24hours in Jerusalem and Purim events suggestions

בס"ד

When you get the opportunity to visit the most unique and beautiful city in the world for 24 hours, besides visiting the Western wall and the Old City, it's highly recommended to visit these attractions that Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, offers.

We started Our day at the Time Elevator attraction in the Mamila mall. Time Elevator offers a multi-sensory experience with 250 square meters of LED screens, which surround the audience 180 degrees and moving seats.

Time Elevator experience offers different movies; each will take you on a thrilling journey, thanks to the chairs that move according to the projected film. We got to watch two movies. The first is a journey to the city's secrets in 2D, and the other is a journey through the human body in 3D.

The "Journey to the city's secrets" display goes through the complex history of Jerusalem, From the days of the first temple, the kings and conquerors to the present day, with a look at Jerusalem from a bird's eye. Jerusalem history unfolds in a magnificent viewing experience with fantastic sound and effects with the character of "Shalem," played by actor Haim Topol, alongside other local celebrities such as Dvir Bandek, Tzachi Noy, etc. Film length: around 30 minutes, available in Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Chinese Mandarin.

In the "Future Capsule" - Journey through the human body in 3D, we got a glimpse of what's going on in our body in a fun and simple explanation and a 3D illustration. The film runs for around 25 minutes and is available in Hebrew and Arabic (immobile chairs are unavailable in this film).

Time Elevator's experience evolved quite impressively, and both displays were lovely and educating. I especially enjoyed the "Journey to the city's secrets," where the moving chairs were especially noticeable. If you can't sit in the moving chairs, fixed chairs are used as an alternative, so you too can enjoy this experience.

*Sorry for the lousy photo quality in the "Future Capsule" experience, It was taken through 3D glasses.

During Purim, from the 7-8 of Match, you can enjoy the different experiences the Time Elevator offers, and include a visit to the lookout of Petzael tower in David tower in 360 degrees and a self-tour using the pop guide app by the Time Elevator. You can see the sacred sites, Jerusalem neighborhoods, quarters, and more from the lookout.

Time Elevator

Address: 6 Yitzhak Kariv, Mamila Avenue (shopping mall), Jerusalem

Entrance: 5 and up; you must schedule in advance what film to show and when.

Price: 54 NIS on site, 46 NIS online.

You should arrive 15 minutes before the designated hour to watch a safety clip.

There are sales for Yerushalmi card holders/soldiers/students with ID. For more details, click here.

Then we had a wonderful lunch at Harvey's smokehouse. Full review coming soon. Meanwhile, here's a tiny glimpse of a delightful dish - Burnt Ends.

 HARVEY'S SMOKEHOUSE dishes, credit: Elyakim Cohen

On Shoshan Purim (8.3), you can enjoy a decadent family meat platter that includes: 200 grams of brisket, 200 grams of ground meat, 200 grams of ground lamb, chorizo sausage, two whole chicken legs, a large portion of fries, and coleslaw at 375 NIS—Kosher - Kashrut Mehuderet by the supervision of Jerusalem rabbinate.

Address: 33 Yafo street, Jerusalem. For more details: 02-6246444.

A few minutes walk from the restaurant, you can find the FOZ museum in the Nahalat Shivah neighborhood in the center of Jerusalem. This is the second time I have visited this museum, and it managed to move me all over again. Dr. Mike Evans founded the museum with the help of thousands of Israel supporters from around the world. 

Dr. Mike Evans is a best-selling author and a Nobel peace prize nominee for his activities in battling against anti-Semitism and the BDS movement. Dr. Mike and his son Michael have been helping holocaust survivors and orphans in Ukraine for decades. In Jerusalem, they built a community center for Ukrainian holocaust survivors and apartments of the highest standards on campus at the Friends of Israel center. They also fund thousands of holocaust survivors in Israel, organize Bar or Bat Mitzvahs for survivors who never celebrated, and throw a beauty pageant show for a holocaust survivor.

At the FOZ - Friends of Zion museum, you will discover 7 displays on a guided tour, with audio-visual multimedia displays, that unfold the stories of the non-Jewish supporters of Zionism and the establishment of the state of Israel, extraordinary heroism, and kindness, from "The promised land" display where you'll see the map of Israel, according to the biblical borders, on a 12-meter concrete floor, while viewing a clip showcasing the landscape of Israel, and "The Founders" display which encounters us with Abraham Avinu, the founders, and the dry bones vision, to the dreamers, the visionaries, the Righteous Gentile, and the heroes who done a lot to help the Jewish people. 

Learning about those people who've done so much for us - the Jewish people, is so touching and delivered in such an impressive way. To read a comprehensive review of the place, click the highlighted words - Friends of Zion Museum (Use translate button).

Purim at FOZ museum, credit: Yossi Zamir

On Purim, you can enjoy the guided tour along with other great celebrations on the 7th and 8th of March between 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. You can enjoy various activities for the whole family, such as crafting stations for designing and painting masks, creating balloons costumes, and getting your face painted by a professional makeup artist (For an additional fee of 10 NIS). If you show up in a unique custom, you can participate in a custom contest and win a prize—a special entrance fee for families on Purim - 100 NIS.

