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Category: Synagogues

  • The Breslov Synagogue

    The largest synagogue in Safed is situated in the new Breslov neighborhood complex. This imposing building overlooks the Old Cemetery and the graves of the tzaddikim; the holy rabbis of old like the Ari and Yosef Caro.

    Why Breslov In Safed?

    Rav Gedaliah Kenig, father of the current Breslov spiritual leader, was told by his mentor, Rav Avraham Sternhartz, that bringing the spiritual light of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov to Safed would benefit the whole world. Accordingly, he decided to build a Breslov Torah community in Safed. After their father’s unexpected death in 1980, Rav Elazar Mordechai Kenig with the help of his two brothers continued their father’s vision. The building project took many years and the community is now one of the largest Jewish religious sects in Safed. The complex houses the synagogue, a Talmud Torah -elementary school, a yeshiva ketana -high school with boarding facilities, a children’s nursery, and living accommodation for the members of the community.

    The Synagogue Building

    Within the synagogue building itself is a mikvah, a kollel -a study centre for married men, the yeshiva ketana, and a celebration (simcha) hall.

    The Synagogue

    With space for around 600 men downstairs and seating for over 200 women in the airy women’s gallery, the synagogue attracts many visitors for Shabbat and the Festivals.

    Prayer Times

    Summer

    Before Shabbat between Pessach and Sukkot
    Mincha prayers: 6.30pm followed by Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv. Prayers last around 2 hours. Come early if you want a seat as there is standing room only in the men’s section on a Friday night in summer! The prayers are very intense, serious, dignified and solemn and nevertheless very happy in the Breslov tradition.

    Shabbat Morning:

    Times vary slightly but prayers begin approximately at 7am and last for about 3hrs. After prayers the Breslov community invite everyone to take part in a Kiddush for around an hour. While you enjoy the traditional food you can listen to interesting Rabbi Nachman stories, if your Hebrew is up to it. These seemingly simple stories hide a multitude of meaning and are very important to the Breslov sect.

    Shabbat Mincha: 5.45pm in summer, followed by the Third Meal, (seuda shlishit) with learning and stories in the Breslov tradition.

    Maariv after Shabbat: times vary depending on the learning during seuda shlishit.

    Weekday Prayer Times:

    Shacharit:

    There are normally two minyans: The first is 1/2hr before sunrise and the second starts at 7.30am

    Mincha: 7pm during summer – winter times vary.

    Maariv: normally about 20mins after sunset.

    The prayers are conducted at a slow and intense pace using the normal Israeli service. (Nusach Sefard)

    Winter:prayer times vary according to the sunrise and sunset.

    The Mikvah

    Women

    This beautiful new mikvah (ritual pool) has excellent facilities including a newly appointed spa with therapy treatments. There is a special preparation room for disabled women and a transportation chair for immersion if necessary. Brides are also given a wonderful experience in this fabulous mikvah that serves the whole of the Galilee. Hours are from sunset for 3 1/2 hours. There is no need to make an appointment unless you require the spa, bridal or disabled facilities.

    For appointments: Tel Hebrew: 054 845 7552 English: 050 875 4938

    Men

    The excellent facilities for men include showers and several pools and are available from midnight until noon. No appointment necessary.

    Simcha Hall

    This hall holds several hundred guests and enables you to have the caterer of your choice for your celebration.

    The Kollel

    Around 120 married men study in the Breslov Kollel.

    Spiritual leader of the Breslov community: Rav Elazar Mordechai Kenig

  • Sanz Synagogue

    On Tarpat street, just before Kikar Hameginim, is the Sanz Synagogue. Originally built in the 1870’s by Rabbi Yechezkel Halberstam, (the Shinever Rebbe), at the behest of his father, Rabbi Chaim of Sanz, it has been in continuous use ever since. Even during the recent 2006 war there was a daily minyan.

    Why Safed?

    During the second half of the 19th century there was a movement among Chassidim to settle Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Chaim of Sanz, unable to travel himself, wanted his followers to do so and asked his eldest son to build a shul in Safed for this community. Rabbi Chaim thought that this would benefit his praying as he believed that all prayers needed to travel via Israel to reach heaven.

