The Secret Life of Bnei Brak: A Tour of Bakeries and Cholent Restaurants

A ten-minute drive from Tel Aviv will land you, as if in a time capsule, straight into the “shtetl”—the Jewish town in 19th-century Eastern Europe. Rumors circulating in the streets of Bnei Brak say that something extraordinary is happening in the City of Torah and Mitzvot. Streets crowded with bakeries, shops selling religious articles, small, packed synagogues from which prayer can be heard throughout the day, uniquely styled shop windows, and special characters hurrying especially quickly. And when night falls, those who know, in secret, where to squeeze between the alleyways will find wonderful bakeries, kugel unlike anything you have ever tasted, and cholent in a variety of forms and flavors.

We will walk along the bustling Rabbi Akiva Street and visit its unique shops, climb up to Ponevezh Yeshiva to get acquainted with the world of yeshivas, and listen to the sounds of Hasidic melodies. We will finish at a local restaurant serving traditional Jewish food whose distinctive flavor has been preserved over the years.

You are about to be exposed to a fascinating world and receive answers to particularly interesting questions: Why won’t you find even one woman eating while walking in the street? Why is a full-length skirt less modest than an ankle-length skirt? Why don’t people wear denim clothing? What is the difference between “kugel” and “kigel”? What makes the Vizhnitz Bakery the undisputed brand of challah?

This is a rare opportunity to glimpse this fascinating world, uncover local secrets, and have an engaging conversation with the neighbor we have never spoken to.

Photo credit: Yam Artzi