“Great Enrichment”
“There is not a better tour guide in Israel!”
“Elad was a true gift..”
“Best Way to Experience Jerusalem!”
“Trip of a lifetime”
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"See more, learn more, experience more"
"My boyfriend and I only had half a day to explore Jerusalem. Elad ensured we learnt and saw as much as possible in four hours and although I never hired a private tour guide before, I am so glad I did on this occasion. It was worth the money and from shopping around, I knew this was one of the best offers. We learnt about communities, religions and history. We skipped all tourist touts and went to the backyards and hidden, secret places you'd never see as an independent traveler. Elad interviewed random figures on the way to learn from their perspectives, which only enriched the broad-minded reach of things we were taught about.
On top of everything, Elad is passionate about what he does as a real ambassador for peace. He believes in bringing people together, broadening horizons and breaking down barriers. Although I grew up with rather hard line pro-Israel stance, I highly support him and hope he can reach the hearts and minds of many more people.
Highly highly recommended!."
"See more, learn more, experience more"
"My boyfriend and I only had half a day to explore Jerusalem. Elad ensured we learnt and saw as much as possible in four hours and although I never hired a private tour guide before, I am so glad I did on this occasion. It was worth the money and from shopping around, I knew this was one of the best offers. We learnt about communities, religions and history. We skipped all tourist touts and went to the backyards and hidden, secret places you'd never see as an independent traveler. Elad interviewed random figures on the way to learn from their perspectives, which only enriched the broad-minded reach of things we were taught about.
On top of everything, Elad is passionate about what he does as a real ambassador for peace. He believes in bringing people together, broadening horizons and breaking down barriers. Although I grew up with rather hard line pro-Israel stance, I highly support him and hope he can reach the hearts and minds of many more people.
Highly highly recommended!."
"Fantastic Tour Guide for Group of 17 College Students"
"Elad was a simply fantastic tour guide and I recommend him for anyone trying to get a comprehensive overview of the Old City in Jerusalem and its many different components. Although we were on a tight time frame, he was able to bring us to the most important historical and religious sights in time. He did an excellent job of giving us both the history and contemporary significance of the locations and tied in a lot of different narratives. We were also a large group of people but he was able to effectively move us through the city enabled himself to be heard despite busy streets and sites. Not to mention that he was incredibly affordable. I would definitely use him again as well as recommend him to anyone who is interested."
"Amazing experiencing Israel with such a fantastic guide"
"Recently, my partner and I were fortunate enough to experience some of what Israel has to offer. But what made this trip truly remarkable was having someone as insightful, humorous and educational as Elad to guide us along the way. As well as being a joy to travel with, Elad has a unique ability to distil many incredibly complex situations and ideas into educational experiences that could be processed by even our travel weary minds. His sensitivity, warmth and genuine friendliness are readily apparent, and we were blessed that he introduced us to many similar people along our journey.
We spent approximately a week with Elad; from the cultural mixing pot of Jerusalem, to the stark beauty of the desert, to the cosmopolitan vibrancy of Tel Aviv. Each experience left us with memories we will treasure for life. if this is what you are looking for, we would recommend a trip with Elad to anyone without hesitation."
"Wonderful Tour guide!"
"A wonderful and personable guide!"
