You are quite right, the tour guide can make a huge difference to one's experience. Thankfully, most I have come across have been excellent, but sadly, not the one in Israel.
I do like seeing and where possible, experiencing different customs and lifestyles in various countries and I did learn a lot in Israel. An amusing one, to me, was at my hotel in Tel Aviv. On Fridays the lift stops at every floor going up or down. Friday, or shabbat, is their holy day on which work should not be done which includes pressing the lift button. "To each their own."