Davidka Square is a historic public square located in the heart of Jerusalem, Israel. It is named after the Davidka, a homemade mortar used by Jewish forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The square is surrounded by notable landmarks, including the Mahane Yehuda Market, the Jaffa Road pedestrian mall, and the Jerusalem light rail station. Today, the square serves as a bustling transportation hub and a popular gathering place for locals and tourists alike.
Our Meet the Ultra-Orthodox Jews Tour is designed to give you a glimpse into the rich cultural and religious identity of the Ultra-Orthodox Jews, better known as Haredim or “God fearers,” living in Jerusalem. We will visit a traditional neighborhood, which isn’t typically visited by tourists, giving you the opportunity to remove the veil of a culture that most people have only observed from the outside. The tour is guided by a member of the local Ultra Orthodox Community, who will take you for a walk around the streets of a nearby Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood. Along the way, your guide will point out many significant religious symbols, customs and sites. You will also be shown places such as a book store, music store, restaurant, typical bakery, clothes shop, synagogue, Yeshiva and more to get an insight into. Note that some of these places won’t be possible to enter as it’s forbidden by the local community, so you’ll get a glimpse from the outside with explanations from you guide.
The tour meet the orthodox is very interesting. Our guide, a former orthodox jew, knew evry sub type of orthodox Jews passing us. He tells very lightly about the current situation but with the needed seriousness. Very good.
I had a tour booked for today, 9th February, at 4:30pm leaving from Abraham Jerusalem, at Davidka Square. I showed up at the place and nobody appeared. I wrote to the company with no avail; nobody explained what happened? The person at the reception desk of where used to be Abraham Jerusalem Hostel, where it should be the starting point (it is not the same hostel anymore, and they say nothing in the website!) said she knew of no tour leaving from there! No tour. No explanation. I want the refund of the money paid!
This is an amazing tour! Motti was very good in explaining everything about the Haredim and answered to any questions we had. He is extremely knowledgeable and even brought us to experience one of the best Jewish food in the neighbourhood. I highly recommend it, this is a must go tour if you’re interested in the Jewish culture. Very informative and I’ve learned a lot.
How do I begin....Just to some it up, the tour is done by a man who was born and bred in Mear Sharim but is completely anti everything the neighborhood stands for and is secular. He describes the Jews in this neighborhood as radical and brings mostly negative views about them. Didn't enjoy it. I'm glad we accidentally lost the tour and enjoyed just walking thru and speaking to the locals ourselves for over an hour who were really kind and friendly, not radical at all. Chaya and Eli
Although our walk around the Orthodox area was pleasant, and our guide quite interesting, this tour was not at all what was advertised. It was more like a lecture 'on the hoof' and the only places we stopped were in a small bookshop and also a store selling religious clothing. We did not : Visit a working synagogue See a community center and a soup kitchen Meet a Haredi family in their own home to learn about their culture Step inside a bakery to sample Jewish pastries and bread or Browse ancient Jewish artifacts inside a local library i queried the length of the tour, and it is 2 1/2 hours, not 4 ( which was fine for us)
This tour was extremely interesting. The tour guide was extremely knowledgable, interesting and funny. We learned a lot and really enjoyed it.
We came to Israel for our honeymoon and we’ve been doing several tours here so far and this was one of the best tours we did in Israel! Motti was sincere, fun, and informative!! He was in the society and that’s why he was able to explain with so much details. It was very interesting and I think we learned a lot about Jewish society in the most interesting way!! Thank you so much for offering this tour, it is unforgettable!!!!
Guide was knowledgeable and have an interesting, fair and balanced view of this segment of current Israeli society
Very interesting tour of the ultra orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Jerusalem by Mordechai ‘Motti’ who was a former Haredi Ultra orthodox member himself. Very informative and entertaining. The tour took us deep into the heart of the community over nearly three hours and we were fascinated. This tour is highly recommended.
Pros: I thoroughly enjoyed this this. It was fascinating and very balanced. It made me think. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and was happy to answer questions. He encouraged us to think from different and sometimes opposing perspectives. I did a similar tour in Borough Park a few years ago and it was a really interesting comparison. It’s not a long walk and the terrain is just the streets. It would be difficult for people with wheelchairs but should be doable with a stick. A frame possibly not so easy. Strollers are very at home on these streets. Cons: Needless to say, it was roasting hot (38 degrees to be precise). No surprise here. We drank lots of water. A toilet/drink stop half way round would have been very welcome. We dressed modestly (collar bones and arms covered, loose-fitting clothes and below knee skirts for women, trousers and long shirt for my husband, closed toe shoes for all). I’m glad we did. A couple of other people on the tour didn’t and they got some stares. I found it a little disrespectful and will do nothing to help make such tours a little more welcome and useful to the local community.
A window into another world! Fascinating insight and such an informative tour with an excellent guide. One of the highlights of our trip.
Fantastic, informative tour with Moty. He was outstanding, honest and extremely knowledgeable. My friends and I really enjoyed the tour and learned a lot! Thanks again!
This tour guide was knowledgeable from the inside out! He knew everything and shared info at a good clip. Walked through, stopped often to tell us very important facts. Fascinating facts about a lifestyle and life we knew nothing about. Must take this tour for better understanding!
Moty decided to quit the Ultra-orthodox community when he was 21 and now gives a tour through the orthodox neighborhood which is very insightful and something you can’t experience without someone like moty who is super fun as well. Definitely my highlight in Jerusalem!!!
What an eye opening experience! This tour is absolutely must go if you are in Jerusalem on a date they are running it. From where I come from, the only ultra orthodox jews I see are on TV. On this tour I learnt a lot about their community, way of life and beliefs. Very shocking.
I book my tour from Brasil, and I payd 33 dolars. 1 week before they cancelled my tour, without any reason. The are not professional. Do not rely on them.
This tour offered nothing that was advertised. The guide was knowledgeable but he just walked around with us. The tour advertised to visit a haredi family , did not happen , tour advertised 4 hours , only 3, tour advertised enjoy some pasteries , did not happen , tour advertised visit a synagogue , did not happen. Tour advertised visit a library , did not happen. Truly it was a waste of time and totally misleading. We could have walked around on our own. VERY DISAPPOINTING !!!!!
I was expecting a real immersion in the Israeli Orthodox Jewish world and this excursion did not meet my expectations. The guide is a former member of the Orthodox community, so his explanations are turned in a negative way towards this community, without real objectivity. We did not interact with members of the community, the only visit to a business was in a bookstore. Does not correspond to people who know the Jewish world because they will learn nothing, and those who know nothing about it will come away with a negative vision of this community which is nevertheless fascinating.
I found the tour good though I found the explanations of the guide were more important and enlightening than the walk through the neighborhood. The main streets are with few people and nothing different from what I saw in the streets of other neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Also we did not enter the neighborhood considered more orthodox since the guide said that sometimes they could be violent.
Moty Barlev is an excellent guide. Based on his extensive experience and with a very particular humor that characterizes him, he was able to explain clearly the complexity of the Orthodox Jewish society of Israel. In a matter of hours we learned a multitude of things. Interesting!
<p>Der Tour Leiter war Prima. Die Tour Beschreibung entsprach jedoch nicht der Realität. Es wurde keine lokale Familie besucht, eine Synagoge wurde nur durch das Fenster betrachtet und des Essen in einem Imbiss musste Extra bezahlt werden.</p>
<p>Viele Einblicke in das Alltagsleben der dort lebenden Menschen. Führerin war top!</p>
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