Free Museum Day May 2025

Sorry for the late post, but you need to know that TODAY, Thursday, May 15, 2025 is FREE Museum Day in Israel!!

There are 130 participating museums - - there's something for everyone!!

Find the full list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OODjyjgAIf9xdgrTIHhYdroiLXFda6wb/htmlview

Let me know where you decide to go!

Have fun! 

FREE on Pesach 2025

I just HAD to take a break from Pesach cleaning to share this with you all!

Here's the list of Bank Hapoalim's free attractions for Pesach 2025. I have linked to websites in English, whenever possible. I hope you find this list helpful, and that you get to have some super-frugal fun over Pesach!

*Please note that I put a lot of effort into this post, tracking down websites in English for your convenience. I know the Bank Hapoalim info and other info is available to the public in Hebrew, but this blog post has added benefits for the English-speaking community. Because it was so much work, I request that you link back to this post if you share this information. Thank you!*

Please leave a comment with your favorite place to visit!

If you haven't already, go ahead and like my Facebook page so you don't miss out on deals and great info all year round!

The following are free to the public (April 14-18) courtesy of Bank HaPoalim. Pre-registration is required, and will open on Sunday, April 9. Click here to register

North:

Ancient Katzrin Park

Dubrovin Farm

Homa V'Migdal - Kibbutz Chanita Museum

Hula Valley Lake 

Mt. Hermon

Umm El-fahem Art Gallery

Regba Aqueduct

Botanical and Zoological Garden Nahariya

Druze Heritage Center

The Wilfrid Museum

Mishkan Museum of Art, Ein Harod

The Ghetto Fighters' House Museum

The Golan Archaeological Museum

The Treasures in The Walls Museum

Yigal Allon Center

The National Maritime Museum

The Haifa Museum of Art

The Janco-Dada Museum 

Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art

The Haifa City Museum

Hermann Struck Museum

Central Israel & The Sharon Region:

Beit HaGalgalim - House of Wheels

Planetanya

The Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art

Yaacov Agam Museum of Art

The Yemenite Jewry Heritage Museum

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art

The Nachum Gutman Museum of Art

Anu Museum of the Jewish People

The Rabin Center Israeli Museum

The Israeli Cartoon Museum

The Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art

The Rubin Museum

Bialik House

Jerusalem Area: 

Hasmonean Aqueduct in Armon Hanetziv

Israel Museum

Jerusalem Walls Tour

The Bible Lands Museum

The Hasmonean Heritage Museum (Modiin)

Museum of Islamic Art

South:

Meshek 77 (Strawberry picking and more)

Kibbutz Chatzerim Visitors Center

The Tzon Barzel Heritage Museum

Meshek Haviv

The Dolphin and Sea Center, Ashdod

Lunada Children's Museum

Park Timna

Ben Gurion's Hut

Beta Israel Village

The Joe Alon Center for Bedouin Culture

The Legends of Yamit Visitors' Center

The Corinne Mamane Museum of Philistine Culture

The Salad Trail

Chavat HaDekalim Petting Zoo

Ron Art Judaica Studio

The Sea Museum, Palmachim

Other venues that are also FREE:

April 15-16, 10:00AM - 3:00PM: Register in advance

Dubrovin Farm

The Valley Train Site - Kfar Yehoshua
Old Courtyard - Kibbutz Ein Shemer

Herzliya City Museum

The Story of a Kibbutz, Yad Mordechai

Israel Parks and Nature: free guided tours at various sites. Register HERE 

More coming soon, as I find them!

5 ​ 6
Have a great time!

Please share this with your friends, so everyone can plan a fun and frugal Pesach!

Find me on Facebook

If you want to find (and share!) shopping deals, please join my deals groups on Facebook: 

Kosher Frugal

Israeli Shopping Overseas 

Live in Israel, Shop Online 

Israel Deals Made Easy (in English) 

I'm also on WhatsApp with an opt-in group where you'll get links to deals I find. Only admins can post.

