Tour Guide in Jerusalem
I am Léontine Cohen,
I am an Israeli Tour Guide
I was born Dutch (Klik hier : nederlands sprekend. gids in Israël)
I live in Paris and I speak also French :
Contactez Moi pour parler en français de mes visites.
Above all : I am a Licensed Tour Guide in Jerusalem !
I design and curate fascinating tours of the Old City with the four quarters :
Holy Sepulcher, Wailing Wall, Via Dolorosa, as well as West Jerusalem with the buzzing market and local food areas.
I will explain everything about the history, the religions and the political situation and we will certainly taste the local specialties such as the best humus in the world, the tehina, a Jerusalem bagel and much more surprises !
Feel free to ask me about Jerusalem, or your trip to Israel, I will be very happy to help !
If you wish to visit the Mount Zion, the Mount of Olives or any other sites in Jerusalem, let me know.
Email: leontineinisrael@gmail.com
Whatsapp : +972 52-754-9422
1. Jerusalem Old City Guided Tour – 4 hours
We will visit 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 discover some hidden places and secrets of Jerusalem
During the walk, I will explain the history and the mysteries of every Sacred place, its origin and its religion.
Jerusalem is not a big city, it is possible to discover all the different neighborhoods : We will begin by the West Jerusalem and learn about the development of the city from the 1860-s until today.
Then, I will take you by the tiny Jewish neighborhoods with their different origins and histories, through the Christian German Colony, admire the Arab neighborhood of Talbiya and visit the small Garden City Rehavia.
We will discover the different architectures, from Middle Eastern style to International Style and I will bring to life the different people who made Jerusalem what it is today.
2. Jerusalem food tour – 2 hours
Visit the shuk, taste and sample the different specialties like halva, humus, herbs, Israeli cheeses, olive oil and wines.
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 grilled brains.
3. The Yad Vashem guided tour – 2 hours
( 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.
5. Israel Museum guided tour
( The Louvre of Israel )
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.
Other museums I can guide you and highly recommend:
L.A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art, Friends of Zion museum, Bible Lands Museum, Tower of David Museum and many more.
I curate only for private groups, up to 6 people maximum to keep the high quality of my tours.
6. Shabbat in Jerusalem
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 such a dinner, make sure you go there hungry !
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.
Email: leontineinisrael@gmail.com
4. Assistance by email and Chat
As your Jerusalem Expert, I offer free help and booking services if you wish by email and whatsapp.
Email: leontineinisrael@gmail.com
If you have any question or need recommendations, feel free to contact me
A little about me …
I speak English, French , Dutch and Hebrew
” Shalom ” ” Salaam Aleikum ” “Hi”
Speaking Hebrew is a must in Israel, but Arabic and English too.
It is very important to learn a few basic words in Hebrew and Arabic, the locals will love it when you greet, thank of say yes/no to them in their local language.
But English is of great help if you get confused.
I am always happy to write down a few words that come in handy when you stroll through Jerusalem without me.
I will always provide you with a nice map and when we say goodbye to each other at the end of the day, not only will I have written on your map what places to go and visit on your own, where to have dinner, but I will also write a few important words for you in Hebrew and Arabic.
Like “Lé-it ra-ot ” , goodbye.
Dutch
I was born and raised in Holland.
After high school, I studied to become a social worker and worked one year for the social services of the city of Amsterdam.
Paris
I moved to Paris to study Art and History, I fell in love with the city and eventually moved to Paris.
The beauty of France, the esthetics of Paris, the amazing choice of museums, the elegant food; everything was just a joy and a treat.
The Jewish Walking Tour in Paris – with my daughter Flora Goldenberg
Guiding in Israel is completely different. Here history has a meaning for the world, for Christians, Jews, Muslims but also for atheists.
I find that when I am guiding tourists who have never been in Israel, it is the most rewarding job you can think of.
Suddenly they see, feel, understand their own history. Things they learned but never understood become suddenly crystal clear for them.
Léontine on a Guided Tour in Paris
At the end of the day, when I say goodbye to them, I go home with a feeling of accomplishment and I am always proud to have contributed to a fulfilling day.
I enrolled in the Tour Guide school of Paris and started working in the best profession one can imagine: I became a licensed tour guide.