"Elad Vazana organized and guided two excellent tours for our group of over 25 people; one around the Old City of Jerusalem, and the other a day tour to the Negev desert. Elad possesses a rich knowledge of both Israel and the West Bank, and is sensitive to both narratives in the Israeli-Palestine conflict. He brings a unique, humane, interfaith perspective to his tours. He is patient, respectful and always made sure that our group's needs were met. With Elad we didn't feel like a tourists. We felt submerged into the culture, history and geography of the region and felt like locals ourselves. I would highly recommend him for any type of tour: for families, friends or small or larger groups."Lawrence L, Visited :August 2015
"everything one could hope for in a guide"
"Elad Vazana was everything one could hope for in a guide—a great teacher with deep knowledge of the history, culture, religion and politics of Jerusalem, an experienced local who could navigate the day with warmth and wisdom, and a delightful companion, open, thoughtful, and with a wonderful voice and perspective. I strongly recommend him and would love to work with him again to explore more of Israel in the future.""I very much look forward to working with him again"
Recently, I led a group of American students to visit Israel/Palestine and visit with their Israeli and Palestinian peers from our 2014 summer Artsbridge program. It was such a treat to have Elad as our tour guide. Elad was extremely knowledgeable and engaging. He was able explain the history of the various locations from many perspectives, allowing the students to understand the beauty and complexities of the many sites that we saw. Though I visited the region many, many times, I still learned new things from Elad. I very much look forward to working with him again.
Deb Nathan, Executive Director, Artsbridge, Inc.
"Helped bring so much more understanding and insight into this complex city"
I would like to thank you again so much again for the wonderful, informative tour you gave us of the old city of Jerusalem. Your factual information, your warm manner and your personal stories helped bring so much more understanding and insight into this complex city. Your attention to detail , response to our requests and going with our tight time schedule was also very much appreciated. Thanks so much again.
Ami and all the family.
"We can't recommend this tour highly enough."
My daughter and I took a tour with Elad through the Old City of Jerusalem and loved every minute of it! Elad is incredibly knowledgeable about so many difference facets of Jerusalem. We learned about the history, theology, and political landscape of Jerusalem, and we were especially impressed with how he honored the complexity of modern-day Israel and Jerusalem. He was also very patient, respectful, accommodating, and he frequently checked in to make sure that we were engaged and happy with the direction the tour was heading in. We can't recommend this tour highly enough.
Alexa S
"Richness, amazing discoveries, exotic and wonderful foods, unexpected, heartwarming meetings"
“From the moment of meeting my tour guide Elad Vazana I felt at ease and knew I was in the company of someone who would show me, not only the standard tourist sites, but also the lesser known treasures of this land. Elad’s knowledge and love of this country and its people is palpable, and together with his fluency in Hebrew and Arabic, the visitor gets a bird’s eye view of the history and life here in Israel. Our day in the old city of Jerusalem was filled with richness, amazing discoveries, exotic and wonderful foods, unexpected, heartwarming meetings with people of all faiths and cultures. Elad is a sensitive guide who allowed me to take time in the places where I wanted to linger and reflect, and was always patient and generous in sharing stories and facts related to the sites we were visiting. I recommend Elad highly to anyone who wants to experience, not only the unique history and beauty of this holy land, but also to anyone who wishes to see Israel through the eyes and heart of a caring and natural peacemaker”.
Cantor Rita Glassman, San Francisco, CA
"I am already looking forward to the next time"
"What is most unique about you as a tour guide is the many perspectives you bring. Other guides tend to restrict things to tourist attractions, your range is much larger. It was wonderful to be with you and I am already looking forward to the next time."
Allan Cohen, Mastery Foundation, Program Leader
"A natural talent for relationship building"
"Elad Vazana is one of the most effective yet humble peacebuilding practitioners in Israel. He has a natural talent for relationship building, for reflecting through his outer work all of the inner work that he is always doing to make himself a more effective agent of change."
Scott Cooper, one of the founders of MEJDI and Managing Director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution
"Your spirit, really touched and changed my heart"
"I wanted to tell you that your stories, our discussions, but most significantly your spirit, really touched and changed my heart. Seeing the way you interact with everyone with respect, warmth, and love, has made me realize that I need to open up my heart more to everyone and act similarly. So I just wanted to tell you that and thank you for that."