    The Community

    Around 100 Sanz Chassidim made the move to Safed, living, praying and working in the present Old City. Although numbers have gone up and down over the years, since that time there have always been Sanz Chassidim in Safed. At present, there are around 40 Sanz families, many of whom live in the modern apartment building opposite the shul.

    Renovations And Modernizations.

    Over the years, despite various renovations, modernizations and extensions to the shul, the southern wall, which houses the Aron Kodesh, still remains from the original building. Most recently, a mini beit midrash was added to the side of the main shul called Heichal Zichron Yitzchak after a man who donated all his Shoah reparation money from Germany for the project.

    The Minyan Factory

    The Sanz synagogue is a shtibel or in modern terms a ‘minyan factory‘. This means that for the weekday morning prayers of Shacharit there are minyans going on at least every half an hour, until approx 9 am or even 10am in the summer. The ‘factory’ is therefore very convenient for vacationers who wish to pray later than the 6.30 or 7.00 am early morning prayers usually available in Safed.

    The Women’s Section

    Upstairs, through a side door, is the ladies gallery. With glass windows so you can look down from the balcony on to the men below, it is very easy to see and hear what is going on. Used during the week by men for the ‘minyan factory’ and as a beit midrash this upper section has its own Aron Kodesh, which gives it an added spiritual dimension, compared to many Ladies Galleries.

    The Kollel

    There is a kollel, or married men’s yeshiva every morning and afternoon, and all night on Thursdays, with between 20 to 40 men studying Torah throughout the year. Most members of the kollel are chassidim although not all identify with Sanz. Visitors are of course welcome to study in the beit midrash.

    The Mikva

    As most Chassidim believe that men should go to the mikva every day, Sanz has its own mikva for men. It is equipped with showers and two mikvot, one heated and one at room temperature and costs 5shks, with a monthly ticket available. It is open every day in the mornings including Shabbat and all day on Fridays. The women’s mikva is just around the corner on Beit Yosef street.

    The Utensil Mikva

    Outside in front of the building there is a mikva for utensils, so that people can ‘toivil’ (purify) their new kitchen appliances, dishes and utensils.

    Prayer Times

    In addition to the minyan factory:

    Shacharit: 7:00am weekdays,

    Shabbat: 8.30 am winter; 9.00am summer

    Mincha: weekdays 1.15pm, & 25 mins before sunset,

    Erev Shabbat: ½ hr after candle lighting

    Shabbat: 35mins after candle lighting.

    Maariv: Rabbanu Tam time

    Contact: Baruch Klien at Sanz 699 9932

  • The Noam Synagogue

    The Noam Synagogue is located on the ground floor of the Saraya /Wolfson Community Center building. It holds regular services, and offers cultural activities and study sessions throughout the year.

    History

    There has been a Beit Knesset (synagogue /shul) in the Saraya building since the War of Independence in 1948 when the site first became an Aliya Center. Services continued when the building became the Malben Old Age Home. Later, about forty years ago, under the leadership of Rabbi Jehuda, the synagogue, then known as Metzuda, became one for young religious families moving to Safed, as well as one for the senior members of the Malben shul.

    When the building was renovated, as the Wolfson Community Center, the synagogue remained an important part of its activities. After Noam Jehuda, the son of Shoshana and Rabbi David Jehuda, fell in battle in the first Lebanon war in 1982, the congregation decided to call the synagogue Bet Knesset Noam, to honor his memory.

    Services

    The prayer services in the Noam are in Nusach Sefarad according to the Ari tradition (the main prayer style in Safed) and the congregation covers most of the religious spectrum. This diversity gives the congregation the opportunity to hear different traditions of cantorial singing and Torah reading. Many groups, even from abroad, come to the Noam to celebrate special occasions such as bar mitzvahs, and other visitors are often given an aliya or other honor.

    Women’s Section

    The women’s section is behind the men’s section and is spacious and comfortable. With lace curtains for the mechitza (divider), it is very easy for women to see and hear what is going on.

    Children

    The Noam congregation is very warm, welcoming and child friendly. The courtyard of the Saraya building and its close proximity to a play park makes the Noam an ideal synagogue for parents with young children.