Outdoor Fun and Discounts!

this post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you! Thanks for your support.

Everyone needs a break, even when it's not vacation. But of course, we don't want to break the bank, especially in this current economic climate. And I'm all for free fun when we can find it, but sometimes you really want to take your kids somewhere that's a "treat". So of course, I recommend you find and use discounts! So here are some great discounts you might want to use in the coming weeks:

Here are the deals I found today! Zoos and other animal centered fun that's perfect for the season:

1. Haifa Zoo (The Educational Zoo) for 33.90 per person (regular price 45)

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal! 

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2. Discount admission to the Biblical Museum of Natural History in Bet Shemesh (35 NIS for kids / 45 NIS for adults)

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

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3. Hai Park in Kiryat Motzkin - one-day admission for 45 NIS/per person (reg. price is 55 NIS per adult/50 NIS per child. Note that seniors, soldiers, and other groups are eligible for discounts that could be better than this one) OR get a family membership for 649 NIS (regular price 775 NIS)

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

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4. Discount admission to Chai-Kef in Rishon - voucher good all year.

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

_______

5. The Eilat Botanical Gardens - 21 NIS/child, 26 NIS for adults

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

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7. Devorat HaTabor Bee Farm (best deal is the family ticket for 2 adults + 2 children for 149 NIS)

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

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8. Riding lessons at Ein Vered (private lesson) for 40% off

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

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9. Pedal Boating for a group of 4, at Montfort Lake, for 59 NIS

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

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10. Park Janana for 95 NIS per person (reg. price 107 NIS)

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

Enjoy!

Planning a getaway? Don't miss these deals!

this post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link, and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!

Getting out of the house? 

Looking for discount getaway deals? Here are several places to check out! Why pay full price when you can catch one of these deals?!

• Camping at Hagoshrim (tent not included) for up to 40% off (better discounts for people who buy the combo deal - camping plus kayaking)

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

• Camping and fishing package at Maayan Tzvi - great nightly rate for all the extras you get with it!

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

• For people who want slightly more upscale accommodations for their nature getaway, check out Lehavot HaBashan for a great deal with lots of extras

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

• Cabins at Neve Ativ, kids included! 

Click here to go to Groo to buy this deal!

• Vacation packages at Ortal in the Golan Heights (choose from a premium room or a cabin), and includes breakfast and rafting or fruit picking

Click here to go to Groo to buy this deal!

• Stay at the Donna Gracia Hotel in Tiberias in August for an amazing price!

Click here to go to Groo to buy this deal!

• Jerusalem area getaway! Ramat Rachel has a great package deal, for a couple plus up to 2 children!

Click here to go to Groo and buy this deal!

• Sephardic House getaway in Jerusalem. Stay in the Old City for an unprecedented rate. Add more guests or upgrade after you purchase (upgrades and extras are payable directly to the hotel)

Click here to go to Groo to buy this deal!

Where will you be going? Let me know!

Don't forget to follow my page on Facebook and join my Facebook Deals group or my Whatsapp Deals group! Thanks!

FREE admission Yom Ha'Atzmaut 2019

NOTE: This list was UPDATED on Monday, May 6.

Thursday, May 9, 2019 is Yom Ha'Atzmaut, and this year, in honor of 71 yrs of the State of Israel, more than 71 attractions around the country will open to the public at no charge.

The list on this page represents many hours of work translating and researching, and I request that if you want to share this information, you link to this blog post. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

If you need wheels for Yom Ha'atzmaut, check out this great deal for just 71nis for the day!
Go thru this who list - find a place you've never gone to, and go have fun! In past years we've gone to museums that were free on Yom Haatzmaut, and they was almost completely empty. I think many Israelis prefer their mangal in the park and sitting in traffic. I prefer free admission!

