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Ralli Museum

The Ralli Museums in Caesarea are part of five Ralli Museums in the world, an institution founded by Harry Recanati. The main aim of the museums is to disseminate contemporary Latin American art. When appreciating Latin American surrealism, the folkloric motifs and the figurative emphasis, one can grasp the importance of these great works of contemporary art. The museums were dedicated to the memory of the Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal during the Inquisition and of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, which was almost completely exterminated in the Holocaust.

Ralli 1
The first Ralli Museum in Caesarea was built in a Spanish colonial style that perfectly fits the pastoral landscape of Caesarea. The size of the museum is about 9000 square meters, and the building is located in the center of a 40-hectare sculpture garden with palm trees, carob trees, citrus and olive trees. The museum has five exhibit halls as well as several octagonal patios with a central fountain. The floor is made of red terracotta tiles and frames consisting of strips of wood and white tiles with a motif of blue clover leaves. These beautiful tiles were especially designed in Uruguay for the Ralli Museums.

The museum was conceived taking into account the light and weather conditions of the country. Natural light comes from large windows opening onto the courtyards. The upper level has one large sculpture square overlooking the sea, and through the arches one can appreciate the arches of the Roman aqueduct on the horizon. The square features sculptures in bronze, marble and acrylic by famous European artists such as Dali and Rodin, as well as Latin-American sculptors.

Ralli 2
The second museum commemorates the great golden age of Spanish Jewry. The architectural style is Spanish (Moorish) and in the center of the large central courtyard stands a fountain with 12 lions, as in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. According to historians, this motif originated in the palace of King David in Jerusalem. The fountain is surrounded by marble statues of Maimonides, Ibn Gabirol, Yehuda Halevi and Spinoza. The building has four stories, and the exhibits consist of paintings with Biblical themes created by European artists in the 16th to 18th centuries.

Both museums effectively integrate the visual arts: architecture, sculpture and painting.

Caesarea Maritima Museum

Caesarea Maritima Museum houses the largest collection of archeological artifacts related to Herod’s city, ancient Caesarea. Some were uncovered accidently while tilling the fields while many others were discovered in archeological excavations. The various finds include marble statues, sarcophagi, inscriptions, coins, oil lamps, pottery, jewelry, metal utensils, amphorae, etc. from the Roman/ Herodian, Byzantine, Muslin and Crusader periods. Also on exhibit are artifacts from Caesarea Synagogue, mosaics and remnants of Jewish headstones.

Caesarea Underwater Archaelological Park

Caesarea Underwater Archaelological Park is the first Underwater Archaeological Park in Israel and around the world! The park was built by researchers from the University of Haifa together with the Caesarea Development Company and was opened the park in 2006. The underwater park reveals to its divers Herod’s ancient building techniques of his renowned port the rehabilitation efforts made after it sunk and the various shipwrecks which are found around this area. This stunning underwater archaeological park teaches both amateurs and professionals alike about the techniques Herod used to construct the ancient ports and about later attempts to restore the port after it began to sink. The park is designed for both snorkelers and more advanced scuba divers so that all can marvel at the ingenuity of the ancient engineers.

The entire area of the the sunken port’s remains is approx. 50 acres (200,000 sq. m), including docks, warehouses, boardwalks, beacons, pools, wave breakers, loading grounds, storage places, the old ports promenade and even its lighthouse. At the bottom of the port all the shipwrecks are found and even one of the “maapilim” shipwrecks is buried at the bottom of the sea here. The dive at the park is conducted by professional instructors who make this a unique and unforgettable diving adventure.

Description by Israel and You

The Chagall Windows

The twelve stained glass windows, which Marc Chagall created for the synagogue and donated to Hadassah in 1962 represent the unique characteristics, attributes, professions and strengths of the twelve sons of the biblical patriarch Jacob. Marc Chagall’s main inspiration is derived from the Bible, particularly Jacob’s blessings to his twelve sons and Moses’ words to the twelve tribes.

The colorful light that emanates from the twelve stained glass windows bathes the Abbell Synagogue at the Hadassah University Medical Center in a special glow. The sun filters through the brilliant hues of the stained glass capturing their radiance. Even in the misty haze of a cloudy day, Chagall’s genius transforms time and space.

The tour of the Hadassah Heritage Center and the Chagall Windows is the best way to discover one of the most famous and splendid works of Marc Chagall and the incredible humane work of the Hadassah organization throughout the past 100 years.

Church of Saint John the Baptist

The Church of Saint John the Baptist is a Catholic church in Ein Kerem, Jerusalem, that belongs to the Franciscan order. It was built at the site where Saint John the Baptist was believed to have been born.

In 1941–42 the Franciscans excavated the area west of the church and monastery. Here they discovered graves, rock-cut chambers, wine presses and small chapels with mosaic tiling. The southern rock-cut chamber contained ceramic, datable to a period stretching from approximately the first century BC till 70 AD, an interval that includes the presumed lifetime of Zechariah, Elizabeth and John. The community living here has been dated by the archaeological findings back to the Roman, Byzantine and Early Muslim periods.

Most of the current church structure dates back to around the 11th century, with the lower courses possibly dating to the Byzantine period (4th-7th century).

Church of the Visitation

The Church of the Visitation is a Catholic church in Ein Karem, Jerusalem, and honors the visit paid by the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. This is the site where tradition tells us that Mary recited her song of praise, the Magnificat, one of the most ancient Marian hymns.