    Sermons & Talks

    On Friday nights between Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv there is a short sermon on the Parasha (Torah portion) . Before the Torah reading on Shabbat morning there is often a talk on Hilchot Shabbat (Laws of Shabbat). A learning session on The Temple is held on Shabbat afternoon an hour before Mincha and there is a discussion about the parasha and singing during Seuda Shlishit (third meal).

    Classes

    There are regular weekly classes available (in Hebrew).

    Parashat Hashavua (weekly Torah portion) lecture in depth with Rabbi Yosef Bar Kochva is held Tuesday evenings at 8 p.m.

    Kabbala study sessions, with Rabbi David Baruch are held Sundays and Wednesdays in the afternoons and evenings.

    Giyur (conversion) preparatory program with Mrs. Chana Karo is held on Mondays and Thursdays in the evening.

    A seminar for women on spiritual insights around the Jewish calendar, with Rebitzen Tova Eliyahu, Rebitzen Devora Binyamin, and Rebitzen Tova Bazak, head of Midreshet Tzofnat, (local women’s seminary) is held each Wednesday from 09:00 a.m. till 14:00 p.m.

    Other events

    Special events and study sessions are held during the year as well as on Festivals. Discussions are held from time to time with solidarity missions from abroad, students from Yeshivot (religious seminaries), with army cadets and other Israeli groups.

    Times of Services

    On regular weekdays: Only Shacharit (morning) services are held:  06:30 a.m.

    Shacharit on Shabbat and Festivals is at 08:00 a.m.

    Mincha (afternoon) before Shabbat and Festivals is fifteen minutes after candle lighting time.

    Mincha on Shabbat is promptly at candle lighting time, followed by Seuda Shlishit (the third meal) and Maariv (evening) at the end of Shabbat and Festivals.

  • Beirav and the Carlebach Synagogue

    Rabbi Ya’akov Beirav And Smicha (ordination)

    In the early 16th century, Tzfat rabbi Rav Ya’akov Beirav attempted to reinstate “Smicha”, ordination, to Rabbis of his time.

    True Smicha had been passed down, starting with Moses, from leader to leader, to each successive generation of Jewish leaders until  Roman persecutions interrupted it. Subsequent Smicha was considered incomplete, as the original chain had been broken, and although Rabbis continued to receive Smicha upon their ordination, this smicha has always been seen as being partial.

    In Rabbi Beirav’s day, the problem of Jews who had been forcibly converted to Christianity under the Spanish Inquisition was acute. Many Jews, once they had succeeded in fleeing Spain, wanted to be reaccepted as Jews, but the mainstream Jewish leadership refused to agree. Rabbi Beirav wanted Smicha reintroduced, so that the authority of Rabbis who agreed to accept these Jews back into the Jewish world would be unquestioned.

    Ultimately, Rabbi Beirav was unsuccessful at reintroducing Smicha, but his vision of inclusion was eventually accepted in the Jewish world. That vision of Jewish unity and acceptance is the driving force behind the Beirav synagogue, a little “shteibel” (small synagogue) so circumspect and unnoticeable that no one, viewing it on a quiet weekday morning, would ever believe that it is the Friday night Place To Be.

    The Beirav Synagogue

    Beirav Synagogue, built in the 19th century and named for Rabbi Beirav, follows the Carlebach style of prayer. This style of prayer was named for Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, a New Age Rabbi well before the term was ever thought of, and Carlebach congregations infuse their prayer with joyous dancing and singing, often to tunes that Rabbi Carlebach composed. Throughout his lifetime, R’ Shlomo Carlebach traveled throughout the world, bringing sparks of Jewish identity to thousands of unaffiliated Jews through song and storytelling. He believed that everyone should be welcomed and engaged in the service, and the tradition of song and dance interspersed with traditional prayers was a recipe for success for many people who found their way back to Judaism through Carlebach services.

    The Beirav synagogue is known throughout the world as The Carlebach synagogue in Israel. The little lane where the synagogue sits becomes packed on Friday nights, with a standing-room crowd not only inside the synagogue, but on the street outside. The tunes are entrancing, and the crowd alternates between black-fedoras and streimels (fur-trimmed hats of Hassidim), crocheted kippas, and men who are given a kippa at the door because they don’t generally wear one. The women’s side is just as mixed – secular mingle with ultra-Orthodox, everyone swept up with the music and fervor of prayer, each in his or her own way.

