Fun In Jerusalem

Museums 

Ein Yael: Mountain Air Festival-Oct 6-8, 2009
On Oct 6-8 Ein Yael will have a variety of special activities including reconstructions of historic battles, archery competition, costumes,fencing, 10th legion training camp, ancient music & traditional circle dancing, doll theatre, ancient handicraft workshops, craftsman, artisans and tours of the Roman villa. On October 4 & 5 Ein Yael will also be open to the public and events include regular workshops, storytime and museum tours.

Time: October 6-8, 10:00am-5:00pm (Weather Permitting)
Tickets: Regular Price: 40 NIS/Child over 3 yrs old, 35 NIS/Adult (FunInJerusalem 15% Discount with printed coupon)
Contact: 02-645-1866

Old Yishuv Court Museum, Old City:
Succot Oct 4-8 Hours: 10:00am-8:00pm, Closed Erev Succot, Erev Simchat Torah Oct 9 10:00am-1:00pm

The museum will be offering special children’s activities including a scavenger hunt for the Ushpizin, games in the courtyard and more.  Family entrance 40 NIS. On Sunday October 4, 2009 there will be a 10:00am museum tour in English and at 11:00am there will be an English Story Hour. On Wed Oct 7 at 2pm there will be an English tour of the Old City leaving from the Museum. 45 NIS. Reservations Required. For details 02-627-6319.

Aish Jerusalem Experience- Oct 4-8, 2009

Time: 10:00am-6:00pm
Activities:Panoramic Rooftop View of the Temple Mount, View the largest Model of the 2nd Temple, See the Chihuly “Rabbi Akiva” glass sculpture, snacks and drinks on the rooftop
Ages: 6+ (younger kids are also welcome)
Location:Aish Hatorah, 4 Tamid St. Jewish Qtr (Follow the signs from the Golden Menorah at the top of the Kotel Stairs.
Tour Times: 45 Min tours leave every 15 min, Call to Reserve 052-761-1192
Cost: 25 NIS Adult, 15 NIS for child 3+, 90 NIS per Family

Heichal Shlomo“Ushpizin in the Heichal”-Oct 4-7, 2009

Time & Place: 10:00am-3:00pm, 58 King George St.
Activities: Creative workshops, games, theater, museum tours
Cost: 20 NIS/Child 50/Family (parents + 2 kids)

Caricature Exhibit & Night Spectacular at the Tower of David
An impressive collection of work from over 50 Israeli caricature and sketch artists. Inspired by daily life, sporting events & Jerusalem public figures in this complex and special city.  This exhibit is open until the end of October. A humorous interactive guided tour in Hebrew for the whole family including the citadel and exhibition “Jerusalem in Caricatures” will take place at 10:30am and 1:00pm on Chol HaMoed Succot Sunday Oct 4- Thursday Oct 8. 

Night Spectacular Light and Sound Show (45 min) at the Tower of David on Oct 4-8 Sunday-Thurs 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm. Adults 50 NIS and Child 40 NIS. For details call 02-626-5333.

Israel Museum
Entrance to the Israel Museum will be free for children under the age of 18 during Succot. Performances and workshops are an additional fee. Children can enjoy the model of Jerusalem in the time of the Second Temple, an exhibit of decorative masks and a special Israeli toy exhibit. In addition there is a special youth wing with activities and a library.

Scripts & Scrolls (HEBREW)- Surprises, riddles and workshops using ancient techniques. 15 NIS. Oct 5-8 Mon-Thurs 11:00am-1:30pm. See Calendar of Events for details.

Recycling Workshop: Sun–Thurs, Oct 4–8, 10am–2pm, NIS 10 per child
The “Sukkah-Peacock,” a rare bird, carries an etrog instead of an egg… Reusing a variety of materials, we will create an exotic bird with which to decorate the sukkah.

Shlomit Builds a Sukkah: Sun–Thurs, Oct 4–8, 12pm, NIS 15 per child, in the Art Garden
Songs and stories in celebration of the holiday with Shlomit Dvir

Bible Lands Museum : Sukkot Family Fun Sunday- Thursday Oct 4-8th
Succot Family Fun: Free entrance for children, 50% off for Adults

Journey Through the Museum with Costumed Actors: Ages 5-9. 10:30am-1:30pm every half hour, Hebrew

Holiday Self Guided Scavenger Hunt: Explore the museum with clues that unravel the mysteries. Ages 9+ 

Creative workshops: 10:30am-2:30pm for kids ages 5+ including pottery, Simchat Torah Flags (20 NIS), Pomegranate decorations (20 NIS), and baking pita (5 NIS).

