Finally, someone who understands!
I went to Israel several years ago and had a similar experience. I attributed it to possible bad luck, but I do see similarities between our two experiences.
First - nearly every person I met there was straight up rude. From the sandwich shop worker who balked at adding cucumbers to my sub, to literally every single taxi driver who worked an angle to rip me off (one claimed to get lost and had to charge me more, another pulled the old switcheroo with giving me proper change).
For the record, I'm American AND Jewish, so I'm afraid your theory didn't hold.
The mythology about Israel is that it's the land of milk and honey, and that the streets are paved with gold. There's even a song - Yerushalaim shel zahov (Jerusalem of Gold). Arrive in Tel Aviv, and you'll soon find this is not the case - as if we actually believed that!
My impression at the time - Tel Aviv looks like someone took Reseda and threw up all over it.
Go on the tour, and the guide will take you down crumbling boulevards - "This grand avenue was at one time our Champs Elysees, but those were better days..."
I'm OK with the aesthetic. I'm perfectly fine accepting a place as it is, and then finding out how and why it all happened that way. Berlin is a hodgepodge mess of architecture, and remains one of my favorite cities. Tel Aviv is often compared to Berlin, and I have read many articles of young people actually leaving Tel Aviv to move to Berlin. As a Jew, the irony doesn't escape me.
The food - here, I must disagree with you. The freshest vegetables I have ever tasted. The hummus to die for. And I'm still dreaming about that Shwarma. Magic everywhere I went.
Jerusalem, well that was interesting. To add detail to what you already learned, the Romans destroyed the city around 70 AD, so there's almost nothing remaining from the days of Jesus. The streets we go down didn't exist then (and I'm also guessing these designated holy places didn't have all the tourist traps selling Chinese knock offs back then either)
So the stations of the cross? Walking in Jesus footsteps? Mmmm, not so much. But hey, we need something, right?
Same with that church with the ladder. No one really knows where Jesus was crucified. They're not sure whether it was up around there, or across the valley on the Mount of Olives. So they picked a spot, called it holy. And people go on pilgramages to see these designated holy spots where there's absolutely no proof given that the holy event ever even happened.
OK, that's fine. Onto Mount Zion. King David's tomb.... is empty. Hmm...
On the plus side, some really interesting archaelogical digs. New stuff being unearthed all the time. Definite proof of Roman occupation.
All in all, based on my experience, not my favorite place. But mostly because of the rude attitude of people who live there - something which can definitely be corrected, if people are so motivated.
And if not, well, there's always Paris.