    More than one person has come back time and time again, unable to find the same feeling of intensity and joyousness anywhere else. It’s exactly what Rabbi Beirav had in mind, hundreds of years ago, when he struggled against the powers of those times….to create a space where Jews can unite and can serve G-d with joy. Contact Beirav at beiravcarlebach@gmail.com or 077-400-6831

    www.beirav.org

     

  • Beirav Synagogue

    This synagogue was apparently built in the nineteenth century, after the great earthquake in Safed. The building was constructed originally as a religious academy and was named after Ya’acov Beirav, one of the great rabbis of sixteenth-century Safed. For many years, the Hungarian community of Safed used the synagogue, but when their numbers diminished, the synagogue ceased functioning.

    Several years ago, members of the English-speaking community in Safed renewed services in the synagogue. Today, visitors can take part in Sabbath and holiday prayer services conducted in the musical tradition of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach.

    It’s All About Music

    The synagogue can accommodate about 100 people, but on Sabbaths and holidays the crowd often overflows onto the cobblestoned street outside. The synagogue is not affiliated with one stream of Judaism and you will find ultra orthodox, Hassidim, secular Israelis and foreign tourists dancing and singing together on Friday evenings in order to welcome the arrival of Shabbat in a festive manner.

    The Beirav was once the only Carlebach minyan in town. Today, you can hear heartfelt song and high-energy dancing to the tunes of Shlomo Carlebach at the newer  House of Love and Prayer.

    Simtat Meginei Tzfat, Old City. Tel. 04-6921849, 04-6972376

  • Alsheich Synagogue

    Untouched By The Earthquakes

    This synagogue is named for Rabbi Moshe Ben Haim Alsheich and an inscription above the lintel at the entrance to this synagogue reads: “This is the synagogue of Rabbeinu Moshe Alsheich, may his merit protect us, Amen.” The synagogue was built more than 500 years ago during what was known as Safed’s Golden Era, and documents remaining from that time tell us that this synagogue was the place to be during this time period.  Rabbi Alsheich gave weekly torah readings in this building, and even the famed Rabbi Issac Luria and Rabbi Joseph Caro came to hear him speak.  Many of his teachings were written down and you can find them, including English translations, in just about any Torah library.

    The unique arches of the building are attributed to the Samarkand style of building of the Jews of Bukhara. Legend has it that the synagogue was not damaged in the earthquakes of 1759 and 1837 specifically due to the strength of these arches.

    The Other Name

    The synagogue is also called “the synagogue of the Ba’alei Teshuva” (penitent Jews). Visitors are shown a silver Torah scroll cover, bearing an inscription from the year 1434 “for the synagogue of the Ba’alei Teshuva.” It is assumed that this phrase refers to the Conversos, Spanish Jews who converted to Christianity during the Inquisition and returned to Judaism after fleeing from Spain. Another name by which the synagogue is known is Kenis el Istambulia – the synagogue of the Jews from Istanbul, which could also allude to the Ba’alei Teshuva of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

    The Building

    The synagogue is built in the style of the Sephardic synagogues of the sixteenth century. It does not have a women’s section. The prayer hall has pointed arches that support the domed roof. An inscription on the facade of the building attests to a renovation carried out before the earthquake of 1837. This renovation apparently saved the building from destruction. Three people are mentioned in the inscription: the builder, Ya’acov Peleggi, philanthropist Yehezkel Reuven Menashe, and the intermediary, Rabbi Ya’acov Anavti, the rabbi of Damascus at the time. After the renovation, the synagogue was renamed Knesset Yehezkel, in honor of the philanthropist.

    Visiting Hours

    Visiting this synagogue has become difficult in recent years.  After theives stole valuable artifacts from the synagogue, its caretakers decided to close the doors to tourists.  However, it is possible to glimpse inside the building during Shabbat morning prayers or in the evenings prior to evening prayers.

