Tour Guide Confidential

https://peoplenotplaces.vhx.tv/products/judaism-and-astrology

This is a lecture on 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 that I worked on for a long time that you will hopefully find as interesting as I did.

Most people do not realize that there is a long history of Astrology in Jewish sources that goes back to the Bible and the accurate prediction of Moses' birth and death by Egyptian Astrologers.

This lecture looks at the many issues that Astrology raises from a Jewish perspective and how they were resolved in Talmudic times only to be abandoned by Jews since the time of Maimonides.

In particular, I look at the issues of 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝗜𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗿𝘆, whether Astrology is 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗰𝘆, and the place of 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Note that this lecture can be 𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗗 at the low rate of $𝟭𝟬 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀. (In addition to being fascinating to me personally, it is one small way for me to earn some income as this war grinds on.)

I hope that you find it interesting and enjoyable!

*Please also 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 it with your friends on Facebook and anywhere else!*

Judaism and Astrology Once quite common among Jews, Astrology no longer plays a part in Jewish life. This lecture looks at the history of Judaism and Astrology and how it has changed over time. In particular, we look at whether Astrology calls into question the existence of Free Will, whether it is a type of idolatry, wh...

I recently sat down with fellow tour guide Michelle Levitz to record the 25th episode of Tour Guide Confidential. We discussed educational and hands-on experiential tourism. as well as October7

Please check it out at tourguideconfidential.com or on Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1140848

Tour Guide Confidential Tour Guides tell the best stories and Tour Guide Confidential provides the showcase for Tour Guides to talk about this endlessly fascinating profession. Join us for interviews with some of the top-tier tour guides to hear about their unforgettable...

https://open.substack.com/pub/israelanthropologist/p/liberal-anti-zionism?r=heu4e&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This morning, I released a video of a lecture that I put together on the intellectual underpinning of Liberal Anti-Zionism. Please check out the link and the video. Note that the video is only available for free to those who are subscribed to the "Israel Anthropologist" substack, but that there is a rental option that costs only $10 USD for 14 days of viewing.

Please watch this video and share the link to the rental site with any and all who may be interested, or may benefit, from the site. : https://peoplenotplaces.vhx.tv/

This lecture is especially important for current or prospective college students, community leaders, rabbis, and pastors. It will give them the tools they need to understand the internal logic of anti-Zionism. And as they always say, to address a problem, it is essential to first clearly identify it. I believe that this lecture goes a long way towards accomplishing that goal.

Liberal Anti-Zionism (English Subtitles) A look at the intellectual roots of liberal Anti-Zionism

My latest thoughts on substack:

Remember not to Forget Why Jewish Sources Matter

Latest substack post!

It Takes a (Jewish) Village On the Promise and Pitfalls of Educational Tourism

https://tourguideconfidential.com/ep-24-adam-waddel-educational-tourism/

Hey, friends! I have a new Tour Guide Confidential episode out where Adam Waddell and I discuss educational tourism.

You can check it out at the TGC site (above) or on any of your podcast players (e.g. Spotify, iTunes, etc.)

https://open.spotify.com/show/6E79PKSumYOA4EaQvmKHf2?si=8f84452db0b44d7e

Tour Guide Confidential Listen to Tour Guide Confidential on Spotify. Tour Guides tell the best stories and Tour Guide Confidential provides the showcase for Tour Guides to talk about this endlessly fascinating profession. Join us for interviews with some of the top-tier tour guides to hear about their unforgettable guidin...

My latest substack thoughts.

Please subscribe if you have not yet done so.
Please share with your friends or colleagues who may be interested in my perspective.
Thank you!

Sadistic Triumphalism The "moral inversion" of accusing Israel of genocide.

Check out my substack and lecture that I gave last week on the intellectual underpinnings of anti-Zionism and antisemitism.

The Assault of the Intellectuals Exploring the underpinnings of academic anti-Zionism and antisemitism.

My latest substack post:

The Secret to Immortality The Hostage Crisis and Collective Obligations

Please check out my latest substack post that includes links to a podcast episode that I released earlier today.

The Times that Try our Souls Haike Winter sat down with me for the Tour Guide Confidential podcast to share her experience of volunteering in the devastates kibbutz of Nir Oz.

Here is another way to get to this podcast episode.

In a few hours it will also be picked up by all the major podcast players like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, etc.

Episode 23: Haike Winter - Guides Volunteering in War Time - Tour Guide Confidential In this episode, tour guide Haike Winter, returns to Tour Guide Confidential to share her experience of volunteering in a dairy farm during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Like all tour guides in Israel, Haike was left unemployed by the ...

