Israel for Beginners

Houses from Within - a yearly event where select buildings and private homes are opened to the public - was recently held in Tel Aviv.  Some of the locations and tours require pre-registration while others are open houses.  Be warned that the venues/tours requiring registration close out quickly.  I visited the Kol Yehuda Synagogue, a synagogue established by the Aden Community in Neve Tzedek, where Danny Goldschmit, one of the founder's grandsons, provided a history of the buildng and the community.  I also signed up for an excellent tour of the ceramic tiles that were designed by the Bezalel Art Studio in the 1920s and displayed on many of the facades of Tel Aviv buidlings.   Houses from Within - http://www.batim-il.org/DefaultEng.aspx Kol Yehuda Synagogue - 5 Lillenblum, Tel Aviv Tour - Tehila Koenigstein - Discover Tel Aviv Center - 9 Ahad Haam, Tel Aviv - 03-517-7304 or tiki@discover-telaviv.co.il

Through the end of April, the Litvak Gallery is exhibiting the works of the famous glass artist, Dale Chihuly . The Litvak Gallery is a lovely art space in Tel Aviv and Chihuly's colorful works come alive there. It is not a large exhibit - an hour is sufficient - but the works are absolutely spectacular. I recommend using the audioguides that are distributed at no extra charge. Tickets can be ordered in advance or purchased at the gallery. Litvak Gallery - www.litvak.com - Museum Tower - 4 Berkowitz Street, Tel Aviv - 03-695-9496

Litvak Gallery is a newly opened art gallery located in central Tel Aviv. The space itself is lovely - very open with a nice flow. Currently through May 15th, the Litvak Gallery is showcasing work by 23 of the world's leading glass artists, including the well known Dale Chihuly. Everything, but two pieces, are for sale. But, most of the people, like me, viewed the visit as a very enjoyable trip to the equivalent of a small art museum. The glass exhibit was phenomenal - walking through the gallery I really felt that Israel has reached new levels of cultural sophistication. I recommend bringing older children as many of the pieces are whimsical and fun. AND most definitely use the audioguide (English available) - it added so much to the experience. Litvak Gallery - Museum Tower - 4 Berkovitz Street, Tel Aviv - www.litvak.com

The Israel Museum is currently undergoing major renovation and the museum is primarily closed. However, the museum is showing several temporary exhibitions, including Blue and White which is a one room display of original documents pertaining to the State of Israel. The documents are varied and interesting such as the original Declaration of Independence, handwritten notes of David Ben Gurion, and a page from Ilan Ramon's diary that survived that Shuttle crash. The exhibit runs through February 2009. NOTE: The audio guide explanation adds some interesting anecdotal information. However, not all the audio guide explanations have been translated into English. Therefore, if your Hebrew is workable, it is worthwhile to take the audio guide with Hebrew explanation. Israel Museum - www.imjnet.org.il - 02-670-8811