I'm sure there are other places that are offering free programs or free admission, that I haven't heard of, so please add information for other places in the comments, or send a note to ester@kosherfrugal.com and I'll add it in! Thank you.

I have tried, wherever possible, to link to websites in English. If you find a broken or incorrect link, please email me at ester@kosherfrugal.com so I can take care of it! Thanks!

Have a wonderful Yom Ha'atzmaut. May it bring us closer to the Geulah Sh'laymah!

Be sure to find me on Facebook and stay up to date about great Israeli free and frugal living ideas!

South:

Yad LaIsha HaLochemet in Nitzanim - guided tours 9 am - 1 pm. 08-6727895

The Open Museum in Negba - 050-55605540

From Holocaust to Revival Museum in Yad Mordechai - 08-6720599 , 052-3923104

Ben Gurion's Hut (Sde Boker) - open 10 am to 4 pm. Last admission at 3 pm 08-6560469

Maoz opposite Gaza in Kibbutz Saad 052-3726644

The Joe Alon Center for Bedouin Culture at Kibbutz Lahav 08-9913322

The Revivim Museum named for Yosef Weitz. 10 am - 2 pm 08-6562570 \ 08-656263

Beit Ruchama, 9am - 2pm. Reserve by calling 054-7995149

Metzudat Yoav, The Givati Museum 08-6611316

Be'er Sheva ANZAC Memorial Center - 08-6205004

Beersheba Turkish Railway Station (Engine 70414), Open 9-5, sign up in advance for guided tour: 08-6234613

Be'erot BaNegev Visitors Center in Kibbutz Alumim, Open 10-2, advance registration required for guided tours, 08-9937300

Jerusalem Area:

The Old Yishuv Court Museum, 02-6276319, 052-4002478

Ammunition Hill Memorial Site - 02-5829392/3, ext 115

The Yellin House - in Motza - 052-4257345

The Gush Etzion Visitors' Center - in Kfar Etzion. 02-9935160

The Tower of David Museum - 02-6265333 or *2884

The Underground Prisoners Museum in Jerusalem - 10 a.m - 5 pm. 02-6233166

The Shai Agnon House - 02-6716498

Menachem Begin Heritage Center - 02-5652020 02-5652011 

Beit Plugat HaKotel/Platoon of the Wall House - reservations required. Call the Begin Center to reserve: 02-5652020 02-5652011 

Yad LaShiryon at Latrun - for more info: 08-9784321

Jewish Quarter Tours, at noon and 3pm, from the golden menorah. Call *4987

The Hurva Synagogue - *4987

The Burnt House - *4987

Levi Eshkol House, 9-6, advance registration required. Call 02-6313091

Tel Aviv and the Center:


Palmach Museum - Reservations required. 03-5459800 

The Israeli Museum at the Rabin Center - with advance reservations only.*4585 (for ages 10+)

Ben-Gurion House - 03-5221010

The Jabotinsky Museum - open 8 am - 4 pm. 03-5287320 (reservations required for groups of 10, or for groups who need additional assistance due to accessibility issues)

The Joseph Bau House - 054-4301499 (Special programs available for Olim Chadashim and for children)

Rokach House - for more info: 03-5168042 or email info@rokach-house.co.il

Sarona-HaKirya Visitors' Center - 03-604-9634 (you should call to register in advance. Tours on the hour between 10am and 3pm)

The Etzel Museum 03-525-3307

The Hagana Museum - 03-560862

The Lechi Museum - For more info: 03-6820288 or email lehi_museum@mod.gov.il

The Etzel 1948 Museum - open 8:30am - 4:30pm. 03-5177180 , 03-5172044

The Nachum Gutman Museum of Art - open 10am - 3pm. 03-5161970

Bank of Israel Visitors' Center 03-5640781/2 Reservations required (online). For ages 8+. Tours are at 10:00am, 11:30am, 1:00pm, and 2:30pm

The Hosmasa Museum - Holon - 03-5050425 - open 9am - 2pm, guided tours on the hour.