Check out my new Tour Guide Confidential podcast episode where I sit down with Haike Winter Tour guide to discuss her experience of volunteering in the cowshed of Kibbutz Nir Oz. This small community was devastated and bore the brunt of the Hamas pogrom on October 7.

Episode 23: Haike Winter - Guides Volunteering in War Time - Tour Guide Confidential Tour Guide Haike Winter describes her volunteering experience in the devastated "Gaza envelope" kibbutz of Nir Oz.

My latest substack post.

The Relentless News Cycle Moving past simplistic binaries.

Who makes the rules?
A nascent movement to change the IDF's rules of engagement.

Please subscribe to my Substack. I am trying to provide thoughtful commentary and analysis and it would directly help me in this difficult time. when there is no tourism and no end in sight to the war. Thank you!!!

Who Makes the Rules? A nascent movement to change the IDF's rules of engagement.

Back in April 2020, during the early days of Corona, I decided to launch a podcast where I interviewed tour guides about different styles of guiding and best practices, while providing an oral history of the calamity that had befallen our profession. With 21 long-form interviews under my belt, I am very proud of what I accomplished and am thrilled to see that the podcast has crossed the 4,000 downloads mark.

I have been asked probably a hundred times by other guides if I have made any money off of this podcast. While I definitely don't have anything against making money, it was never my primary goal nor is it the only and primary metric. Rather, I hope that people will continue to be enriched by these episodes.

The only reason I stopped working on this podcast was because, on average, it took me 4 days of work to produce one episode. With the return of work, I simply didn't have the time. Also, I am choosing to give precedence to my latest project that I am calling "People not Places". (Please contact me if you are interested in this latest project.)

That said, I have not completely abandoned this project, but I think that if I do any more interviews, I am going to upload them raw and unedited. If there are any tour guides out there who feel that they have something that they want to share, I will be more than happy to find a time to sit down with them.

In the meantime, if you have not listened to the podcast, please do. I think that the discussions on guiding are as relevant today as they were when they were first published.

You can listen to episodes on Spotify, Stitcher, Castbox, etc. and on the show's website: tourguideconfidential.com

The 22nd Episode of Tour Guide Confidential is out!

I spoke with tour guide and tour leader 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝘇𝗶𝗮𝗸 about her passion for guiding and the promise and pitfalls of 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺. Anita is currently a PhD candidate and writing her dissertation on this topic.

To hear this episode, click on the link:
https://tourguideconfidential.com/anita-andziak-virtual-tourism/
or listen to it on any podcast platform such as Spotify, Stitcher, Apple podcasts, etc.

Originally from Poland and based out of Switzerland, Anita is the first of hopefully many non-Israeli tour guides to be on the podcast. Anita leads in-person and virtual tours across Europe and the Mediterranean region.

Please 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 to the podcast and 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 this FB post and episode with anyone who might be interested in the subject matter.

Ep 22: Anita Andziak - Virtual Tourism in the 21st Century - Tour Guide Confidential In this episode, I sat down with tour guide and Virtual Reality expert Anita Andziak to discuss the future of Virtual Tourism.

After a long hiatus, the latest episode of Tour Guide Confidential was dropped this afternoon. In this episode, I sat down with my colleague Aliza Bellehnson Avshalom and we had a fascinating discussion on environmental and cultural tourism.

Check it out here:
https://tourguideconfidential.com/ep-21-aliza-avshalom-paths-people-israel/

It is also available on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcast, etc. under Tour Guide Confidential. Please subscribe to the podcast and direct any questions or comments to me.

Ep. 21 Aliza Bellehsen Avshalom - Guiding Paths and People in Israel - Tour Guide Confidential In this episode Aliza Bellehson Avshalom discusses her deep connection to the Land of Israel, to hiking its paths, and to showcasing the people of the Holy Land.

If you are looking for an interesting podcast to listen to this weekend, then look no further. After a long interlude, I am happy to announce that the first episode of season two of "Tour Guide Confidential" was just released.

In this 20th episode, I sat down with Yoni Shapira, the head of Israel's Incoming Tour Guide Association Moreshet Derekh and we discussed the need for there to be two tour guide associations, the difference between incoming and domestic tourism, whether domestic tourism should even count as tourism and, of course, the coronavirus pandemic and its lingering impacts on tourism.

You can listen to the episode on the Tour Guide Confidential webpage or anyplace that you listen to music such as Spotify, Apple and Google podcasts. Enjoy and I welcome any feedback that you might have.

https://tourguideconfidential.com/ep-20-yoni-shapira.../

Ep. 20: Yoni Shapira - Tourism: Turning Experiences into Memories - Tour Guide Confidential In this episode, Yoni Shapira discusses the differences between incoming and domestic tourism and how this impacts tour guides.