  • Yossi Bana’a Synagogue

    The Yossi Bana’a Synagogue is the oldest of the Sephardic synagogues in Safed and was built at the end of the 15th century by Jews who emigrated from Aragon in Spain in the wake of their expulsion from that country. The synagogue was originally located at the edge of the “Mista’arvim” (Arabic-speaking native Jews) sector before the massive expansion of the Sephardic quarter in the early 16th century.

    A Talmudic Tomb

    The Yossi Bana’a Synagogue is most famous for a Talmudic era tomb, which sits within the building. At one end of the synagogue visitors can find a small chamber containing the tomb of this 3rd century Talmudic sage (“Amora”), known as Rabbi Yossi Bena’a. It is for him the synagogue is named. He was renowned for his ability to locate and restore the burial caves of “Zaddikim” (righteous persons). The Jews of Safed knew him by his epithet “The White Zaddik“, relating to a miracle he had performed – the whitening of black chickens imposed upon the Jews, to be used in the “Kapparot” atonement ritual on the eve of Yom Kippur.

    A Bit Of History

    The synagogue structure, like those of all buildings in Safed, was partially destroyed in the two major earthquakes that rained destruction upon Safed in the 18th and 19th centuries. The reconstruction work carried out on the building is apparent in the flat wooden ceiling of the main prayer hall as opposed to the original vaults in the women’s section and in the burial chamber.

    An ancient Torah scroll, donated in the 19th century by the Sephardic community in honor of Rabbi Shmuel Abbo, is kept in the Holy Ark and is taken once a year from Safed to Mount Meron in the traditional procession on the eve of “Lag Ba’Omer”. This Lag Ba’Omer procession is a time honored tradition and hundreds of thousands of religious Jews descend upon the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who, according to legend, is the author of the mystical book of the Zohar, the origins of Kabbalah.

  • The Ari Sephardic Synagogue

    HaAri’s Favorite Place

    The Ari Sephardic Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Safed. Historical sources refer to this building as early as 1522, and tell us that the synagogue was used by North African Jews and was known at the time as the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue. During his time in Safed during the 16th century, the Ari frequently prayed in this synagogue, preferring this location over others mainly due to the fact that its windows looked out onto Mt. Meron and the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai.

    It is said that the Ari liked to sit in a little alcove on the eastern side of the synagogue, studying Kabbalah, and that while he was absorbed in his studies, the prophet Elijah, his personal Maggid, appeared. The synagogue was apparently given its present name in the seventeenth century in order to honor the Ari.

    Despite its ancient, fortress-like appearance, not much of the original synagogue is left. Most of the structure was destroyed in the massive earthquakes that struck Safed in 1759 and 1837. In 1840, the Italian Jewish philanthropist Yitzhak Guetta donated money for the renovation of the synagogue and a plaque commemorating his efforts hangs above the entrance to the building.

    The Synagogue’s Role In The War Of Independence

    As the last building situated on the edge of the Jewish quarter, facing out to one of Safed’s Arab quarters, the synagogue was an important defensive position prior to and during Israel’s War of Independence. During the siege of Safed in 1948, the defenders removed the Torah scrolls from the synagogue and bored holes in the walls for surveillance and shooting. Access to the synagogue was possible only via trenches that led down to the building from the Jewish quarter. The military position that was set up in the synagogue was one of the main obstacles to the Arab invasion of the Jewish quarter during the war.

    In the years that followed the establishment of the State of Israel, the building fell into a state of neglect. In the 1980’s and ‘90s, radical changes were made in the vicinity surround the synagogue when the large complex of the Braslav Hasidim was constructed. Today, the synagogue is finally being renovated as part of the Safed tourism development project. At present, this beautiful synagogue is open only a few hours daily for Torah lessons, but it has a regular Minyan on Shabbat.

  • The Ashkenazi HaAri Synagogue

    Who Was HaAri?

    The Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue was built in the sixteenth century on the northern fringes of the Sephardic neighborhood in the Old City of Safed. It was originally founded by Spanish exiles who had settled in Greece and then immigrated to Safed, earning it the name “Gerigos”. Its congregation were Kabbalists, mostly followers of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero and they were joined in 1570 by Rabbi Isaac Luria (known by his acronym “Ari”). His custom was to pray in the synagogue on the Eve of Sabbath, proceeding from there with his disciples to a nearby field (Hakal Tapuchin) to welcome the Sabbath. It is said that it was during these sessions that popular Shabbat melody, Lecha Dodi, was created.