Mikveh Israel Visitors' Center - 03-5030489 Advance registration required. Tours on the hour from 9am to 1pm

The Rishon L'Tzion Museum - open 9 am - 2 pm. 03-9598862, 03-9598890

The Eran Shamir Moshava Museum in Mazkeret Batya - Open 10:30 am - 3:30 pm 08-9349525

Ayalon Institute, (Bullet Factory) Rechovot - Open 9 am - 4 pm. Last guided tour (special Yom Ha'Atzmaut tour) at 3 pm (tours in Hebrew only!). Advance reservations required. 08-9406552 

Netanya Museum, Open 9:00am - 2:00pm, 09-8840020. Reservations required.

HaG'dudim Museum, Moshav Avichayil. Open 9-4 09-8822212

The North and Northern Coast:

Beit HaShomer Museum, Kfar Giladi - 04-6941565 open 8am - 4pm

Tel Hai Courtyard - 10 am - 2 pm - 04-6951333 

Beit Zinati, Pekiin - 04-9997197 open 9 am - 2pm, Reservations required.

HaReut Museum, Koach Fortress - 04-6432810. Open 10am - 4pm, tours on the hour. movie for ages 12+

The Restored Pioneer Village at Rosh Pinah, open 10am - 2pm, 04-6936913

Beit HaMeiri, Tzfat - 04-6921939, open 10am - 2pm. Guided Tours require advance registration. last tour at 1pm

Yigal Alon House at Ginosar - Reservations required for the escape room - 04-6727704/0

The Kinneret Courtyard - guided tours at 10, 12, and 2. 04-6709117

Naharayim Experience in Gesher. Guided tours at 11:00 and 12:30. Open 9 am - 2 pm. 04-6752685

The Palmach Cave at Mishmar Ha'Emek- guided tours on the hour between 10 and 3, and the "Escape Park" competition. 04-9898946 ,052-4471109

The Historic Nahalal Police Station - guided tours at 9 am, 11am, and 1 pm. 04-6415073

The Nahalal "Sliq" - guided tours every hour from 9 am to 3 pm. 052-3347194, advance reservations required.

The Emeq Museum - Kibbutz Yifat. Open 11 am - 4 pm. 04-6548974

The Chaim Shturman House - at Kibbutz Ein Harud. Open 10am - 2pm. 04-6486337 | 04-6486328

The Tower and Stockade Museum at Hanita. Open 9am - 2pm. 04-9859677

The Jezreel Valley Train Museum - Kfar Yehoshua. 04-953-4226 open 8am - 1pm

The Treasures in the Walls Museum, Akko. Open 10 am - 4 pm. 04-991-1004

The Underground Prisoners Museum, Akko. Open 8am - 4:30pm with guided tours on the hour from 9-2). 04-991-1375 

Beit Fisher, Kiryat Atta. Open 9am - 2pm. 04-8440207

Atlit Detention Camp, Open 9am - 2pm, 04-984-1980

The Museum of the First Aliyah in Zichron. Open 10 am - 4 pm. 04-6294777 - Reservations required for guided tours

The Khan Museum, Hadera 04-6322330 , 04-6324562 open 10am - 3pm, guided tours at 10, 12, and 2.

The Feinberg House, Hadera - 04-6343296, 

The Echad Ha'Am School Visitors' Center, Hadera - 04-6343296

Haifa City Museums:

• The Haifa City Museum. 04-9115888 Open 10am - 7pm
• The Herman Struk Museum 04-9127090 Open 10am - 7pm
• The National Maritime Museum. 04-853662 Open 10am - 7pm

Etzel Museum at Shuni Forest. 052-8330177 Open 9am and 3pm - audiovisual presentation and guided tours on the hour.

Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum, Haifa 04-8537672 open 9am - 4pm

Other FREE and discount attractions and activities:

Army Bases and Public Military Exhibits

The Israel Museum - pay what you want to pay

The Open Museum at Tefen - 04-9109609 (The museum is generally open from 9am - 4pm. Staff takes breaks for lunch from 12:30-13:00, or 13:00 - 13:30)

Madatech in Haifa is just 10nis on Yom Ha'Atzmaut!

Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem is just 10nis on Yom Ha'Atzmaut!

HaShomer HaChadash Independence Day Celebration at Moetza Ezorit Sdot Negev - registration required (online) 10am - 5:30pm

I will add more free attractions in this space as I find them!

So, let me know where you'll be going! Just leave a comment below this post. It's a good idea to confirm in advance that the place you plan to go will be open as posted. Some places require advance bookings even if not specified.

Weekly Menu plus Recipe for Black Bean Meatballs

It's been pretty crazy around here lately, and my family has been eating a lot of sandwiches and pasta dinners. It'll do in a pinch, but I was getting pretty sick of this survival strategy, even if it does the trick.

So this week, I was determined to serve "real food", and I decided to try out that old method I'd abandoned a while ago - the "prep a bunch of basics on Sunday so I have things to work with during the week" strategy.

This week, I made a huge pot of rice, a pot of chick peas, a pot of black beans, and a large pot of split pea soup to start the week. These pots were all cooking while I was getting other work done.

Then, the challenge is to make simple meals using the food I prepped!

 So far, we've had rice with chick peas and roasted veggies one night, and rice with black bean meatballs and tomato sauce, with corn on the side, another night, and both those suppers began with split pea soup.

I'll be making tomato-rice soup (using the rice, roasted veggies, and tomato sauce that is left from those other meals) for breaking the fast Tuesday night (I'm sure the family will want other food to go along with that, so we'll probably make scrambled eggs and some spelt rolls also. And fruit for starters...).

Wednesday night we'll have to use up whatever is left of the chick peas (chick pea fritters maybe?), and serve that with whatever else is around, say, the corn that is left, a salad, some baked potatoes...

And then, I can cut myself some slack and make pasta for Thursday night, right?

I definitely find it much easier to plan my meals when I've got a few basics ready to go! Do you ever do this?

I figured I'll share the recipes for those vegan meatballs - hope you like it!


Black Bean "Meatballs" (Vegan) Recipe

2 cups cooked black beans, drained
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
3 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
Flour to bind (optional)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in food processor bowl, and pulse till you have a relatively smooth paste.

Line a baking pan with baking paper, and form the mixture into balls and place on pan. Spray with a fine mist oil sprayer.

Bake for 25 min at 200C (about 425F)



Serve hot, with your favorite sauce!

Summer Shabbat!

Shabbat is almost here again!

We are trying out making early Shabbat here this week. We figure that an extra hour of rest can't hurt, and in the winter we manage to have everything ready for Shabbat WAY earlier than is required for early Shabbat in the summer! It's gotta be manageable, right?

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling like our days and weeks are so full and the things we need to do just never end, so an extra hour of worry-free Shabbat time sounds AMAZING. Also, there's the added bonus of not being able to check the news on Shabbat, so we can believe we are really living on our little secluded island of serenity for all of Shabbat (hopefully)...

Speaking of little islands, I have this little pull out cart in my kitchen. It stays tucked away most of the time, acting as storage for potatoes and onions. 


But on Fridays, it morphs into a mini kitchen island: it's a little tiny bit of magic. You just pull the cart out of its storage spot under the edge of the counter (it's on wheels), and set up the top surface by lifting the piece of wood that folds down, and slide the piece of wood underneath it into place to hold it secure so it is a small piece of counter.

(Um, please don't judge me that the contact paper I covered it with before Pesach is still on it!)

It is awesome, and gives me a little more space to set up some helping hands with a cooking or prepping job! Since I don't have space right now for a kitchen island, I feel like I really have the next-best thing! (And maybe it is, in fact, the best of all worlds!)

