Hello, Shalom, Bonjour,
I am Léontine Cohen. I am Israeli.
I work as a licensed tour guide in Jerusalem.
My specialty is the History of Israel.
I speak English, Dutch, French and Hebrew.
Nederlands sprekend. Gids in Israël
Contactez Moi pour des visites en français
Contact Information :
Email: leontineinisrael@gmail.com
Whatsapp : +972 52-754-9422
Jerusalem is my hometown
I will walk with you through the mazes of the old city of Jerusalem, visiting each quarter, travelling through time and enjoying a peaceful stroll.
You will be hearing explanations about the landmarks we see, amazing stories and anecdotes about the holy places and the city major events and historical scars, some of them goes back to more than 5000 years ago.
Step by step, we will be understanding what makes Jerusalem a unique city in the whole world.
Best regards,
Léontine
Understanding our common history in Jerusalem :
I became an official Guide-Interpreter in Israel because my origins are very important to me.
I feel the need to understand the complex history of Israel, to demystify its secrets and to transmit the memory to my guest.
To achieve this goal, I have compose three different tours in Jerusalem.
Please, read more below
My walking tours in Jerusalem
Old City tour
Food tour
Museum tour
- 1 - discover the Old City and its four Quarters
We will discover together all the highlights of the Old City of Jerusalem :
From the Holy Sepulcher, Wailing Wall, Via Dolorosa, to the West Jerusalem with the buzzing covered market and the good smell of the tasty local food !
At your own pace, we will walk and talk about the history, the religions and the actual situation of Israel and Jerusalem in particular.
I live in Jerusalem and we will certainly taste the food specialties that I love, such as the best Humus in the world, with some of the smoothest Tehina, and of course, a Jerusalem bagel and much more surprises along the way !
- 2 - Food Tour
While we discover the four quarters, the Holy Sepulcre, the Wailing Wall, the room of the Last Supper , the Tomb of King David and much more... We will pause and taste some food !
I will be very happy to take you on an authentic food tour of the old city.
I made this video to talk about the Hummus in Israel
I also made other videos that you can see on this link
Let's visit the oldest Food Market called the shuk, taste and sample the different specialties like halva, humus, herbs, Israeli cheeses, olive oil and wines...
All tasty foodies from Israel are here !
Then move on to the Old City where we can taste warm humus, freshly made in front of us and for the adventurous foodies I can bring you to a tiny restaurant where we can taste the local "grilled brains". Fun !
- 3 - Museum tour
It is said that Yad Vashem is the Shoah Memorial of Jerusalem
The name of this impressive museum means "The Memorial to the Name".
A special law was made in the 1950s in order to preserve the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered during World War II.
I will guide you through the museum of Yad Vashem and we will see the different memorials and monuments that are located in the compound.
We will learn about the The Righteous Among the Nations, the Diaspora (the Jews living in Europe before the war) and the terrible destiny of these Jews.
Visit The "Louvre" of Israel
I will guide you through the museum of Israel in Jerusalem. It is possible to combine with Yad Vashem and other different memorials and monuments that are located in the same compound.
We will learn about the The Righteous Among the Nations, the Diaspora (the Jews living in Europe before the war) and the terrible destiny of these Jews.
Thanks to my experience and education as a French National guide, I will be able to show you the impressive art collection.
I call this museum "The Louvre of Israel".
The amazing archeological collection emphasizes on the biblical history of Israel and you will be stunned to see artifacts that we will connect directly with the Old and New testament.
The Shrine of the Book, a memorial to the oldest written biblical text in the world, will bring us to Qumran, a Jewish religious community, living in the Judean desert more than 2000 years ago.
You can visit with the L.A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art, Friends of Zion museum, Bible Lands Museum, Tower of David Museum and many more.
My unique services :
Shabbat Dinner with me
See more of Israel
Kibbutz trip with me
- 1 - Sabbath Dinner
A Jewish tradition in Jerusalem is to invite your friends and family for the traditional Shabbat dinner on Friday evening.
