We spent 2 days with Joel in Jerusalem. This was a trip with two of my teen daughters, my wife and my in laws - all of whom had never been to Israel before - to spend some time with my oldest who was in the middle of a gap year and on a break between semesters.
Our first day was spent in the old city. Despite the fact that my in-laws are far less observant than our family (we are conservative) and the significant differences in interests Joel made the history of the city come alive for our septogenerians and our teens.
Joel's knowledge of the history and evolution of the city, not just in the Jewish aspects, but in the Christian and Muslim aspects lent context and relevance to what we were seeing.
Our day culminated at the Western Wall which was incredibly moving.
The second day we spent seeing the Chagall windows, Yad Vashem, and the Shuk.
Again, Joel's knowledge of the city, the markets and the history of the area was invaluable. He brought relevance to everything.
Through the Shuk, Joel knew many of the vendors and carefully guided us to the best tastes of Israel.
Joel's style and mannerisms help him to connect everyone to what is happening and made our trip incredibly meaningful and memorable.
HIGHLY recommend.