One lucky Israeli family will celebrate Jerusalem Day glamping overnight at the Tower of David Museum, May 20-21. They’ll enjoy fine food and wine, private shows and tours, rooftop yoga – and best of all, the finest view of the Old City from the crest of the ancient citadel.

It’s a creative way for the museum of Jerusalem history to mark the 53^rd anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem in a time with no foreign tourists and strict limitations on visitors as Israel’s museums began reopening May 17.

Hence the 5-star glamorous camping package at the Tower of David.

And how was ISRAEL21c part of the planning, without even knowing about it? Director of International Public Relations & Strategic Communications Caroline Shapiro wrote to tell us.

She’d been pondering how to host a small group of domestic visitors – say, one family – at the museum even though hotels are closed.

Perhaps they could pitch a tent on the beautiful, now-deserted Tower of David lawn. But how could they assure the comfort and safety of their guests?

“And then I thought, what about deluxe glamping at the Tower of David? Wouldn’t that be magical! And so I started to see who I could find in Israel that did glamping.”

Her search led to Itay Kadish Katz and his company, Glamping Israel. However, she knew nothing about Katz’s reputation.

“Then I spotted a fabulous article on ISRAEL21C about glamping … and it mentioned Itay. And I thought, ‘Well, if ISRAEL21C are writing about him, I trust what they write; he must be good.’

“And great he is and amazing to work with,” she continued. “He too has been severely harmed by the pandemic with cancellations from abroad throughout the summer. So without even being aware of it, ISRAEL21C has been part of the content creation and for that I thank you!”

Photo by Shimon Bokshtein/Courtesy of Glamping.co.il

‘One City, One Tower, One Night, One Day’

The package that Shapiro and Katz put together sounds awesome – both for the recipients and for the service providers whose businesses have been on hold for two months.

The experience includes yoga on the top of the tower with MeYogi; a private viewing of the spectacular “King David” sound and light show; a lantern-lit expedition to the Kishle excavations and King Herod’s palace; a private guided tour of Jerusalem’s skyline, fun interactive and immersive museum activities; and sleeping in luxury tents on quality mattresses with crisp white sheets under the Jerusalem skies.

The winners will be dined by Chef Moshe Basson of the famed Eucalyptus, wined by socially conscious upscale winery Bat Shlomo and treated to breakfast from Ofaimme Farm of the Elah Valley. They’ll go home with goodies from Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda provided by Box from Jerusalem.

Chef Moshe Basson in front of the Eucalyptus, Jerusalem. Photo by Ricki Rachman

The opportunity was publicized in Hebrew and English through Facebook. Israeli families were invited to write about or send a photo or video of their favorite Jerusalem memory. Prizewinning Jerusalem author (and former Tower of David guide) Galit Dahan Carlebach is picking the winner.

“Our programs, our exhibitions, our rooms, our buildings are vast,” says Shapiro. “They were built to welcome masses of people. Our content is created to attract the greater public.

“Luckily for us during these times, the Tower of David Museum includes a huge outdoor complex. To feel and see the history of Jerusalem you don’t even need to walk inside the rooms. It’s all around you.”