaurant, open for over 25 years; Iraqi, Jewish, Kurdish, Levantine, and Turkish dishes, kept warm in huge pans placed on kerosene stoves; try large meatballs in tomato sauce, Sephardi chicken stew, Kubbeh soup (ground meat and semolina dumplings in lemony broth), and mejadra (lentils, onions, rice, and spices); finding place to sit and eat not easy.
Bardak – 38 Keren Hayesod; 011-972-02-587-7795; facebook.com/bardakbardq; beer and pizza.
Barood – 31 Jaffa Road (New City, through Jerusalem Courtyard, in Feingold House); 011-972-02-625-9081; gojerusalem.com/discover/item_93/Barood; open on Sabbath; authentic, cozy little place with real charm and spirit; always-changing daily menu of home-style choices, but Balkan/Sephardic home-style dishes are most interesting.
Canela – 8 Shlomzion HaMalka Street (Center); 011-972-02-622-2293; nela.rest-e.co.il; kosher; excellent middle eastern food.
Chakra – 41 King George Street (Yemin Moshe); 011-972-02-625-2733; chakra-rest.com; sleek, upper-moderate-priced restaurant; inventive and sophisticated; chef-owner Ilan Garousi offers standard menu, as well as 12 nightly, main-course specials; try Bokaharian soup made with chickpeas, lamb-meat dumplings, and sweet-and-sour dried berries or shrimps on grilled figs or lighter-than-air coriander fish kabobs; ambiance is informal but elegant.
Eucalyptus – 14 Hativat Yerushalaim Street (Hutzot Hayotzer Artists’ Colony, near Jaffa Gate to Old City); 011-972-02-624-4331; the-eucalyptus.com; kosher; chef/owner Moshe Basson famous throughout Israel and beyond as “food archaeologist” who reconstructs Jerusalem’s many cultures’ and traditions’ homestyle dishes; discounts at lunch.
Ima – 189 Agrippas Street (New City); 011-972-02-538-5668; imarestaurant.com; Israeli dumplings.
La Guta – 34 Beit Lehem (Baka Quarter); 011-972-02-623-2322; Kosher; mod-Mediterranean makeover of what was once Jerusalem’s stodgiest venues.
Kadosh – 6 Shlomzion HaMalka Street (Center); 011-972-02-625-4210; kadoshcafe.rest-e.co.il; bakery and café.
Karma – 74 Ein Karem (Ein Kerem); 011-972-02-643-6643; karme-rest.com; very nice and worth visit.
Lina Restaurant – Shchunat Hanotzrim Street (Givat Ram, Christian Quarter); 011-972-02-627-7230; itraveljerusalem.com/lina; noted for hummus; Middle Eastern fare.
Little Jerusalem Cafe – 9 HaRav Kuk Street (Givat Ram, near Zion Square, at Ticho House); 011-972-02-624-4186; go-out.com/ticho; kosher and vegetarian food in garden setting at 19th Century House; large hidden oasis, with gardens and terrace cafe set right in downtown West Jerusalem’s center; especially wonderful for outdoor dining in summer; menu features crepes; many come just for desserts; on Saturday evenings, Ticho House offers “Viennese Night,” with wonderful string quartet playing waltzes, and all-you-can-eat buffet (blintzes and Viennese pastries); on Tuesday evenings, live jazz and, in addition to regular menu, cheese-and-wine buffet that includes salad and soup.
Machneyuda – 10 Beit Ya’akov Street (Givat Ram, in Mahane Yehuda market); 011-972-02-533-3442; 2eat.co.il/eng/machne-yuda; Mediterranean; managed & owned by 3 Jerusalem chefs with impressive resumes (Yossi Elad, Asaf Granit, & Uri Navon); menu on huge board daily & based on select ingredients from nearby market stands, in 4 price categories (2 fish & 2 meat dishes and vegetarian dishes in each category); interior on 2 levels, providing dynamic, theatrical view over kitchen and joyous dining experience; small bar looks over kitchen; incredible wine bar with 3 meshuggener chefs who work in open kitchen all at once, creating spectacular contemporary Israeli dishes like shakshuka (eggs baked in tomato sauce) with foie gras.