I have worked with great pleasure as a guide in France and have met so many people, developed so many new tours… it was an amazing period in my life.
Then, my Jewish roots pulled me back to Israel .
I am now proud to be a licensed tour guide in Israel and I learned to speak Hebrew.
The only job I could imagine doing in Israel was of course being a Tour Guide, so I enrolled in the Tour Guide school in Jerusalem, and…..here I am, ready to guide you with love and enthusiasm in this amazing country.
Like in France, I want to show you the beauty of this country, tell you the long history, share my passion with you.
“When I worked in Paris and designed the famed Jewish quarter tour in Paris”
I trained my daughter Flora Goldenberg to be one of the best tour guides.
You can check her website : jewish-paris-tours.com
She is curating one of my famous tours in Paris : the Jewish Walking tour that I designed with her to show visitors the Jewish heritage of Paris
And sometimes, when I go back to Paris to visit her, I do the tour to help her.
Shoah Memorial in Paris with Léontine as a Tour Guide in Paris
But, Jerusalem is, by far, my favorite City !
Jerusalem has endless possibilities of visits with of course the Old City and its four quarters: Jewish, Armenian, Christian and Muslim.
Private Guide Jerusalem – Léontine 
Private Guide Jerusalem – Léontine 
Private Guide Jerusalem – Léontine 
Private Guide Jerusalem – Léontine 
Private Guide Jerusalem – Léontine 
Private Guide Jerusalem – Léontine
In the Old City, we can visit the Wailing Wall and the adjacent Archeological Garden where we see the history of the Second Temple Period come alive. We also visit the Roman remnants of the city, the Holy Sepulcher, the Mameluk architecture, the Hurva synagogue and walk by the Via Dolorosa and so many other sites.
Outside the Old City, we can visit the City of David with its archeology and the water tunnel of Hezekiah (yes, we will be walking through water in a 2700 year old tunnel), the incredible Israel Museum with the Dead Sea scrolls, the tomb of King Herod and many other splendors.
We can walk up the Mount of Olives and visit the churches there or end at Mount Zion where churches bear witness to the presence of events in the life of Jesus, for example his Last Supper and his imprisonment… and not to forget Yad Vashem and Mount Herzl, the Begin museum, the famous shuk and again, so many other sites.
Both the Old City and the city outside the 500 year old city walls, have endless possibilities for visiting, so I will adapt the program according to your interest, religion and previous experience within the city.
Email: leontineinisrael@gmail.com
See my other Guided tours in Israel ?
My new guided tours in Israel – North Coast
Here is my resume as a Private guide
I am Israeli, Dutch and French
My professional background as a private tour guide
- Free-lance licensed guide in France since 1998 until today
- Sales manager for Museum Arts Forains Paris 2005-2006
- Operations Manager with DMC Lafayette Travel Paris 2000- 2005
- Co-operator Art gallery and restaurant Paris 1985 – 1998
- Social worker with city of Amsterdam 1983-1985
- Experience with FIT, Incentive Travel, Congresses, Logistics of large events
- Professional Tour in France with License to guide in Versailles, the Louvre and all Parisian Museums
- Designed the Jewish Walking tour in Paris – I am still doing the tour in Paris , 2019 : The tour takes place in le Marais and is about 2000 years of all the Jewish Heritage of Paris, the French jewish life and WWII … Now my daughter : Flora Goldenberg is trained to be the specialist of the jewish tour in Paris
- Designed the tour of the Louvre Tour with a Jewish Influence in Paris : It is a Fantastic tour, inside the Louvre Museum, about the Kingdom of Israel and the famous donations by notorious and influent French Jews to the Louvre, about their lives, and the Jewish life in Paris before and after the WWII.
My Education
- High school Holland 1979
- Academy of social work Holland 1983
- Professional license for guiding in France 1989, 1993 and 2012
- Professional license for guiding in Israel, 2017
I speak 5 languages
- Fluent in Dutch, French, English.
- I speak Hebrew. I learned Hebrew when I moved to Israel and I loved it. It is by far my favorite language.
- Sufficient German …
To contact me :
Email: leontineinisrael@gmail.com
Adresse : HaNasi St 4, Jerusalem, 9218802, Israel
Check out my latest reviews on Tripadvisor and on Booqify.com