    The History

    In the eighteenth century, with the arrival of a large group of Hasidim from Europe, the congregation changed and the HaAri Synagogue began to be called “the Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue.” It was destroyed in the earthquake of 1837, and its reconstruction was completed in 1857, which in Hebrew numerology is equivalent to “and My Temple shalt thou revere” – the inscription in Hebrew that appears above the entrance.

    The Holy Ark was carved from olive wood by a craftsman from Galicia and was created in the style of the synagogues of Eastern Europe. The craftsman of the Holy Ark was a non-Jew who was unaware of Judaism’s laws against picture or statues of human figures in the synagogue. At the top of the ark he placed a human face which the Jewish congregation then transformed into an anthropomorphic image of a lion, alluding to the acronym Ari, which means “The Lion.” Notice how lion appears to have a human face.

    During the 1948 War of Independence. The synagogue was packed with worshippers seeking shelter from the battles raging around the city and just as the congregants bent forward in prayer, shrapnel tore through the synagogue, flying over the heads of the bent worshippers and embedding itself in the base of the bema. You can still see the hole in the bema where the shrapnel hit. Miraculously, no one was hurt. This event was considered one of many miracles said to have occurred in Safed.

    Though the synagogue is associated by name with the Ashkenazi community due to its use by Hasidim 200 years ago, today it serves as a place of worship for both Ashkenazi Hasidic Jews and Sephardic Jews. It also serves as a popular place of worship for people from many other different affiliations.

    The Ari’s tradition of welcoming the Sabbath outside is still echoed in every Kabbalat Shabbat service today when, during the singing of Lecha Dodi, the worshippers turn toward the entrance of the synagogue.

    Also worth visiting is the Sephardic HaAri Synagogue.

  • Synagogues In Safed

    Safed is considered by the Jewish people as a city of mysticism and as the city of Kabbalah. During the 2,000 years of exile when Jews lived abroad, outside of the land of Israel, there remained within the borders of the land a few special cities where a minority community of Jews continued to live, work and study. Safed was one of these continuously populated cities and this line of continuity has led to a rich and vibrant Jewish history within the city of Safed.

    Much of life in the Jewish areas of Safed revolved around the synagogue and for this reason there are many synagogues, both ancient and modern, within the city. Although Safed has been ravaged by earthquakes throughout the centuries, most of these synagogues have survived and many of them have mysterious legends surrounding their ability to withstand the devastating earthquakes.

    HaAri Synagogues

    One of the most well-known and highly visited synagogues in Safed is the Ashkenazi HaAri Synagogue. This synagogue is the perfect setting to learn about the origins of tikkun olam (the Kabbalistic idea of repairing the world) and about the Kabbalah itself. Also, hear about the Ari and his contribution to Kabbalah and be amazed by the worshippers’ story of survival during the War of Independence. If you want to see one of the oldest surviving synagogues in Safed, and the place where the Ari loved to spend his time, then check out the Sephardic HaAri Synagogue.

    The Historical Trail

    For a bit of historical excitement, make a stop at the Abuhav Synagogue where you can view a Torah scroll from the Middle Ages and see a synagogue that has not one, but three holy arks. Next, visit the Avrutch Synagogue and hear about the miraculous survival of the faithful during the 1837 earthquake that leveled Safed to the ground. See the surviving Holy Ark and be amazed by this tale.

    Stops Worth Making

    Also worth a visit is the Yosef Caro Synagogue where you can see the famous Shulhan Aruch (The Set Table), which dates back to the middle ages and is still used as the primary source for understanding Jewish religious laws. Also check out the Bana’a Synagogue which is the oldest synagogue in Safed and was first constructed in the 15th century or the Alsheich Synagogue which is untouched from when it was erected in the 16th century as it completely survived intact through all of Safed’s earthquakes. For some musical inspiration don’t forget to visit the Beirav Synagogue and learn all about Carlebach prayer.

    Just Looking For A Place To Pray?

    If you are just looking for a nice place to pray then check out the Noam Synagogue or the Sanz Synagogue.