Yakov Ben-Avraham Email & Phone Number

Israel

I'm a passionate Jewish Jerusalemite. As one born and living in Jerusalem, every time I walk outside my home is an adventure of discovery and exploration. I get to share my love and appreciation for this land, to share that sense of discovery with every person I meet. In a real sense, I feel it is a privilege to infect others with my personal excitement, and most importantly, have the opportunity to guide their exploration of the less frequented parts of Jerusalem and Land of Israel. The combination of seeing the variety of the sites and nature of the land; of experiencing the mix of culture and diversity of the people that live here; of understanding the present day by examining the past; and bringing the archaeological sites to life with the historical sources and the Bible - all this is what I believe makes each tour a meaningful and unforgettable experience.

Israel

My role as the Tour Guide on a Jewish Journey group is to empower the participants with the knowledge and information they need to put their many experiences while touring Israel, into context. As the Taglit groups can be different durations, come from differing backgrounds and places of origin, the educational challenge of presenting information that both educates and entertains them can require not a little bit of inspiration and role-playing.By drawing upon my experience in informal Jewish Education on behalf of the Jewish Agency in South Africa, and years of guiding both Israeli and Jewish youth from abroad, I invariably discover the "keys" to each group. My mission is to use those "keys" to unlock each group, to help them experience the majesty and mystery of both the Jewish People and their connection to the Land of Israel. All this while simultaneously sharing in the group's discovery of the amazing modern miracle we call the State of Israel, its culture, technology, education and the fascinating diversity of people who make have made it their home.

Jerusalem Israel

Can you imagine the excitement of introducing a Jew to the place which represents where the Jewish people's millennium-old connection to the Land of Israel began? The pleasure of experiencing the awe as group participants exploring the remarkable discoveries of the City of David, the Jerusalem of the Bible, the most excavated archeological site in the world. Every stone, every pottery shard brings to life thousands of years of history! The uniqueness of guiding in the city of David Is that the stories and people from the past come to life just by visiting the site and reading the passages from the Bible where they actually happened, and often the stories were physically written. In my role as a guide for Elad, I lead different tours in English and Hebrew all over the City of David. Elad has the most professional guides for the city of David. The organization constantly motivate their guides to enhance their biblical studies and give them the tools to connect with as many audiences as possible. It is an honor to work for an organization that has such a large international exposure due to the wide variety of audiences that visit the site from around the world, from every age and background. As a Senior Guide for Elad, I take part in several educational projects that The City Of David has a partnership in. Working with high schools and pre-army academies, I have the opportunity to guide their exploration of the city of Jerusalem, taking them on a journey to enhance their Jewish identity by connecting to Jerusalem and what it symbolizes to the Jewish People and many others throughout the world.

Jerusalem, Israel

Guiding groups at the Westarn Wall as the Shabbat enters can be a tremendously moving experience. I also take part in hosting a Shabbat experience which includes hosting Shabbat meals of large groups and create an opportunity to tap into a once in a lifetime Shabbat Experience.

Jerusalem, Israel

In this capacity I provide instruction and educational activities to groups of all types, sizes and compositions from IDF soldiers to Israeli students and tourists, to introduce them to the national legacies of the Jewish People hidden under the surface of the Old City of Jerusalem. In all the Karen to Moreshet HaKotel's activities play a particular interest to the Western Wall (associated Temple Mount) and the Jewish Quarter.

Jeruslam

Beit Tzion was established as a new Pre-Army Academy in East Jerusalem. I had filled a generally important role, taking care of all the logistics and needs of the students, enabling them to study and have a meaningful experience and grow spiritually and prepare physically for a meaningful army service in the IDF. My job included from organizing their food to security and maintenance, and from keeping the place clean and making sure everything is in order, to guiding the group of students around the city of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, Israel

This position is a Land of Israel lovers dream come true. I guide groups the length and breadth of Israel. Although guiding the tour is the my primary function, the educational role on tours is no less important. Participating in the creation, planning and execution of educational activities together with the other tour leaders in order to assist the participants in processing and internalizing their experience, in order to help foster a strong connection with and understanding of Israeli culture, history and society is another essential part of this role..

Tel Aviv, Israel

Tlalim offers the opportunity to really connect with a group's participants. I generally guide a group for between a week and a half and up to month each time. As my responsibility includes coordinating both the logistical parts of the tour and also acting as the groups guide, it is not an easy job but definitely is worth the effort and being responsible for both aspects of the experience gives me all that much more control over the overall experience - an experience I always strive to make both enjoyable and inspiring.

South Africa

I participated on two intensive educational missions to South Africa that required months of planning and preparation and lasted between two to three months each trip. Together with a well trained cohesive group of counselors, we created and delivered a series of dynamic, multi-dimensional educational programs bringing Israel to young Jews in the Diaspora and imparting Jewish-Zionist values to the community at large.

Israel

My role was that of full time counselor on a year long program that changed locations every two months. This provided the group participants with many different experiences from volunteering programs in the community, a stint of learning in Yeshiva or Midrasha, a short army program and other educational enriching Israeli experiences. In addition to my role as team leader to the other counselors and 'house father' to the participants I was also responsible for delivering different educational programs throughout the year and coordinating with all the the different programs.

Certificate, Tour Guide For Israel

Tour Guide Course

Matriculation, Yeshiva High School

Activities and Societies: Participated in program preparing participants to cope with aftermath of terror and in sharing their experience.

Jewish Studies, Biblie

Activities and Societies: Educational Mission to South Africa for the Jewish Agency, The Zionist Seminars. July to September 2008

Bachelor'S Degree, Israel Studies