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You are a teacher and you have a gift. Your passion for what you give makes learning a pleasure. As a voracious reader I would compare the experience of spending time with you to reading a phenomenal novel, perhaps one of the classics. You savor the book and dread coming to the end because you know you will then cease to be involved with the characters that you've grown attached to. That's life of course but it's always a challenge. That's the best analogy I can give.

I've spent a lot of time studying Asian and East Indian cultures and virtually no time looking at Israel, even being Jewish and knowing we would be there. I did not have the traditional American Jewish childhood in any way so I struggle with this identity. After our trip I feel an intense attachment to the country that was much more than I expected, and am missing being there as I resume life here.

There is a tour of Israel and then there is the Itai Tennenbaum Israel experience. Our family hooked up with Itai for the B''not Mitzvah of my daughter and her cousin. Our clan of a dozen thirteen to twenty year olds, along with another 15 adults, were lucky enough to engage Itai to show us a country that is both historically fascinating and politically and culturally challenging. Aside from great planning and access and a sense for the must sees and the rarely seen what set Itai apart was the level of engagement he elicited from everyone in our group.

Whether it was a spirited discussion of the wisdom of the emerging wall protecting Israel from its Palestinian "neighbors" or the historical controversy over the martyrs of Masada Itai''s knowledgeable perspective and willingness to discuss the many sides to most issues brought the sites and historical context to life. His knowledge of the varying perspectives on history is superb and while a true Israel, Itai is not one to merely follow the conventional story if there is controversy or intrigue to be discovered.

In addition the inclusion of unique experiences mixed in to the usual and customary sites kept everyone interested. All in all I can''t imagine another Israel experience as rich and unique as one led by Itai.

In April 2008, we were fortunate to go on an interfaith mission to Israel, where Itai was our guide. There were 19 of us from Minneapolis on the trip, many whom had never been to Israel before. We had a very eclectic group of people, and Itai never missed a beat. Itai is extremely knowledgeable about ALL religions, and he is an expert in history and the background of the new and Old Testament. We traveled from the south to the very north. In addition to his brilliant deliverance, he is extremely witty, fun to be around, and we can definitely say he is the best guide we have ever had. The next time we return to Israel, we hope that Itai will be available to show us around this remarkable country.

I''d always wanted to go to Israel, and in February of ''08 finally decided to travel there with my son, age 18 and my daughter, age 20. Because of school and work commitments, the time we could spend together in Israel was briefer than we would have liked--five days, total. But thanks to our guide, Itai Tennenbaum, the trip was beyond magical in every way. We saw more of the history of the country, as well as its vibrant, diverse cultures, people, landscape and natural gifts than we could have possibly imagined. And as he got to know us over the week, he calibrated the visit to suit our preferences and collective energy. He was also of critical help in our planning of the trip--well before our plane left JFK for Ben Gurion, we felt in expert hands.

Perhaps best of all, Itai is smart, funny, knowledgeable, articulate and relevant, able to impart important facts and information fluidly and effectively to a multi-generational group.

We still remark to each other that our trip to Israel in 2008, as guided by Itai, was the "best we ever took."

My wife and I have been to Israel three times. All were special in their own way, but only one was truly memorable. That trip was the one with Itai Tennenbaum as our guide. Itai has charisma, he makes Israel come alive. We could not wait to be in his presence every day, and truly did not want any day to end. His insight, and in depth knowledge of Israel its past and present are astounding. Itai is truly mesmerizing in the way he weaves his stories into your trip. We cannot wait to go back to Israel, but it will only happen if Itai is our guide.

Itai made our Israel touring experience nothing short of magical! His intensive knowledge-base of Israel and its history, coupled with the insight he was able to give us about Israeli politics, internal and world-wide, added immeasurably. Itai's warm personality and ability to connect with people of all ages made us feel that much more excited about what we were learning.

I have known Itai for over twenty years. His in-depth knowledge of Israel, its history, politics and people is unsurpassed. More importantly, Itai is simply wonderful with people. He is extraordinarily intelligent, enthusiastic, warm and caring. I count knowing him among my life''s blessings.

We were so fortune to spend the week touring with and learning from Itai. His vast knowledge of Israeli history, politics, anthropology and culture is extraordinary. He imparted this knowledge to our three school aged children with tremendous skill and care. He has a keen sense of how children think and learn and he gave our kids the tools to absorb a wealth of information about both biblical Israel and the modern Israel of today. His passion and creativity made the trip an incredible educational adventure. I continue to see Itai''s impact on my children in the thoughtful, sophisticated questions they raise about our discussions with Itai and the way in which they use the tools he gave them to search for the answers. Itai is an exceptional educator of all things Israel.

