I am very excited to be leaving for Israel in 4 weeks! Lifelong dream. Using IsramTour. I will have a few days in Jerusalem & Tel Aviv with some free time on my own. My budget is more chotchkas than diamonds, but I like to bring back treasures special to the culture. Any suggestions for items to look for or places to shop?

A silver wheel kabbalah necklace. You can get them inscribed with your name and various blessings.

Jewelry made with pieces of Roman glass.

Candles from Tzfat (Safed)

Hannukiot (menorahs)

Naot Sandles (kind of Birkenstock-y but very well made and lots of styles)

Cosmetic products made from Dead Sea salts and muds.

Chocolates - lots of interesting varieties. Check out 'Cow' chocolate in several different flavors.

handcrafted items, ranging from jewelry to ceramics to refrigerator magnets--from the Nahalat Binyamin market in Tel Aviv (tuesdays and Fridays only) Prices range from really cheap ($2-5) to higher end jewelry (but almost never over $50-$75) Items for any taste.
Kitschy things like t-shirt in Hebrew from well known brands like Ben & Jerry's
Museum shops (especially the Israel Museum in Jersualem and the Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv) have all sorts of reproductions of historic and religious items from their collections, along with more contemporary object). Also reasonably priced.
Are there any specific items you are looking for? any collections you'd like to add to?

I've seen some beautiful art from Israel.

Thank you so much for the suggestions. The things suggested sound exactly like the kind of things I love. Are there any specific shops or places to shop for the silver necklaces or the jewelry of Roman glass? We have some things our Mom brought back from her trip to Israel in the late 70's but nothing specific as far as collections. I will report on my treasures when I return.

When in the Old City, check out Shorashim Biblical Shop (http://www.shorashim2u.net/) in the Jewish Quarter (duh!). They have a good selection and were very helpful in making some custom jewelry for our daughter. There are so many shops along 'The Cardo' in the Old City, you can't go wrong. If you are more adventurous, walk down the alleys in the central souqs of the Armenian Quarter, which are teeming with small shops of every sort imaginable.

A favorite destination for many gift shoppers is Ben Yehuda St. in West Jerusalem.

Hey sloTaz - I am heading to Israel the end of March, also with Isram. What tour are you taking and when?

Our Isram tour starts March 5 in Tel Aviv. It is the 12 day/10 night "Rhapsody" tour and we have added a 3 day/2 night tour to Jordan onto the end. The itenerary sounds great and I know every day will be filled to the brim, even on our "free afternoons" we will be on the go. The recommendations have been great and I promise to post follow-up when I return.

I like ceramic tile products (mezuza case, tiny salt/pepper dishes, dreidels) from Azlai on Yoel Solomon St, close to Ben Yehuda St in J'lem.

In Jerusalem, if you want a better quality and interesting piece of jewelry, I would check out Hutzot Hayotser (I'm not sure if that is the official transliteration but I'll give it a shot.) It is the artists colony right outside the walls of the Old City, they have some really interesting work there.