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Photo: איציק אדרי-Itzik Edri, CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
The Israeli Parliament Building. The Knesset offers guided tours (in Hebrew, Arabic, English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Amharic, Yiddish, and Finnish) for the public. Groups and individuals must call and arrange their guided tour in advance. You can observe the Knesset sessions from the public gallery on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Groups must call and arrange this visit; individuals may arrive directly with their identity cards or passports.
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel.
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A small patch of wetlands, with a concealed location where you can watch birds without disturbing them. Interesting birds are probably most frequent during the spring and autumn migrations. You are encouraged to bring bird food (seeds and so on) to spread in front of you to attract the birds to near you. Be quiet!
Laid out chronologically, the Bible Lands Museum provides a detailed look at the ancient societies of the Middle East. The museum's wide range of artifacts from around the region, including among others Egyptian, Minoan, and early Christian works, appeal to a variety of different segments.
Israel's national museum sprawls over a compound near the Knesset and covers a broad body and extremely unique body of work in its five wings. The Judaica Wing contains an unequaled collection of Jewish ceremonial pieces, tools, and artwork from throughout the Diaspora, as well as an entire replica of both a 17th century Italian synagogue and an Indian synagogue. Moving on, visitors can find the largest collection of artifacts found in Israel at the Archaeology Wing. The collection covers millennia of settlement in the Holy Land, from the Neolithic ancestors to the Canaanites to the ancient Jews. Probably the best-known wing of the Israel Museum is the onion-shaped Shrine of the Book, wherein the Dead Sea Scrolls, considered among the greatest discoveries of the 20th century, are permanently housed, along with the Aleppo Codex. Nearby is a large 3D model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple period. The Israel Museum also contains notable collections of pre-Columbian Central American Art, Primitive and Tribal Art, and a collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Art, which, though perhaps less connected to the Jewish state, are worth a visit for art lovers.
Located between the Knesset and the Central Bus Station, the Supreme Court building (opened 1992) is a mixture of traditional Jerusalem architecture and modern elements. Tours are available each weekday in Hebrew (11AM) and English (noon), or you could sit in on an ongoing court session.
The museum features many "active exhibitions" which invite the visitor to touch and participate. A good choice for those travelling with kids.
A modern movie theater/shopping mall. Full of loud flashing signs and life-sized movie character figurines, it is the definition of tacky. You'll spend the rest of your trip wondering how they got approval to build it across the street from the Supreme Court. But it is a reasonable place to get lunch after a trip to the Knesset, or to see a movie.