Mantra Restaurant & Wine Bar – 14 Rivlin Street (Feingold Yard); 011-972-02-624-4994; mantrajerusalem.com; in 120 year-old building.
Masaryk – 31 Emek Refaim Street (German Colony); 011-972-02-563-6418; eluna.com/rest%5Cmasryk.asp?mumu=88; kosher Italian; beloved.
Café Mizrachi – 12 Shezif Street (Mahane Yehuda); 011-972-02-624-2105; machne.co.il/en/category/cafe-mizrachi‎; informal restaurant in market heart; order chopped salad with feta, peppers, onions, and olives and side of house-made hummus.
Mona – 12 Shmuel HaNagid Street (Center); 011-972-02-622-2283; monarest.co.il/mona/en; modern seasonal cooking; cross Artists’ House austere stone hall to get here; another world inside: flagstone floors, open fire in winter, yesteryear artifacts, quirky wall decorations.
Moshiko Felafel – 5 Ben-Yehuda Street (New City); 011-972-50-535-6861; gojerusalem.com/discover/item_24/Moshiko.
Pasha’s – Shim’on Ha’tsadik (East Jerusalem); 011-972-02-582-5162; pashasofjerusalem.com; Palestinian classics are exemplary (baba ghanouj & fattoush).
Pinati – 13 King George Street (Old City); 011-972-02-625-4540; pinati.co.il; middle eastern; hummus.
Rachmo – 5 Ha’Eshkol Street (Nachlaot, at Machane Yehuda market); 011-972-02-623-4595; aricooks.com/tag/rachmo-jerusalem; pre-state institution; serves Iraqi-Jewish-Kurdish soul food since 1930s; in somewhat oddly-shaped corner building, little bit scuffed about edges, dingy; prominent Sephardi rabbi portraits line walls; take tray and wait in line; when get to kitchen window, choose from standard selection (hummus, kubeh soup (and plenty of other soups), goulash, schnitzel, stuffed peppers and grape leaves, steak, etc.; cheap.
Scala – 7 King David Street (Center, at David Citadel Hotel); 011-972-02-621-2030; scala-rest.com; uneven.
Abu Shukri – Al Wad Road (Muslim Quarter, at Via Dolorosa, near Damascas Gate); 011-972-02-627-1538; itraveljerusalem.com/abu-shukri; among city’s best and most affordable restaurants; famous for hummus that is so spectacular that, in more tranquil times, people in Jordan used to send out for it in insulated ice chests and Israelis waited for tables on Saturday afternoons in long lines; this is BYO-everything restaurant, with broken and cracked tables; try hummus with roasted pine nuts and be sure to ask for pita bread served hot (included in price); fresh and spicy felafel; excellent grilled kabobs, shwarma, and kubbe (cracked-wheat, meat-stuffed dumplings); mint tea is good beverage choice.
Sima’s – 82 Agrippas Street (in Mahane Yehuda Market); old stand-by; open late; local legend for Jerusalem Mixed Grill, which comes with french fries, salad, bread & condiments if ordered as platter; often mobbed, so takeout, mixed-grill pita sandwich is good option.
Te’Enim – 12 Emile Botta Street (Old City); 011-972-02-624-0090; teenim.rest-e.co.il; name means “figs”; overlooks Tower of David and Old City ramparts; vegetarian & wide range fish platters; seasonal specials; homemade desserts.



SERVICES
Akasha Well-Being Center – 11 King Solomon Street (Center, at Mamilla Hotel); 011-972-02-548-2222; mamillahotel.com; beautiful design.
David’s Tours of Israel – Tel Aviv; 011-972-052-458-9444; touchisrael.com; archaeologist; fluent in English and Russian; provides sensitive, tailored tours throughout Israel, with special depth of knowledge re Israel’s ancient history.
Yisca Harani – 23 Brodetzki Street (Tel-Aviv); 011-972-052-327-8713; haraniy@bezeqint.net; consultant, lecturer & researcher regarding Christian history in Israel; offers tours, as does her husband; both highly recommended.



SHOPPING
Elia Photo Service – 14 Al-Khanka Street (Old City, Christian Quarter); 011-972-02-628-2074; eliaphoto.com; rare photographs from early Israel and Palestine.
