Jamie Salter is a veteran Israel guide and educator. With the outbreak of COVID-19, he found himself with much more time on his hands than usual. In the wake of the pandemic, the stream of international tourists visiting Israel has almost completely dried up, along with the income of hundreds of thousands of people working in Israel’s tourism sector.
Meanwhile, international travel restrictions prevent most people from visiting Israel and exploring its rich geography, history, heritage, culture, and society.
Makom has teamed up with Jamie to make some refreshing lemonade out of the many lemons that this pandemic has thrown at us all.
In Walking and Talking Shvil Yisrael, Jamie will share his experiences from hiking Shvil Yisrael (the Israel National Trail), the 1,100 km trail between Israel’s southern and northern borders. You can see a map of the different sections of the trail here.
Named by National Geographic as one of the 20 best epic trails in the world, Shvil Yisrael traverses Israel’s diverse landscapes, flora and fauna, and cultures.
Jamie has long dreamed of hiking Shvil Yisrael, but the busyness of everyday life always got in the way. As a result of the pandemic, he finally has the time.
Last summer, Jamie began hiking Shvil Yisrael. We invite you to join him as he writes about what he’s discovering about the land and the people of Israel while exploring the country on foot.
Ready? Let’s get started…
Watch Jamie’s short introduction video:
Click on the links below to read about Jamie’s experiences so far:
Day 1: Tel Dan to Kfar Giladi
Day 2: Kfar Giladi to Koach Fortress
Day 3: Koach Fortress to Dishon
Day 4: Dishon to Tzivon Junction
Day 5: Tzivon Junction to Meron
Day 6: Nahal Amud
Day 7: Lower Nahal Amud to Tiberias Illit
Day 8: Tiberias Illit to Yardenit
Day 9: From Yardenit to Gazit Junction
Day 10: From Gazit Junction to Mount Yona
Day 11: From Mount Yona to HaMovil Junction
Day 12: From HaMovil Junction to Kibbutz Yagur
Day 13: From Kibbutz Yagur to Oren Junction
About Jamie Salter
Jamie Salter is a Jewish Educator and officially licensed Israel Tour Guide. He has a BA in Modern History from Oxford University and a MA in Jewish Education from the Hebrew University. Jamie works in many different Jewish educational arenas – in recent years he has taught in a Jewish school in the US, guided British Members of Parliament on their trip to Israel, and worked as an educational consultant for the Jewish Agency. He is a regular guide and educator in Israel for, amongst others, Hebrew Union College, the Nachshon Project, and the Brandeis Schusterman Centre for Israel Studies. Jamie served as the educational director of the Ministry of Tourism Tour Guide course at the Yad Ben Zvi Institute. He currently holds a position as the director of Israel education at Machon Pardes.
