Our Guides

Each Breaking Bread Journey tour guide is a respected and experienced professional licensed by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism as well as within the Palestinian Territories.  Several of our guides possess advanced degrees in relevant subjects and many are specialists in Christianity, archaeology, Islamic studies, culture and food, and more.

Your security is of utmost importance to us and our guides take all security precautions to make your trip safe and enjoyable. Whether we are using a minibus, full size bus or private vehicles for your tour our transportation is always of the highest quality, and always kept up to the highest standards of maintenance & cleanliness.

Because our tours are so specialized and unique, our guides have to be very well trained in order to guide throughout Israel and the Palestinian Territories. They also need to be knowledgeable about all the safety and security precautions, and to keep abreast of all travel and security advisories, checkpoints, and border crossings in order to facilitate the most secure and hassle free travel experience. Our guides are versed in many languages and they are real tour educators, much more than your typical guide. Our goal is to provide an extraordinary experience, one that will be exceptional and exciting providing a memory to last a lifetime.

We’ve featured several but not all of our guides here. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Shafik, was born in raised in the Old City of Jerusalem and was educated in the French Christian Brothers High School in Jerusalem, and as a result, he knows four languages, English, Hebrew, Arabic and French. He received his BA in Hotel Management at Dublin College and later worked for the US Embassy for 13 years.

Shafik is married and a father of two children. He is an expert in biblical archaeology and enjoys guiding people of all faiths throughout Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

Onnie Schiffmiller is a wonderful tour educator. She has  an M.A. and an Ed.M from Teachers College of Columbia University and guides fluently in English and in Hebrew. She is very experienced with guiding multi-generation families and a variety of faith-based groups. A US native, she moved to Israel 13 years ago and particularly enjoys guiding  people of different ages/cultures/religious faiths because it helps everyone to understand why so many people from diverse backgrounds enjoy a special connection to this wonderful land.

Onnie is married, lives in Raanana and is the mother of four.

Nabil is a member of one of the oldest and smallest minority groups in Israel, Coptic Christians. Born and raised in Jerusalem’s Old City, he was exposed to people from so many cultures which fueled his interest in peacebuilding measures and prompted him to attend university in Georgia where he received his Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. He later returned to Israel and worked for the United Nations World Food Programme and Oxfam in the field of the International development, relief, and aid and subsequently received his guiding license. His knowledge of every nook and cranny in the Old City combined with his expertise in guiding interfaith travelers has made him one of our most popular tour guides. Aside from being an avid traveler Nabil is passionate about building bridges and loves to host and guide people from all over the world who are eager to learn more about the fabulous local cultures found in the Holy Land. Nabil is married and the father of two young children.

Lazarus is an Armenian Christian born and raised in Jerusalem Old City and he continues to reside there. He is married with three children and holds a B.Sc. Agriculture from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also a (retired) Lieutenant in the Israel Police and served in the department of investigations. He is recognized by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism as a Christianity specialist guide in Christian Pilgrimage. Lazarus is an extremely popular guide and brings a depth of knowledge and personal experience to his work. He loves introducing visitors to the rich history as well as modern Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Guiding people thru both the modern and ancient land and gazing at the captivating beauty of the Holy Land’s countless geographical features is, for Lazarus, “what turns guiding into a way of living and not a job”.