If you are invited to our dinner, make sure you come here hungry ! We will prepare plenty of food for you.
Each family wants to make sure you will leave the dinner table very very full.
The dinner usually begins with songs that welcome and celebrate the joy of receiving the opportunity to celebrate Shabbat.
Then the husband will sing a beautiful song where he thanks his wife for all the hard work she did during the past week.
After the blessing of the wine and bread (unusually homemade) and when the father has blessed his children, you will be served a large variety of salads, followed by soup.
By this time you are already full, but the main dish is to come. Usually at least two different kinds of meats , with many different vegetables.
Then it is time for desert, I should say deserts......yes, several deserts are presented.
The meal will end with prayers and songs.
Jerusalem is built on many mountains, so if you are lucky, when you walk back to your home or hotel you walk downwards. But if not, it is a good opportunity to walk of all the delicious food you just had.
- 2 - More of Israel
Israel has so much to offer !
From the Desert, to the Galilee sea, the country attracts millions of visitors every year.
With me, we can go on a trip and sail on the Sea of Galilee, the largest body of freshwater in the land, and have a swim.
We can travel in the footsteps of Jesus and visit sites that are mentioned in the New Testament such as Nazareth, Beit Saida, Korazim, and many more.
We can also visit the many ancient synagogues and Jewish towns which can be found in the Galilee, as many Jews moved here after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.
In Galilee, we can visit the artist village of Rosh Pina, the Kabalistic town of Safed and we can hike in the oak forests while enjoying the breathtaking views. It is in the Galilee where we can visit some of the minority groups in Israel like the Druze or Circassians.
Again, there exist many other possibilities in the Galilee with natural and historical context.
- 3 - Roundtrip to a Kibbutz
Let's enjoy a peaceful trip to a kibbutz village
We will rent a car and go see a special kibbutz located next to the caves where we found the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The kibbutz is run by Israeli settlers.
There is a shop, BnB rooms, and plenty of desert to walk and reflect.
We will meet the locals and discuss their life in a kibbutz. We can enjoy a dinner with the community in the village only restaurant.
The kibbutz is very comfortable and you can have a room with electricity, AC, heater and a hot shower.
At morning, we can go to the dead sea and enjoy a salty bath to regenerate our body's health and do good to our skin.
We can enjoy a walking tour and then go back home.
Léontine Cohen Writing and Videos
My Blog
Follow me in Jerusalem on the footsteps of the amazing life of the Christian Martyr: Saint Stephen
We can travel in the footsteps of Jesus and visit sites that are mentioned in the New Testament such as Nazareth, Beit Saida, Korazim, and many more.
How bad was the situation in Israel after the World War 1 and the World War? How did the Jewish resistance in Palestine led to the independance of Israel?
In Summary
I am very passionate about Israel and Jerusalem in particular but also about Israel. I never get bored exploring the city and learning about it.
I write about it and I design food tours and shopping tours with excellent local and authentic shops from both origins : arab and jewish in the Old city of Jerusalem so you can have the best experience of the cultural texture of this amazing city !
I am also passionate about Israel History. I write articles about the Jewish Resistance in Israel.
If you have any question, please Feel free to ask me about Jerusalem, your trip to Israel, I will be very happy to help you !
If you wish to visit the Mount Zion, the Mount of Olives or any other sites in Jerusalem, let me know.
I will help you plan your trip to Israel
By Email or Whatsapp. It is Free !
You don't need to book a tour with me to talk about your trip.
It is my real pleasure to help fellow travelers to come visit Israel.
Send me an email to say Hi if you share the same passion about Israel.
Send me a quick email and I will be happy to answer your questions about your trip to Israel after Covid 19
We can talk about the health measures implemented in Israel to protect the visitors, the organisation for a group tour, the museums and restaurants, hotels and kibbutz, airbnb ...
I will keep you up with the latest news directly from Jerusalem where I live now.
Email: leontineinisrael@gmail.com
Whatsapp : +972 52-754-9422
I will be happy to help you organize your trip to Israel efficiently
"Without Jerusalem, the land of Israel is as a body without a soul."