Private tour guide,Israel guide,Bar mitzvah,Jerusalem,Tel aviv

Kasia C, USA

I toured Israel with a group for five days- we visited Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Masada, Golan Heights, Tiberias, and Akko. The tour was very well organized, with the perfect mix of information and fun, with even some time for relation. 

Our tour guide, Shachar, and his team are really passionate about Israel and the history of the country, and made sure there was never a dull moment. They were always available to answer questions and discuss any topics we were interested in.

The tour surpassed my expectations and I would strongly recommend that anyone taking a tour of Israel go through Hands on Israel.

Alissa C Lombard, Illinois, USA

I was part of a large group of people who went to Israel for a wedding. The bride and groom wanted to make sure we made the most of our trip and see the beautiful country of Israel. We hit the jackpot with Hands on Israel and Shachar. We went to the Dead Sea, Masada, Jerusalem, the Holocaust Museum, Golan Heights, Acre, Zefat, Jesus' Baptismal site of the Jordan River, Sea of Galilee. This was a very diverse group of people with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim backgrounds and everything in between. Shachar and Roman (our guides) did a very good job of being inclusive of all cultures and religions represented in Israel. Shachar was funny, engaging, and personable. Not everyone can be as cool as Shachar, but Roman also did a good job of making everything interesting and informative. I felt incredibly safe the entire time. Our bus driver, Avi, was a very safe driver and I felt comfortable enough to sleep like a baby on the long trips! For peace of mind in visiting Israel, I highly recommend this company.

Paul from USA

Shcachar was the best. I would strongly recommend him. We took a tour that consisted of Jews, Gentiles, and Muslims, and he was great at describing a complicated history for a diverse audience.

Ingrid, New York City, New York

Shachar Gal ("Hands on Israel") organized a wonderful tour for us- even though we called him very very last minute. 

My husband and I and our twelve year old son wanted to see and experience Israel in preparation for our son's Bar Mitzvah in November. Before our trip (while still in the States) Shachar was reassuring and responsive to our requests and needs. 
He put together a great itinerary for us with two different guides (Haim and Hedva) of the first and second half of our ten day tour of Israel. 

Both tour guides were extremely knowledgable, flexible, as well as fun to spend time with. They were able to speak in depth about historical and religious (Christian and Jewish) roots of every region we saw. When we posed a question to either of our two guides, they always responded in a thoughtful and illuminating way. 
Our minds became chock full of new knowledge! We all felt we had a much richer understanding of the history of the region- which we acquired without a moment of boredom. 

We appreciated all the classic and worthwhile sites (such as Masada & The Dead Sea) as well as the cities of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tzfat, and the Northern region of Israel. 
In addition, I would also highly recommend: The underground water tunnels in the City of David and the archeological "dig for a day" in Bet Guvrin. We also had an amazing jeep ride with "Etan" at the kibbutz Malikaya- my son planted a Kiwi tree and we had the opportunity to visit and talk to the soldiers at a neighboring army base. Even though it might be a bit "touristy"- we loved going to "Genesis Land" outside of Jerusalem where we had a short camel ride and visited "Abraham's Tent."

Throughout our trip, Shachar checked in with us periodically to make sure that things were going well and respond to any needs we may have. We felt very taken care of.
If you are planning a tour of Israel- definitely consider going with "Hands on Israel." 
You won't be sorry!

"We knew our trip would be special from the moment we arrived and we were clearly in good hands with Shachar. He took the time to get to know each member of our family and treated us not as clients, but like members of his family”

"Shachar is the type of tour guide you want! Anyone can learn the different facts about the various sites and be incredibly knowledgeable about them, but few are as truly passionate as Shachar. His passion about Israel is not something he fakes but rather it emanates from him."

"Loved the passion, humour and entertaining approach, full of information told in a great animative way. We learned lots. If you are anywhere in Israel and you need a tour guide, he is the man. No doubt about it."

"We came to Israel with high expectations, and in no small part because of Shachar Gal, they were, all of them, very much exceeded. I very highly recommend Shachar to anyone visiting Israel."