“Amanili Sings”: A Train Theater production in Hebrew of shadow puppets and live music about a magical tale in ancient Mesopotamia. Ages 5+. 25 NIS per ticket. Advanced Reservations recommended. 02-561-1066
Time:12:00pm Succot Oct 4-5 & 7-8, 2009 Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday

Botanical Gardens: “Festival of Children’s Plays in Nature” October 4-6, 2009

Date & Time: Sun-Tues 11:00am-4:00pm
Ages: 5-10

Shows Schedule:
Pluto’s Journey (11:00am, 12:30pm)
Mouse & The Apple (11:30am)
5 balloons Storytime (12:00pm)
Theatrical Olympics (1:00pm)
Oren’s Turtle: Storytime (1:30pm)
Chaim & the Monster of Jerusalem (2:30pm)
Other Events: Art Workshops, Treasure Hunt, Ride the Flower Train
Fee: 35 NIS (ages 2+) for entrance, shows & workshops. Family Tickets available
Contact: 02-679-4012 ext 3. Show times may change so please call ahead to confirm the schedule of shows.

Museum of Islamic Art

Come and see a magnificent watch display at the Museum of Islamic Art on Palmach in Katamon. This exhibit is appropriate for children ages 6+. The museum also has a permanent exhibit that includes armor for horses and soldiers, that all young kids will appreciate.

During Sukkot the Museum of Islamic Art has wonderful Arts & Crafts workshops. Workshops include sword and shield making, jewelry, drawing, creating boxes, bags and designing musical instruments and clocks. Costs range from 15 NIS- 25NIS. Workshops are open from 10am-3pm on Sunday-Thurs and 10am-1:00pm of Friday on the top floor of the museum. For more details of the museum and a picture of the workshop click here.

Museum of Italian Art - Oct 4-8, 2009

Each day of Chol Hamoed enjoy a live performance throughout the museum of a comedy about a young man in love with a “Tarantale” busybody.  An experience for the whole family.

Time: 11:30am
Tickets: 30 NIS
Language: Hebrew
Museum Hours: Sun, Tues, Wed 9:00am-5:00pm Mon 9:00am-2:00pm Thurs, Fri 9:00am-1:00pm
Location: 27 Rechov Hillel
Contact: 02-624-1610

City Of David Attractions

The City of David “Ir David” offers a variety of family activities in Ir David and at the Haas Promenade “Tayelet”. Through the different activities learn about the history of the City of David during the time of the Temples. The Old City will be closed to private cars but there will be a special line of Egged buses running to the Western Wall from the Carta parking lot. From the Western Wall it is an easy 5 minute walk to the entrance of Ir David. Make a left when you come out of the gate next to the Kotel and then your first right. For tourist tips for the City of David visit our post. For event times and tickets visit the City of David website. 

Emek Zurim National Park: 4×4 Jeep rides, Archaeological Digs
City of David:Water tunnel hikes, Tours of Biblical Jerusalem (Lots of steps), Tour of Kidron Valley (Not for Cohanim). 
Armon Hanetziv (Haas Promenade): open desert vehicle ride around Ir David, Segway Tours, Family bicycles.

Bloomfield Science Museum: “Touching Water” October 2-11, 2009

Come and enjoy the successful water exhibit at the Bloomfield Science Museum. On Succot they will be offering free workshops including exhibit tours, a workshop about flowing water, a creative art workshop for kids and a family workshop. There will also be special showings of their multimedia performance “SPLASH” for an additional fee of 15 NIS. The show includes live performance, dance, music and video presentations and is about a little boy named Dani who is afraid of the water. The show is in Hebrew and best for kids ages 2-10. Children under 5 enter the museum for free.    

Teens & Young Adults

The following is a list of Succot events that Teens and Young Adults would enjoy. For event details please visit our Calendar.

• Paintball ( Oct 8 )
• Singing Bus (Oct 5)
• Ir David Attractions: Segways, 4×4 Jeeps, Open Desert Vehicle
• Nature Hikes: Night Safari, Bird Hikes
• Museums: Caricature Exhibit & Night Spectacular at Tower of David
• Festivals:Birkat Cohanim at Kotel (Oct 5), Jerusalem March (Oct 6), Red Bull Festival (Oct 7), Kite Festival ( Oct 8 )
• Concerts: Festival Beit Shemesh (Oct 5), Mattisyahu (Oct 7), Eitan & Shlomo Katz (Oct 7), Gush Etzion Concerts, RockAmi Concert ( Oct 8 ), Yaakov Shwekey & Shlomie Gertner (Oct 8 )
• Segwayz: Choose from 4 routes. Ages 17+, 052-811-9996, www.segwayz.co.il

Other year round teen/young adult activities include Bowling, Go Karting and Rock Wall Climbing.

Just Outside Jerusalem

Gush Etzion Family Events: For event details and to confirm the following schedule call 02-941-0124

Sde Bar Family Day- Nokdim-Sunday October 4, 2009
Havayot Center-Elazar-Sun, Tues-Fri October 4, 6-9, 2009
Tour Herodian-Outside Tekoa-Sun-Thurs October 4-8, 2009
Kite Flying Festival-Pnei Kedem-Thurs Oct 8, 2009
Olive Oil Festival-Tekoa-Thursday October 8, 2009

For event details please visit our Calendar of Events and the Gush Festival Calendar of Events. For other Gush Attractions please see our Gush Etzion Post. 

Jerusalem Sukka