Testimonials By Shmuel Browns
Group from Australia

Best two days of a 31 day cruise
We are seven older people who went on a Mediterranean cruise in April. The ship docked at Ashdod and at Haifa, a day later. We wanted to spend a night in Jerusalem. We engaged Shmuel to take us to Jerusalem on the first day, and then to the Christian sites around the Sea of Galilee, on day two, dropping us off in Haifa.
It was a wonderful experience. The tour was hugely informative. With an amazing knowledge of archaeology, the Bible (Old and New Testaments) and a willingness to share his experience of life in Israel, raising his 5 children, Shmuel had us enthralled. He fielded all our questions with patient consideration and good humour. He was careful to let us know where the costs lay. All of us have said that this side trip, off the ship, was the highlight of the cruise. Thank you, Shmuel.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293983-d7736210-r272870069-Shmuel_Browns_Israel_Tours-Jerusalem_Jerusalem_District.html#
Eric G

Tours of the Jerusalem Old City and Dead Sead/Ein Gedi
Shmuel had so much knowledge to share with you and his method was one of storytelling, no lecturing. You could see his passion. He really made Israel come alive.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293983-d7736210-r570381989-Shmuel_Browns_Israel_Tours-Jerusalem_Jerusalem_District.html#
V Schlabach

An amazing 1 1/2 day tour with Shmuel
Shmuel picked us up promptly at 4:00 pm outside the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem. Our destination was the Dead Sea. Along the way we stopped and photographed Bedouin shepherds. Shmuel then surprised us by stopping where we had a great view of St. George's monastery. Shmuel was very informative and helped us communicate with the local people.
Next day we got some amazing sunrise photos at the Dead Sea, we hiked through canyons and got lots of cool shots there, then Shmuel found some unique salt formations back at the Dead Sea. We captured some great photos of sinkholes.
To sum it up this was the highlight of our 17 day trip to Israel. Shmuel delivered beyond our greatest expectations.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293983-d7736210-r575746510-Shmuel_Browns_Israel_Tours-Jerusalem_Jerusalem_District.html#
Barry I

Exploring Qumran With A Superb Guide
When my wife and I were here in Israel 2 years ago, Shmuel took us to Herodium. Our experience on that occasion, as reflected in the Trip Advisor review I wrote, prompted us to retain Shmuel's services again in connection with a visit to Qumran. On this occasion though, at my request, we were joined by friends of ours who live in the Jerusalem area. What was going on at Qumran in ancient times and who exactly was living there continue to be contentious subjects even though some authorities, including those who are responsible for the site, would incline one to believe that we have a pretty good handle on the place. Shmuel demonstrated that he was well aware of the continuing controversies surrounding Qumran insofar as he had to deal with characters like me and my friend, Bob, who continuously peppered him with questions and arguments and insights based upon our own prior independent research and perspectives. Shmuel deftly handled what we had to say in addition to providing us with his own insights. As a result, we were all thoroughly engaged in a struggle to understand and revisit the past in order to make it meaningful in the present. All of us had a truly magnificent day with Shmuel. There is no doubt that he is our 'go to' guide when we are here in Israel.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293983-d7736210-r570381989-Shmuel_Browns_Israel_Tours-Jerusalem_Jerusalem_District.html#
Jen S

“Shmuel was an EXCELLENT, intelligent, passionate, fun guide!”
We were very lucky to have Shmuel as our tour guide. He was very knowledgable, and did actual volunteer work at the Herodium site, so we knew we were in good hands! The details he was able to provide were incredible, and this was definitely a tour/trip my dad and I will never forget!
Helainy

Even Herod would have been impressed with Shmuel's knowledge and passion!
Being a novice history buff I'm always searching out that one expert guide who will excite my understanding of historical remains. Shmuel's more than delivered in guiding us in our expedition to Herodium, a remarkable and often overlooked antiquity south of Jerusalem. His enthusiasm makes the ancient area alive with his stories of Herod. And the archeological search for Herod's Tomb played out like an ancient treasure hunt. He speaks with a simple clarity about complex archeological subjects and makes it tempting to explore these subjects academically. Shmuel did not waste a moment and the 4 hours flew by with his focusing his attention on our interest.
Barry I

A Marvelous Tour of Herodium With A Superb Guide
Over the past 40 years, I have visited many ancient sites of historical interests both in Europe and Israel. On a number of occasions, my wife and I have hired a guide to help us appreciate what we were looking at. As someone with both a background in the Classics and Judaica, I do not come to these encounters with empty hands. And yet I will admit that even when getting the benefit of an audio tour of a site as well as being armed with whatever literature is available at a site, there really is no substitute for having a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. Shmuel Browns is the epitome of precisely the kind of person you want to accompany you on a journey to a site like Herodium where he has immersed himself in virtually every facet of the place. An excavated site like Herodium may look like just a bunch of stones and buildings. For that reason, it makes a world of difference when your guide can do what the prophet Ezekiel observed in another context, namely make the dry bones live. My wife and I were thoroughly captivated by Shmuel's deep understanding of the significance of the place. His observations were trenchant and illuminating. We departed believing we had genuinely learned many things we could never have gotten otherwise. Shmuel can be both incisive and entertaining--characteristics sometimes lacking in other tour guides we have hired. It was therefore a pleasure to have spent the day with him at Herodium.
Ruth L

“Best two days of a 31 day cruise.”
We are seven older people from Australia who went on a Mediterranean cruise in April. The ship docked at Ashdod and at Haifa a day later. We wanted to spend a night in Jerusalem. We engaged Shmuel to pick us up at Ashdod and take us to Jerusalem on the first day. On day two he took us to float in the Dead Sea and then to the Christian sites around the Sea of Galilee dropping us at the boat in Haifa.
It was a wonderful experience. The tour was hugely informative. With an amazing knowledge of archaeology, the Bible (Old and New Testaments) and a willingness to share his experience of life in Israel, raising his 5 children, Shmuel had us enthralled. He fielded all our questions with patient consideration and good humour. All of us have said that this side trip, off the ship, was the highlight of the cruise. Thank you, Shmuel.