Blogs from Safed, North District, Israel, Middle East - page 2

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Middle 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
ark at the Abuhav synagogue
ark at the Ari Askenazi Synagogue
at the grave of The Ari

Middle East » Israel » North District » Safed 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
Synagogue in Tzfat
Synagogue in Tzfat
Tzfat Candle Factory

Middle East » Israel » North District » Safed June 1st 2003

For my free weekend, I travelled to Tzfat for Shabbat. There is a private company that runs buses from Jerusalem to Tzfat, which was very convenient (although I had to stand part of the way going there because the bus was so full). It was an interesting mix of people on the bus, all religious but a split between haredim and more modern Jews. I made some calls while I was on the bus and found a place to stay at a hostel near the community center. I got to Tzfat in the middle of the afternoon, and almost everything was closed. There were a few galleries in the Artists' Colony open, but other than that it really felt like the city was preparing for Shabbat. I took a walk all over the city when I ... read more




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