FOZ museum - purim

Address: 20 Yosef Rivlin street, Nahalat Shivah, Jerusalem

Entrance by appointement only.

Price (Entry + tour - kids' workshops included): Adult - 44 NIS, ages 3-18 - 33 NIS, senior citizens - 22 NIS, family ticket - 100 NIS, makeup stand with additional fee - 10 NIS.

Tuesday-Wednesday - 7-8.3.23 - 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

For more details, click here.

From the FOZ museum, we went to the Jerusalem botanical garden. The sun was about to set, yet we managed to enjoy all the garden's beauty. 

Einat, a national service member who started to volunteer at the garden not long ago, showed us the sections of the park and explained in great enthusiasm, which was very contagious, about the wonders of the garden, its fascinating secrets, and one beautiful corner that with all my visits to the place, it was the first time I encountered it. The Plants of the Month corner is a lovely and colorful corner where you can see various plants and flowers that bloom that month.

In addition to visiting the tropical greenhouse, discovering a new section dedicated to California, and having a great time exploring the "Seeing the Invisible" application, which shows you art in nature thanks to augmented reality technology through a dedicated app you can download on your smartphone, we went to see the blooming sakura trees (cherry trees) that bloomed earlier than expected and stayed fresh and colorful longer than usual.

Purim in the boranical garden, credit: Talia Goldstein

To celebrate Purim, you can enjoy this weekend (Starting the 3.3) with various colorful activities connected to nature. 

3 Stations in the botanical garden will be established:

* A station to fix clothes/fabrics - Visitors can bring used customs from home and set them with the help of the garden's crew using recycled threads and materials, and you can also create a new custom from used clothes found at the station.

*Making bows and masks - You can choose between a bow and a mask, decorate it with recycled materials, and make bows and crowns from natural materials.

*Natural dyeing station - You'll learn how to print on fabric using traditional methods and how to do it at home. You will also learn how to print patterns using a leaf and flower hammer.

Moreover, you can enjoy a perfect spring tour in the garden and get to know the wildflowers of Israel and other distant countries that are rare to see. On Friday only, you can travel in the garden using the flower garden that goes every round hour, starting 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM (Suitable for ages 2 and above).

Purim in the Botanical Garden, Jerusalem

This weekend the 3.3, between 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.

Price: Adult/Child - 40 NIS, soldier/student/retired - 25 NIS, Jerusalem kid (under 18) with ID/subscribers - free.

The Purim activities are included in the entry price.

Address: Waze - The Jerusalem Botanical Garden

For more details: 02-6794012 and website here.

In the evening, we arrived at the IBIS STYLES hotel located on Ben Yehuda street in the bustling city center. The location could not be more perfect, with attractions, shopping, and restaurants surrounding you only a few minutes walk at an affordable price.

Ibis Styles hotel belongs to the international ACCOR chain. As such, it meets the chain's high standards, such as soundproof rooms built according to the quality and means of the global Accor network and IBIS brand.

The hotel, with its 104 rooms, is designed to match its location with illustrations throughout the hotel spaces and rooms that will introduce you to the vibrant atmosphere of Mahane Yehuda market. Each room has everything you need for urban recreation, from a TV and a comfy bed with IBIS's unique mattress - Sweet Bed by IBIS, which you can purchase privately, to the equipped shower room and sweet treats alongside accessories for making hot drinks.

Staying at the Ibis hotel includes a kosher breakfast. It is a wonderful, pampering breakfast where you'll surely find something you love, From salads and cheeses to pasta, pizza, and various pastries (Dishes change occasionally).

On Purim, from the 7 to the 8 of March, you can enjoy a sale of 740 NIS per couple per night on - Bed & Breakfast basis.

Ibis Styles Jerusalem

Address: 4 Ben Yehuda, Jerusalem

For details and reservations: Ibis hotels Jerusalem *9709 and on their website here.

We only spent 24 hours in the holy, magical city. Still, it is highly recommended to dedicate at least a few days to the city, so you'll be able to experience everything calmly, from the various attractions and restaurants, the food and flavors that Mahane Yehuda market has to offer, to the historical and holy sites in the city.

Some tips for getting around the city for visitors:

*The easiest way to get around in the center of Jerusalem is by but or the light rail.

*If you still prefer to arrive by car, be advised that most parking lots allow paid parking for up to 3 hours, so if you don't want to pay for parking and not worry about the amount of time you have to park, you can find free parking about 15-20 minutes walking distance from Mamila:

-Near "Liberty Bell Park" (Gan Hapa'amon), there is a paid parking lot on one side and a free (grey parking lot) on the other, but it's pretty tricky finding parking there.

-On Dubnov street, you can find plenty of free - grey parking spaces. Sometimes it may be busy and challenging to find parking.

-At the roundabout, next to Meir and Michal segen Cohen streets (Where you see a white sign of the "German Colony"), you can also find free parking spaces (Grey parking spots).

-Before the roundabout, near Yitzhak Elnatan street, you'll find a dirt lot for free parking. I've attached the exact location here so you can find it easily.

Full Disclosure: I was a guest at all mentioned places, but all opinions are entirely my own.