Wow, is Itai a great guide! He has a profound knowledge of Israel''s history and is a fabulous teacher and story teller. His enthusiasm? Boundless. His energy level? Formidable. Itai quickly understood which areas of Israel''s culture and history were of the greatest interest to our mini-group and steered our activities to emphasize those interests. He led us in spirited discussions - and each day introduced us to special aspects of Israel.

Itai Tennenbaum has stunning command of history, passion, energy -- and a wonderful sense of humor -- that made our trip meaningful and fun!

For five memorable days, Itai led us through ancient and modern Jewish, Christian and Muslim sights, connecting with each member of our family and drawing us ever closer to the land and people of Israel.

As we walked together in the footsteps of the most storied heroes and villains of history, Itai would often ask us to imagine that we had stepped back in time -- that we were King Herod, or an inhabitant of Masada, or perhaps Golda Meir. What decisions would we have made? And how might those decisions have changed the course of history? A gifted storyteller with a keen understanding of his material and audience, Itai quickly makes it clear that history is not a collection of static factoids but rather an evolving multi-ethnic progression of human decisions and profound consequences.

On a personal level, Itai is exceedingly warm, patient, and responsive. He recommended flexible itineraries according to our interests and stamina, and cheerfully made adjustments as needed. We explored the Old City, trekked through caves, floated in the Dead Sea, drove up the Golan Heights to peer over the Syrian border, walked along the Mediterranean, and visited crowded markets, artist communities and a British detention camp for Jews who tried to escape to Israel during WW2. Logistics were always well planned, and Italic's air-conditioned, licensed vehicles were always comfortable and immaculate.

We certainly were privileged to have Itai guide our visit to Israel and become our friend.

I have been to Israel over 20 times and Itai is by far my favorite guide. I have had him as a guide, both as part of a large group and just for my husband and me. It's not just that he has an encyclopedic knowledge of Israel and Jewish history (which he does), but also he has a unique way of imparting his knowledge that makes history come alive. He's just as adept at explaining the ins and outs of present day Israeli politics and culture—which is no easy task. He makes everything interesting, from ancient sites, to modern sites, to just walking down the street. You don't just have a guide for the sites, you have a guide for everything that makes up Israel today.

I have seen him with young adults, middle-agers, children, older adults, Jews and Christians. Everyone is mesmerized when he's talking. He never talks down to you or lectures. He involves you so that you are an active listener and participant.

Best of all are his warmth and sense of humor. It's not classroom time touring Israel with Itai; you have such a good time, you forget you're learning. When you're with Itai, you don't just have a guide, you have a friend—albeit the smartest friend you ever had!

Itai''s passion, preparation and patience are the qualities that make him so extraordinary at his profession and made our family trip to Israel so memorable and fun. Itai was our tour guide in Israel this past summer. I was responsible for organizing our trip, which was an extended family group of 24 people ranging in age from four to 72. From planning the itinerary and coordinating our bar/bat mitzvah service to making hotel and restaurant reservations, Itai could not have been more responsive to my questions and concerns. He made tons of suggestions but never pushed his own agenda and he was extremely patient and flexible in accommodating any and all last minute changes.

The true testament to Itai''s success however, is that we were all excited to start each new day of the trip. Itai''s ability to schedule the days so we were never "dragging" kept every member of our group motivated and excited the entire 12 days. Though half of our group was repeat visitors and half was first timers Itai was consistently able to lead the discussions so everyone felt engaged. The kids particularly loved the combination of interactive discussions and hands-on experiences. The adults augmented their understanding of Israel''s economic, social, and religious dynamics due to Itai''s wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for both historical and modern day Israel. His ability to share the perspective of other faiths and cultures gave us a deeper understanding of the basis for modern Israel''s conflicts, challenges, and opportunities (something that is rarely explored in US hebrew schools).

Over the course of a 12 day trip, you get to know someone pretty well. In addition to his expertise as a guide, Itai is just a really great guy to be around. He is upbeat, intelligent, and a good listener. There is a fair amount of travel related downtime on the trip and from the four year old to the 72 year old, we all enjoyed spending extra time with Itai individually and in smaller groups.

Our trip was more informative, interesting, enjoyable, and ran smoother than I could every have envisioned. I couldn''t imagine planning another trip to Israel without knowing Itai would be there to guide us through.