Tim Mathew
"be it Jew, Muslim or Christian, in a friendly and sympathetic way"
we had a great time with you. The tour was as entertaining as it was informative, and you showed us so many beautiful or intriguing or fascinating big and little things. Many of them we would never have found without you. I also liked how you interacted with everybody, be it Jew, Muslim or Christian, in a friendly and sympathetic way. Not only the old city but also the surrounding quarters, including Mea Shearim and the Ethiopian quarter, were interesting parts of our visit. Thank you for taking care of us all day. We will not soon forget that day in the Holy City.
Cordes, Albrecht Prof. Dr.
"I felt a tremendous love from you, and great care for our experience"
"Thank you so much for your generous, patient, and open-hearted guiding. I felt a tremendous love from you, and great care for our experience. I especially appreciated how often you checked in with us throughout the day. You are a gifted story-teller!"
Leora Abelson
"Integration between their personal stories to the collective one"
"an amazing learning process for everyone in the group. Great trip!!"
"It was an exceptional significant day. Our lovely guides were perfect and created a deeply authentic learning experience to us all."
"Costa and Elad, you are a Fabulous team, and so willing to bring not only your guide-selves, but your inner selves to be with us...amazing fit for what we needed."
"It was indeed a great tour. Costa and Elad did great job in their facilitation and in bringing up the delicate story of Ramla. Their choices of contents, spots and people was highly accurate to our needs and goals for this trip. Above all that, their sensitivity to the group, as well as the integration between their personal stories to the collective one was an important factor in the process' success. as the students summarized by the end of the day, the tour had provoked many thoughts and emotions and I'm sure it made a great contribution to the whole process we are conducting. looking forward to work with you guys in the future"
Ben Gurion University's studentt group leaders
"his compassionate and gentle view of humanity was a gift beyond measure!"
"I would have felt fortunate just to meet Elad Vazana in the ordinary course of life, but to have him to ourselves for three days, sharing his knowledge of land and history, his well-considered and informed opinions, his sense of humor, and, most of all, his compassionate and gentle view of humanity was a gift beyond measure! He was absolutely WONDERFUL with our kids, 9 and 11—treating them as intelligent beings, including them in every conversation, never talking down, always fun-loving. But my husband and I also got exactly what we wanted out of the experience: spending extended time with an Israeli who could answer all our questions about what we were seeing culturally and historically and was also willing to talk politics in a way that felt flexible and humane. I'd have followed him anywhere!"
Jennifer Bernstein, Editor, Brooklyn, New York
"Respect for the level at which we want to learn about this country"
"For me your "shepherding"us was great. You too, clearly respected us. You taught and guided (literally and figuratively) us with compassion and understanding and also respect for the level at which we want to learn about this country."
Ma'ayan Sands
"Everyone is a person, everyone is worthy"
"It isn't an option for life to continue the way it is now for Jews and Arabs here. We have to come together to strengthen our connections and understand that everyone is a person, everyone is worthy"
15 years old participent, Jerusalem seminar for 40 Palestinian & Israeli youth
"He puts his whole self --body and soul -- into his guiding"
"Elad is a phenomenal tour-guide. What is most remarkable is the way he puts his whole self --body and soul -- into his guiding. Often it can be hard to connect with people and places as a tourist "just passing through." But Elad's holistic approach to telling the stories of the place and bringing forth our own stories too made our visit come alive."
Rabbi Minna Bromberg, Hebrew College, Year-in-Israel Program Coordinator
"Excellent insight as to what tourists are interested in learning"
"My experience of the day touring with you was very pleasurable and enlightening. I appreciated your knowledge of the history, geology, geography and social/political relationships, as well as the inside view of things that we, as Americans, do not get to learn about here in the USA. You clearly have much knowledge and understanding, as well as excellent insight as to what tourists are interested in learning, particularly from America. From my perspective as a tourist, it was a great experience."
Ed Stroupe
"Thoughtful attention, patience, warmth, and humor"
"It was wonderful spending a few days with you. Thank you for all your thoughtful attention, patience, warmth, and humor. We've never hired a guide before, and I now realize that, in looking for a guide, we were also looking for someone who could become part of our family for a couple of days, which I suppose is not always the case. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself and your own experience with us!"