The Bible doesn’t mention the birth place of John, it only states that Mary went to “a town in the hill country of Judea”. One tradition attributes the construction of the first church of Ein Karem to Empress Helena of Constantinople, Constantine I’s mother, who identified the site as the home of John’s father, Zachary.

The courtyard contains a statue of Mary and Elizabeth, and on the wall opposite the entrance to the lower church are forty-two ceramic tablets bearing the verses of the Magnificat in as many different languages. On the facade of the upper church is a striking mosaic commemorating the Visitation. Next to the church proper, a Crusader hall of the 12th century survived in good condition.

The lower church contains a narrow medieval barrel-vaulted crypt ending with a well-head from which, according to tradition, Elizabeth and her infant drank. The well is connected to a Roman or Byzantine overflow pipe running under the medieval floor. Also preserved are remains of the ancient church and beautiful mosaic floors.

The rock with a cleft next to the entrance of the medieval crypt is said to mark the site where the mountain opened up to hide Elizabeth and the infant John from Herod’s soldiers – this is the “Rock of Concealment”. This tradition is based on the 2nd-century apocryphal Protoevangelium of James 22:3. The interior of the lower church holds Italianate frescoes depicting Zachary at the altar of the Lord, the Visitation, and Elizabeth hiding her son during the Massacre of the Innocents.

The walls of the upper church are decorated with frescoes. Those on the southern wall are depicting five episodes, from left (east) to right (west):
The Council of Ephesus (431), which defined Mary as Theotokos or the Mother of God;
Mary protecting Christians with her mantle, according to the oldest extant hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Theotokos, the Sub tuum praesidium;
the Wedding at Cana;
The Battle of Lepanto (1571), in which a united Catholic fleet defeated an Ottoman fleet, a victory ascribed to the help of the Virgin Mary under the title Mary Help of Christians and celebrated by the Catholic Church with the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary;
Duns Scotus, supported by the Franciscans, defending his thesis on the Immaculate Conception at the Sorbonne in Paris against the dissenting Dominicans.
Behind the altar, a fresco is showing Mary approaching through Judaea, with the Franciscan custos presenting her the model of the church and the Catholic patriarch of Jerusalem of the time in attendance.

Verses from the Magnificat are painted on the columns of the church. In the corners are the four cardinal virtues, and around the windows on the left side of the church are Christian writers (Fathers and Doctors of the Church) who have written about the Virgin Mary. The ceiling is painted in the Tuscan style of the 14th century.

Culinary Tour of Ein Kerem

See and get to know Ein Kerem through the eyes of its residents. On this tour, we’ll visit Ein Kerem’s hidden spots—places that tourists don’t know about—where the view and surrounding nature are simply breathtaking. As someone who grew up here, I look forward to guiding you through the alleys of my childhood and taking you to the homes with the best food in the village. We’ll meet the local shepherdess, visit the home that was built around an ancient olive oil press, taste Yemenite breads that were kneaded with love, and finish on a sweet note with pralines from the local chocolatier. We’ll peek into the distinctive houses, hear unbelievable stories from the locals, and, of course, enjoy the fruits of their labor. Tours change based on the hosts we visit, but always include three tastings.

Chagall Windows & Heritage Center Tours

Come visit us in the Abbell Synagogue, home to the famous Chagall Windows, in the Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem, Jerusalem.

The twelve stained glass windows, which Marc Chagall created for the synagogue and donated to Hadassah in 1962, represent the unique characteristics, attributes, professions and strengths of the twelve sons of the biblical patriarch Jacob. Marc Chagall’s main inspiration is derived from the Bible, particularly Jacob’s blessings to his twelve sons and Moses’ words to the twelve tribes.

Following the Forerunner, Private Tour From Jerusalem

Two churches – Visitation Church where Mary learned that she’s bearing child, and St. John Ba Harim Church where the immerser, John the Baptist was born – two churches that comemorate two events that gave Christianity two of the most ancient hymns – The Magnificat and Benedictus.

And in between these two churches we will learn about the obsession of purity of that time, of unique individuals that came to live in Ein Kerem at the western part of Jerusalem following the carisma of John. These include Major General Charles Gordon, the Ratisbonne brothers, two Jews who converted to Christianity and formed the Sisters of Zion Order, Eliszabeth, sister in law of the last Russian Zar, all followed the forerunner’s place of birth and where he grew as a child, some learning about him and others setting up convents and churches.

We will walk through the picturesque alleys of the village that has not changed much during the last 2000 years and attempt to better understand John’s childhood.

Levi Zelkind

For the second year in a row, Levi has has been chosen as a 2020 Traveler’s Choice Winner by Tripadvisor – part of an exclusive group that are in the top 10% of attractions worldwide. He is fluent in English, Hebrew, and Russian, and he knows Israel like the back of his hand.

Levi specializes in tours that are custom-tailored to suit your unique interests and schedule. Your tour will be based on his extensive knowledge and passion for the history, geography and religion of Israel. Levi was a ‘refusenik,’ a Russian dissident Jew refused permission to emigrate to Israel by the USSR government. Eventually, he and his family were allowed to make ‘Aliya’ in 1985. Levi joined the thriving hi-tech industry in Israel where he climbed the career ladder for 16 years.

Eventually, he decided to follow his passion for travel and history and become a licensed Israel tour guide.

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