Blogs from Safed, North District, Israel, Middle East
"Don't let him inside the synagogue, he's a beast!"
Published: January 22nd 2011Middle East » Israel » North District » Safed
January 19th 2011
From Nazareth, I take a bus to a junction near Amirim, where my host Chen picks me up. Amirim is a moshav that was founded by vegetarians. The difference between a kibbutz and a moshav is that kibbutzim are more Socialist or Communist in their political orientation, so the people live together like a real community, sharing everything. Moshavim, on the other hand, are agricultural villages, where people own land and grow vegetables or other things on it. They don't share everything, it's more like a normal village or community, just with a very strong agricultural focus. Amirim was founded as a meat-free community in 1958. It sits perched in the forest on the lower ridge of Mt Meron, surrounded by olive and pistachio trees. It looks decidely Mediterranean, and the primary source of income for ... read more
October 3rd 2010
שלום Shalom! I decided I better update this thing or what's the point of having it. Finally the high holidays are over - and now I am down to the last week of freedom before classes begin on the 11th. Experiencing the holidays here has been one amazing experience. Most of the holidays I spent with friend's families and what not, but for Yom Kippur I decided to travel to Tzfat with my good buddy Tzvi Darling. Now Tzfat was the one town that I fell in love with the first time I came to Israel almost three years ago. If I ever spoke highly of a town - Tzfat was uttered from my lips. Finally I had the chance to return, but not just for a visit, but to experience Yom Kippur. Tzfat is one ... read more
January 8th 2009
Despite popular belief, Israel is doing fine. While she is under attack, Israelis will remain strong and pull through. Further, we should take a moment and ask ourselves how we can secure access to safe food, water, electricity and health care to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. If we do not take this moment and then act, each one of us is responsible for the degradation of human rights. No matter what side we take, we should take the side of the advancement of human rights! I will try and update more as I can, with limited access to internet, it becomes increasingly difficult. ... read more
WoW (Words of Wisdom) or as I Propose "Words of Inspiration" or "Inspirational Words"
Published: December 14th 2008Middle East » Israel » North District » SafedDecember 14th 2008
Shalom Chevrah: I know it has been some time since we last chatted. Quickly said, I am currently in Tzfat (alternative spellings include, but not limited to Sefad, Tsfat, Zefat, Sfat, etc). On Shabbat I was asked to give "Words of Wisdom." In its most basic objective, the leaders wanted me to pull from traditionally Jewish texts and bring about something profound or powerful. If anyone has known me for more than five minutes, will know, I went in a completely different direction. Instead, I drew from a woman who has influenced my life in many profound ways, Audre Lorde. Below is what I read in my "Rabbi Voice" to the Chevrah (group of friends) at Shabbat dinner. I would be very interested in what you have to say or think, or to know if you ... read more
July 9th 2008
We are in the ancient city of Safed in the mountains above Galilee. At night we can see the twinkling lights on the shore on the other side near Tiberius. We stayed in the local hostel high up on a hill the first night, our hosts Ricky and Dovi we're so sweet and offered us beer, nuts, cold watermelon and conversation when we returned in the evening after a jaunt around the old city. It's much cooler here and very breeezy..at night it's balmy and we sleep really well. Today we explored the old city and the artist quarter. So many wonderful artists and the streets and old buildings are very inspiering for paintings. We have met many friendly people and wish we could stay in Safed longer. We may even come back during the month. ... read more
June 13th 2008
Today was our first full day in Israel. We both slept well, however Carly's cot folded in half on her when she went to lie down to sleep. Unfortunately both of her roommates were already sleeping when she went to bed and couldn't fix the bed. She tried but to no avail. The next day Derek attempted but to no avail. By the end of the day we had a new cot put in the room. Hopefully she will have a more peaceful sleep tonight. We woke up early to an amazing extravagant breakfast. Derek's favorite breakfast items were the pickles and chocolate pudding (not together though). Carly's favorite was the smoked white fish and cheese. We all got onto the bus and headed twords Tsfat. We were soaking in the mountainous scenery from the lower ... read more
Nahal Gilabon, Tzfat, the Kineret
Published: May 21st 2007Middle East » Israel » North District » Safed
May 21st 2007
Today was a great day! We began the day with a hike part-way through a river - Nahal Gilabon. The trail was well marked but we decided to wade through part of the river as per Noah's directions. At the end of the hike, we ended up at a beautiful 10m high waterfall that fell into a small pond. The water was freezing but we decided to go swimming anyway and had a great time. After the hike we were pretty tired, but continued on to see Tzfat. We weren't very impressed - there wasn't much happening in the town, and the old Artists' Quarter was almost deserted. In the evening, we drove to the Eastern shore of the Kineret, and followed an off-road trail to a spot along the shore. We weren't the only ones ... read more
Part 2- Go Galilee, its near the Sea
Published: March 2nd 2007Middle East » Israel » North District » Safed
March 2nd 2007
Part 2... Day 3- Today we drove to Zfat, in the Galilee. Zfat is one of the holiest cities in Judaism, after Jerusalem and Hebron. It is a beautiful little town on the top of a mountain, and is home to the Jewish mystics of Kabbalah. It also happens to be my most favorite place in all of Israel. You can just feel these special, spiritual, mystical powers flowing all around you. As a very religious city, where Kabbalah was developed in the 16th century, there are dozens of small synagogues, mostly after specific rabbis. We went to a few of the more important ones. First was the Abuhav Synagogue, named for Rabbi Yitzhak Abuhav, a famous rabbi from Spain who lived in the 15th century. Abuhav wanted to make it to Israel before he ... read more
September 27th 2005
This past weekend was absolutely wonderful! The enitre department of overseas studies (about 95 students from around the world) took a trip to Tzfat, Mt. Hermon, and Banias. Tzfat is the city of Jewish mysticism, and one of the four traditional Jewish holy cities. It was clear walking through the streets that there is something special about the area. It is nestled between mountains and filled with artists, musicians, and history. We camped overnight under the stars at a place called Nebi Chazuri. The next morning, we woke up early and began a full day hike along the border of the Golan Heights and the Galilee. We climbed on one of the lower ridges of Mount Hermon (the tallest mountain in Israel), and there we saw the remains of a Muslim fortress built around 1100 CE. ... read more