David Tepper, Associate Partner, , Ennead Architects
"A courageous educator and human being"
"Elad came to meet with a group of mine to do a session on conflict resolution. Ela'ad's sense of presence, his patience and life experience immediately created an environment of facilitation. The group opened up, dealt with their personal issues and gained a tremendous amount of perspective and knowledge. Elad is a courageous educator and human being."
David, Director of Real Life Israel
"This experience had a lasting effect on their lives"
"On two occasions, Elad was my guide on a dual narrative trip to Israel/Palestine with high school participants. He is not only a fantastic guide, but a beautiful person. He brings knowledge, connections, humor, sensitivity, and love to a very challenging conflict. As a result, the participants are able to engage with the topic at a human level. For many of these young people, this experience had a lasting effect on their lives and even impacted their future studies and career choices."
Scott silk, California Site Director for Hands of Peace
"You touched each one of us"
"All our friends thanked us again for the guided tour.
You touched each one of us during this beautiful afternoon. I hope your message will travel throughout the world."
Lisa serero, Friends group leader
"Your knowledge and kindness and very balanced perspective"
"We wanted to thank you so very much for being such a wonderful guide and host to us while in Israel. What an experience! Your knowledge and kindness and very balanced perspective on Israel really gave us exactly the kind of experience we wanted. We can't wait to come back , hopefully in the next year or two."
Tema liberty, family group leader
"A masterful job of creating a safe space"
"Elad Vazana led a powerful and participatory workshop on how to convert imagined enemies into friends through sharing life stories. Elad, an Israeli Jew of Moroccan descent, did a masterful job of creating a safe space for people to share stories in ways that created openings where before only walls might have existed."
Charles Gibbs, URI's founding Executive Director
"Couldn't been in better hands with Elad and Ibrahim!"
Elad was so kind, informative and genuine during our amazing Dual Narratives Tour for Gefen's Bar Mitzvah. My whole family was inspired by the respect, humor, flexibility, and adventure that our guides shared with us. Was such a gift for Gefen (and all of us) to hear about the rite of passage of becoming a man according to Jewish, Christain and Muslim perspectives. Very meaningful to show my family the crazy, complex & comical dimensions in the Holy (Moly) land. couldn't been in better hands with Elad and Ibrahim!
Michelle Shachar, Arava Institute
"We became more professional, more Skilled and most significantly, more sensitive"
"Under the leadership of Elad, we have passed through a deep proccess which by it we gain pedagogic and social tools which helps us alot in our multicultural work. Thanks to him, we became more professional, more Skilled and most significantly, more sensitive."
Tikva Bracha, CEO, Anew way
"Tears were shed for the suffering of others"
"On the evening of the first day of the workshop, Elad facilitated a life stories evening, Tears were shed for the suffering of others, without a second thought if the suffering was of a Jewish person or of an Arab."
Natasha Biran, Director, Real Life Israel
"It's a movement towards Peace"
"The storytelling evening with Elad enabled members of different communities in the city of Ofakim, to share a very personal and powerful story, in a way that made everyone feel close to each other and to a mutual inner human existence. These kind of precious moments, are the ones that create a community and remind us all that we can understand one another and live together. It's a movement towards Peace."
Shira Lapidot, Head of Cultural Managment Program, Sapir College
"A protected space of trust and truth in his beautiful way of being"
"I'm experiencing Elad's workshops as very deep and profound healing moments. It surprises me each time how much it touches my inner core and help me to see the other with open heart and learn that there are no enemies. Elad knows how to create a protected space of trust and truth in his beautiful way of being. Coming from a source of wisdom and understanding the human heart."
Lee Ziv - co-founder of the Musiaque project
* Some tours were guided for Mejdi tours
Learn more about the Tours and workshops that I offer to organized groups and to the public