So this island is my savior on days when my counters become so cluttered I wouldn't dare share a picture of them here (ahem, that is most days, honestly)! I know that there is always a small surface, free of clutter, to use for cooking.

I do clean my counters at the end of cooking on Friday, I'm just not good at cleaning as I go along. I'm sure some of you out there can relate!

Anyhow, so this cart allows me to do things like make challah and cakes along with other things on my Shabbat menu!

So here's what I'm making this week, using mostly foods that were already in my pantry and freezer:

Spelt and Oat Bran Challot
Vegetable Soup
Black Bean Cholent
Date Honey-Ginger Chicken
Spicy Turkey Breast (there's been this turkey breast in my freezer for a while - I figured it's high time we used it!)
Brown Rice
Broccoli Kugel
Potato Kugel
Salads

And we have watermelon and cherries for dessert! Lovin' the summer fruits all around! (Did you notice that watermelon making a cameo appearance earlier?)

Shabbat Shalom, everyone! 

Pantry Challenge Dinner

Pantry Challenge. I've been doing them for YEARS...

Actually, I used to subscribe to a Yahoo Group by that name, where people supported each other through their pantry challenge weeks - the support was great, even if the suggestions didn't always work for a kosher home! I loved the creativity and the resourcefulness of that group!

What's a pantry challenge all about anyway? It's about not shopping. Instead, you focus on using up whatever is already in your house - the purpose being to reduce spending and use up food that typically sits in the pantry or freezer and doesn't get used, becoming a waste of money AND space.

I do them at different times for different reasons.

Most of my pantry challenges have been inspired by the need to clear out the pantry. Whether pre-move or pre-Pesach, or pre-big event - there are times when you just must use up what you already have!

Then there are the times when I've had to do a pantry challenge due to lack of funds to buy more food, and those tend to be rather... interesting, as those are really designed just to "get by" until there's more cash available, and they don't always coincide with times when the fridge or freezer is full! That's when you figure out how to make the most creative meals, in my experience - when you somehow have to make a meal out of whatever odds and ends you have!

Here's the anatomy of a typical pantry challenge meal in my house - at least at the beginning, when we're still relatively well stocked.

Grains ~ Frozen Veggies ~ Beans or Lentils ~ Cheap fresh veggies ~ 

So this time here's what it looks like:

Homemade bread (this time it came out of the freezer, but it was made of whole spelt and rye flour (the whole rye flour was really cheap at Rami Levy one day, I think it was under 5 shekels/kg - so I stocked up)



Rice - this was long brown rice, bought in bulk from a dry goods store - I think it was 7 shekels/kg, and this was about 1/2 a kilo of rice...

 

Veggies - I picked up red peppers at the makolet from the sug bet rack today, so they cost 2 shekels/kilo - I used about half a kilo for this dinner. I simply cut them, tossed with olive oil, and roasted them!

Green beans - these were picked up on sale for 5 shekels a bag (a deal I couldn't pass up - even though we don't eat tons of frozen green beans!), tossed with garlic, black pepper, smoked paprika, and a smidge of olive oil.




Chick-pea Fritters - these were made of chick pea flour, ground flaxseed, and a whole bunch of spices, like salt, pepper, parsley flakes, granulated garlic, and cumin. Pan-fried and a big hit.

I had some spicy sauces around, and some of us mixed up bowls of rice with veggies and spicy sauce. Others prefer to eat everything separately.

I've spent the last decade trying to figure out ways to make meals acceptable to all of my family members - even though there are hardly even 2 things they will all agree to eat at the same time! That's why the majority of our meals are made of of individually cooked foods that can be combined in different ways, including this one. No one has to feel that they weren't thought of, and I don't have to spend all day catering individual meals! It's a recipe for success - even when we're doing a pantry challenge!

Anyone else out there doing a pantry challenge this week? Let me know what you're serving!