The latest episode with tour guide Tamar Linchevsky was posted a few days ago and you can listen to it on any podcast app or through Spotify, Stitcher, etc. Just look for "Tour Guide Confidential" and it will be the latest episode.

Of course it is also available at the tourguideconfidential.com website as the Featured Episode.

I want to thank Tamar for a fascinating discussion where we dove deep into the Hero's Journey and its relevance. I also share my thoughts on the current tourism debacle here in Israel.

Please SHARE this widely and help us tour guides get our voices out there. Thank you!

Am proud to announce that I recently had the distinct pleasure of being interviewed for "The Upfront", a new podcast hosted by Nina Mueller. Among many other things, I talk about the sad state of affairs in Israel's tourism industry.

Please check it out, subscribe to her podcast (and to Tour Guide Confidential) and share this with your friends. It is available on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox or anywhere else you listed to music and podcasts.

https://www.theupfrontpodcast.com/1877378/9729967-dr-eyal-dujovny-anthropology-society

Of course, I would also love to hear your thoughts on this episode.

Dr. Eyal Dujovny | Anthropology & Society - The Upfront Podcast On today’s episode, Nina is speaking with Dr. Eyal Dujovny, an environmental anthropologist who has lived in many different countries has then been working as a licensed tour guide in Israel for the past several years and had started a podcast for...

PLEASE check out and **SHARE** the latest episode of my podcast Tour Guide Confidential.

My very special guest is ME, MYSELF, and I! Yes, my friend and former podcast guest, Amir Katz, kindly agreed to interview me for my own podcast.

This was a long overdue opportunity to share about my upbringing and background, explain why I started the podcast, elaborate on my guiding philosophy, and discuss my thoughts on why I consider myself to be a cultural broker.

Last, but not least, I rant a bit about the recent "opening" of the skies in Israel to tourism and why this is anything but.

https://tourguideconfidential.com/ep-18-eyal-dujovny-cultural-broker/

I would love to hear what people think of this episode and the podcast in general.

Please Note that this episode is also available on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, Castbox, Google Podcasts or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. You can subscribe on the website or at any of these fine podcatchers.

Ep.18: Dr. Eyal Dujovny - The Guide as Cultural Broker - Tour Guide Confidential In this episode, Tour Guide Confidential Host and Founder, Dr. Eyal Dujovny discusses the genesis of this podcast as well as the importance of being a cultural broker when guiding.

A few months back someone from the STICA Travel Agency contacted me “out of the blue” on behalf of the Danish Ministry of Education. At first, I thought that this was some sort of a hoax since they informed me that they had been listening to my Tour Guide Confidential podcast (tourguideconfidential.com) and were hoping to get my permission to upload episodes of the podcast to YouTube. Due to Corona, they had received some government funding and were looking to use my podcast as educational material for their Virtual Tour Guide Academy.

I was admittedly hesitant at first and didn’t exactly understand why a podcast - which is basically radio streamed on the Internet - should be on YouTube. Thankfully, we had a wonderful conversation and they convinced me that many people prefer to access podcasts this way, so I agreed to give it a shot. I think the results speak for themselves.

I would LOVE TO HEAR what you all think of this video and of the podcast in general. Am happy to report that I have a few new episodes lined up for “Season Two” of Tour Guide Confidential and the first guest this time around will be ME interviewed by Amir Katz! Stay tuned, as the episode will drop in the next couple of days.

Enjoy!!!

https://youtu.be/QCsmGEABvJE

PS A big thank you to Elinoar Nitzani who agreed to share her story on the show.

Tour Guide Confidential Podcast: Agricultural Tourism by DR. EYAL DUJOVNY and ELINOAR NITZANI Passionate about the natural world, Elinoar relates how she pursued a degree in agriculture and how this eventually led her to the budding new field of agric...

I published this episode just a few days before I traveled to the US and then my Facebook was hacked and I could not advertise it. So without further delay, I present you with my conversation with Elinoar Nitzani.

Elinoar is a polyglot who guides in four languages. She shares her interesting perspective as someone who has, from an early age, lived in various places around the world. Passionate about the natural world, Elinoar relates how she pursued a degree in agriculture and how this eventually led her to the budding new field of agricultural tourism.

Enjoy!

PS This is also available on Stitcher, Spotify and any other podcatcher out there.

Please share this episode with anyone who may find it of interest.

https://tourguideconfidential.com/ep-17-elinoar-nitzani-agricultural-tourism/

Ep.17: Elinoar Nitzani - Agricultural Tourism - Tour Guide Confidential Elinoar Nitzani relates how she pursued a degree in agriculture and how this eventually led her to the budding new field of agricultural tourism.