Iwo’s Delicatessen – 7 Shammai Street; 011-972-02-622-2513; iwos.co.il; great delicatessen.



SIGHTS & SITES
al-Aqsa Mosque & Dome of Rock – Temple Mount (Old City, access between Western Wall and Dung Gate); 011-972-02/628-3292 or 011-972-02-628-3313; sacred-destinations.com; 35 acres; known to Muslims as Haram esh-Sharif (“Noble Sanctuary”); al-Aqsa Mosque is at southern end, immediately as you enter area from Western Wall plaza (only gate for non-Muslims); 3rd in holiness for Muslims everywhere.
Chords Bridge – West Jerusalem (between Kiryat Moshe area and Central Bus Station City); en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_Chords_Bridge#External_links; also called “Bridge of Strings”; Calatrava design; evokes harp; automobile, foot, and rail traffic.
Church of Holy Sepulchre – Suq Khan e-Zeit and Christian Quarter Road (Old City); 011-972-02-627-3314; sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-church-of-holy-sepulchre.
German Colony – southern Jerusalem; also called Hamoshava Hagermanit and/or Moshava; historic, upscale neighborhood known for cafes and restaurants; walking tour: from HaPaamon Garden choose right fork (Bethlehem Street, Derech Beit Lehem); pass near Khan Theatre (2 David Remez Square) and continue about 350' to stop at Train Station (where city’s 1st train arrived), then return to Khan; continue walking few more meters until arrive at junction, where turn right to arrive at St. Andrew’s Church (1 David Remez Street), built as memorial to Scottish soldiers in British army who fell during WWI, with cornerstone laid by General Allenby (commander over Israel’s conquest in WWI from Ottomans) and sepulchers from 1st Temple Period found beneath church, then return to junction and turn left, onto Emek Refaim Street; sights include Gemeindehaus (communal hall located at 1 Emek Refaim Street: Templar movement, as founded in South Germany during 19th Century’s 1st half by Christoph Hoffmann, required Christian Holy Land presence, this building, founded in 1882, served for Sunday prayers and sermons, but community members did not call it “church,” and thus it hosted performances and meetings, with architecture unlike that of any conventional church), School (4-5 Emek Refaim Street), Matthaus Frank House (6 Emek Refaim Street, also called “Miller House”), Templar Pub (7 Emek Refaim Street), Pension Schmidt (8 Emek Refaim Street), Zendler House (9 Emek Refaim Street, note at gable end, lion figurine, Zendler Family’s pharmacy symbol), Friedrich Eberle House (10 Emek Refaim Street, once among colony’s most elegant houses); now, turn left onto Lloyd George Street, where 1st stops are Lev Smadar Theater (formerly Orient Cinema, 4 Lloyd George Street, designed by Bauerle’s son), and Bauerle House (6 Lloyd George Street, Gottlieb Bauerle’s home, he being 2nd generation Templar and his house built during British Mandate); next are Fast House (8-10 Lloyd George Street), and Borromean Sisters Convent (12 Lloyd George Street, behind low wall in front you is spacious compound that includes church, elderly home, and school belonging to German-Catholic Borromean Sisters’ order, which order named after Charles Borromeo who established, during this nursing order during 16th Century plague epidemic); next, return to Emek Refaim Street, where see Imberger House (at 16 Emek Refaim Street) and Templar Cemetery (39 Emek Refaim Street, where afore-mentioned Christoph Hoffmann buried); short walk back to HaPaamon Garden; one other sight worth seeing is Shalom Hartman Institute (at 11 Gedalyahu Alon Street).
City of David – Shiloach Village; 011-972-02-626-2341; cityofdavid.org.il/en; oldest settled Jerusalem neighborhood; walled city in Bronze Age; archaeological park.
Good Samaritan Museum of Mosaics – Route 1 (Maaleh Adumim, halfway between Jericho & Jerusalem); 011-972-02-633–8230; parks.org.il; about 2K years ago, thieves ambushed traveler on Jericho-Jerusalem road; passing Samaritan was only person to help him, taking him to nearby inn (Luke 10); museum in restored Ottoman inn on this route; extensive, intricate mosaic collection; ask to see silent film about parable dating from 1920s, filmed on same arid hills that stretch for miles from museum; if energetic, drive over bridge that crosses highway and climb dirt track to hilltop; scanty, small 12th Century Crusader fort ruins.
