Tzfat is quite hilly and divided into quarters with very narrow streets. All the buildings are stone and you see lots of turquoise as this is considered a mystical color to ward off evil spirits.
Many religious Jews come to Tzfat for Shabbat and during the spring holiday of Lag B’Omer the city swells from 30,000 to 100,000 people with every bit of floor space or mattress occupied.
Most people never see the citadel, choosing instead to wander through the artists’ quarter.
As you can see from these trees, the snow that fell here about 3 weeks ago created quite a bit of damage. They had 20 inches of snow in a few days- a record.
In more recent history Tzfat was the home of both Jews and Muslims in the 20th century and we are looking down at the steps/road that separated the two communities. Now it is entirely a Jewish town.
Sandwiched in the middle of these buildings you can see a fortified pillbox with a searchlight on top that monitored the steps you just saw.
This is the former British Police Station that the British abandoned, giving the 1200 Jews then living in Zsfat one day notice that they were going and then handed the station over to the Arabs who outnumbered the Jews 10 to 1. The Jews would not abandon their homes and a fierce battle ensued.
You can still see the pock marks from weapons used to try to take the Police Station.
Ultimately the Jews of Tzfat prevailed with outside help from the Haganah (first Israeli army) but with a great loss of life. The odd looking building you see in the middle background is also a remnant from that time and has plaques commemorating the bravery of those who lost their lives.
This is what is known as a “Davidka” an odd looking weapon used in the Israeli War of Independence in an interesting way. My dad who fought in the War of Independence also told us stories about these odd weapons. They were not very accurate and there was a shortage of ammunition so the ‘”story goes” that setting it up on a pile of rocks made so much noise it scared people away.
Notice the drum on the roof- that is to collect and heat water (solar). This is an example of a courtyard in the Artists’ quarter of Tzfat.
Musicians abound and the music is decidedly Middle Eastern and “soulful” Jewish. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach who was a musical rabbi has had a big influence on Jewish liturgical music. The tunes are likely familiar to people who attend synagogue without even knowing where it came from.
This is a “Tzedakah” box embedded in the wall. “Tzedakah” literally translates at “righteousness” but most people understand it as meaning charity.You are invited to insert coins as you pass. You find these all over the country though none as embellished as these.
This is the original home (rebuilt into the Ari Sepharad synagogue). The Ari is the name given to Isaac Luria one of the most important Kabbalist (mystical) teachers in Judaism who came from Spain. He only lived to 38 but had an enormous influence on mystical Judaism.
We had the unexpected treat of being able to visit the Mikveh (ritual bath) for women in Tzfat. Our tour guide was our innkeeper who does the tour for groups who are not familiar with the rituals associated with the baths.
This is the henna room of the Mikveh, especially used before weddings.
Another view of the henna room.
The wedding room, just outside the bath for the bridal party to gather.
Women submerge in the bath after their menstrual cycle, at the beginning of the new month, and before important holidays. Men also partake but in a separate facility.
The prayers a woman says before and after submerging. They also had facilities for disabled women though this city is so accessibly unfriendly that I’m not sure how they would get there.
Looking up the hill you can see multiple layers of this city.
We aren’t used to seeing young children off playing by themselves, but here in Israel one sees that all the time, even in the big cities.
Israel is such a diverse country, one of the groups being Yemenite Jews who came here in the 1950s and early 1960s. This stand in the Artists’ colony makes Lachuch, a version of the wrap. Quite yummy.
As Shabbat approached Elana and Yakov were making their last “placements” for people in Jerusalem to have a Shabbat dinner. Now they could truly relax.
How many different ways can you spell the name of a town? Obviously many ways, since this is a transliteration of a Hebrew word. You might thing there are many different Tzfat cheese factories but there is only one, though signs directing you there spell it many different ways. Tzfat is one of the four holiest cities in mystical Judaism. Tzfat represents air (high on the mountain), Tiberias represents water (Sea of Galilee), Jerusalem represents fire (the Temple), and Hebron represents earth (where the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of Judaism are buried). There are few references to Tzfat in ancient sources until one gets to ancient Rome, when Tzfat was a garrison in the Jewish War against Rome in the 1st century. It is mentioned in the Talmud as one of the hilltop fire beacons (the first attempt at sending an email blast) where letting people know what the date was for the new month or a holiday was communicated by lighting a bonfire on the tops of mountains strung from north to south through the country.
The Crusaders were here because of the strategic location but Tzfat really began to develop as a mystical site in the 15th and 16th centuries after the Jews were expelled from Spain and some of the most brilliant scholars of the time came here. Tzfat has suffered from plague and several earthquakes, the last in the late 1800s. Today Tzfat suffers from some of the same problems as Nazareth, dependent on tourism but the visitors only stay a few hours mostly. The current mayor is trying to do something about that and there is a huge Klezmer festival now in late August and a newly established medical school. Recently the regional hospital has been sending in volunteers clandestinely to bring casualties out of Syria (only 20 miles away) to give them medical attention they obviously can’t get in Syria.
Having Shabbat in Tzfat was a magical experience and we truly got a rest. Everything shuts down at 2 pm on Friday and the tour buses are gone, the shops selling art that makes Carmel, CA. look cutting edge are closed, and the streets turn to pedestrian malls. We wandered and ate and napped and prayed. It was great and now we are off to the opposite- the hustle and bustle of Tel Aviv as we begin our reentry into our lives.
Poetry Without Words 
Thanks for sharing these. I will go to the map right now..and see where you are! RA
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