Hadassah Medical Center – Kiryat Hadassah (Ein Karem, in Abbell Synagogue); 011-972-2-677-7111; hadassah-med.com; go to see Chagall windows; Bible is primary inspiration, particularly Jacob’s & Moses’ blessings; each window dominated by specific color & contains blessing quotation; Chagall & assistant, Charles Marq, worked on project for 2 years, during which time Marq developed special process for applying color to glass, allowing Chagall to use as many as 3 colors on single pane, rather than being confined to traditional technique of separating each colored pane by lead strip.
Hezekiah’s Tunnel – Hashiloah Road (City of David, Kidron Valley); 011-972-02-626-2341; cityofdavid.org.il; wade through dark, 2.7K year-old tunnel with gushing water; Indiana Jones experience; built about 701 BCE as aqueduct leading from Gihon Spring to Siloam Pool; bring flashlight.
Hurva Synagogue – Hurva Square (Old City, Jewish Quarter); 011-972-02-626-5900, xtn 102 (for guided tours); rova-yehudi.org.il/en; recently renovated.
Israel Museum – 10 Derekh Ruppin Street (Givat Ram, on Museum Plaza); 011-972-02-670-8811; english.imjnet.org.il/htmls/home.aspx; Israel’s largest cultural museum; in addition to Dead Sea Scrolls, large model of Jerusalem during Second Temple Period; 3-4 reconstructed synagogues.
Jerusalem Archaeological Park – Dung Gate (Western Wall); 011-972-02-627-7962 or 011-972-02-627-7550; archpark.org.il; often referred to as Southern & Western Wall Excavations, or Ophel; most dramatic and monumental finds are from Herodian period (late 1st Century BCE); can see, for example, square-cut building stones from original Herodian Temple wall, dramatically evidencing 70 CE Roman destruction; also, modern spiral staircase descends below present ground level to partially reconstructed, Byzantine dwelling labyrinth, mosaics and all; from here can reemerge outside present city walls; Davidson Visitors Center (on your right as you enter site) offers visual aids, some artifacts & 2 interesting videos (which continuously alternate between English and Hebrew).
Lutheran Church of Redeemer – 24 Muristan Road (Old City, northeast corner Christian Corner & Muristan); 011-972-02-627-6111; evangelisch-in-jerusalem.org/english; among its most interesting features is on medieval northern gate’s original sculpture; door decorated with Zodiac signs and well-worn month symbols (January symbol at bottom left and at top center are sun (half-figure with disc above his head) and moon (female with crescent) beween June and July, August symbol, thresher, is in best shape; October is man with cask); church houses 4 Lutheran congregations speaking 4 different languages: Arabic, German, English, and Danish; 12th Century cloisters, with 2 gallery tiers, and refectory are on south side; climb 177 steps up bell tower, tallest in vicinity, for fine view over Holy Sepulchre Church and as far as Olives and Zion Mounts.
Mahane Yehuda Market – bounded in part by Agrippas Street & Jaffa Road; machne.co.il/en; bounded by Jaffa Road to north, Agrippas Street to south, Beit Yaakov Street to west, and Kiach Street to east; also called Shuk.
Mount Herzl Military Cemetery – 1 Herzl Boulevard (Mount Herzl); 011-972-02-632-1525; graves of Israeli Prime Ministers (Meir, Rabin, etc.), as well as soldiers who fell defending Jerusalem in 1948 War; more like park.
Mount of Olives – Old City; world-famous Jewish cemetery (Menachem Begin buried here) on southern and western slopes; Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Garden of Gethsemane, and other sacred places; view from Mount’s Seven Arches Hotel encompasses Old City walls, detailed mosque domes, church towers, modern buildings, and Judaean Desert’s barren hills.
Museum on Seam – 4 Chel Handasa Street (bordering Mea Shearim & Old City); 011-972-02-628-1278; coexistence.art.museum; old Turkish-era mansion, later fortress, still later Israeli command post during 1948 War of Independence (until 1967); now museum intended to establish coexistence, dialogue, and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians, using art exhibits, lectures, and state-of-art media displays.
Old City – 4 uneven quarters in City Center: Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim; jerusalem-oldcity.org.il/english.aspx; .35 sq mi) walled area; until 1860, when Mishkenot Sha’ananim neighborhood established, this area constituted city’s entirety; following 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Jordan occupied Old City, evicting Jewish residents; during Six Day War in 1967 (which saw hand-to-hand fighting on Temple Mount), Israel reunified Old City alongside East Jerusalem’s remainder; UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1981; in 2010, Jerusalem’s oldest writing fragment found outside Old City’s walls; Western Wall, Church of Holy Sepulcher, and Temple Mount with (Dome of Rock); walk stations of cross; stroll souks in narrow cobble-stoned alleys.
Ramban Synagogue – Amaziah 4th Street, Bet El and Misherot Hakehuna (Old City, at HaYehudim Street & main square corner); 011-972-52-862-2321; ramban.org.il; oldest active Jerusalem synagogue.
Ramparts Walk – Jaffa Gate (Old City); 011-972-02-627-7550; jerusalem-oldcity.org.il/pages_e/Ramparts_Walk_Southern_Section.aspx; ancient Jerusalem stone catwalk atop Old City walls; walk, at least, from Tower of David to Jewish Quarter, and from Damascus to Jaffa Gates; offers unique perspective; fee.
Russian Library – 88 Agrippas Street; 011-972-02-537-5723; many of 100K books donated by immigrants: classics by Tolstoy, Communist Party records from 1930s, stories translated to Russian from Yiddish, volumes of Russian Jewish newspapers, and mementos.
St. Stephen’s Monastery (École Biblique) – 6 Nablus Road; 011-972-02-626-4468; ebaf.edu; located along ancient road to Damascus, approximately .25 mile outside Old City walls; modern Dominican monastery and French School for Biblical Archaeology; modern complex built on former Byzantine monastic compound constructed by Empress Eudocia in 438 CE; upon entering compound, visitor immediately struck by quiet; 1st Christian martyr Stephen buried here.
Supreme Court of Israel – Sha’arei Mishpat Street; 011-972-02-675-9612; court.gov.il; eclectic, postmodern complex constructed of local limestone; incorporates numerous Jewish historical elements (courtrooms replicate Talmudic synagogues and formal entrance area Pyramid is 2nd Temple architectural representation); guided tours in English.
Ticho House – 9 HaRav Kuk Street (Givat Ram, near Zion Square); 011-972-02-624-4186; go-out.com/ticho; among 1st houses built outside Old City walls; oasis worth making special trip.
Tisch Family Zoological Gardens (Jerusalem Biblical Zoo) – Manahat (Malcha); 011-972-02-675-0111; jerusalemzoo.org.il; Old Testament-themed zoo showcasing near-extinct and endangered species native to region.
Tower of David Museum – Jaffa Gate (Old City); 011-972-02-626-5333; towerofdavid.org.il; restored citadel housing extensive museum; traces 4K years city history.
Vertigo Dance Company – 11 Bezalel Street (Gerared Behar Center); 011-972-02-624-4176; vertigo.org.il; Jerusalem-based dance company for over 20 years; choreographer-founder Noa Wertheim.
Western Wall Tunnels – 2 HaOmer Street (Old City); 011-972-02-627-1333; english.thekotel.org; located under Old City (open-air portion approximately 200' l, majority underground); allows access to additional 1.6' of wall.
Wohl Archaeology Museum – 1 HaKaraim Street (Old City); 011-972-02-628-3448; ilmuseums.com/museum_eng.asp?id=18; Jewish Quarter's most visually interesting site: sumptuous mansions from late Second Temple period, preserved in basement of modern Jewish seminary; geometrically-patterned mosaic floors, still-vibrant frescoes, and costly ceramics & glassware; several small stone cisterns identified as private mikvehs (Jewish ritual baths); holograms depict their use; large stone water jars just like those described in New Testament (John 2, Cana wedding); rare stone tables resemble dining-room furniture depicted in Roman stone reliefs found in Europe.
Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum – Ein Kerem; 011-972-02-644-3600; yadvashem.org; swooping triangular tube jutting nearly 600' through Mount of Remembrance, capped by 30' conical structure covered with pictures of 600 Holocaust victims.

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