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  • Tzfat Mikve

    The Jewish laws regarding women’s’ immersion in a mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, are complex and exacting. Not exciting.

    That is, until one feels the spiritual uplifting that the experience can offer. Bringing women to that spiritual plane

    Tzfat Mikve is the goal of Women’s Tent, a unique project of the Tsfat Mikveh and Education Center founded by Nachal Novea Mekor Chochma, Breslov Tsfat.

    Womenspace

    Located in the mikveh facility on the very spot where Elijah the Prophet revealed secrets to the Holy Ari, the fifteenth century kabbalistic master, Nachal Novea is building a special “womenspace” and Henna Room. Creative learning experiences through workshops, lectures, group tours and special events are designed to increase the understanding and spiritual uplifting that women ca

    n gain from participating in this special commandment which God gave to women alone.

    Most mikves are located in plain and simple surroundings, built so that women can quickly shower and immerse in the mikve. The immersing woman recites a special blessing and returns home.

    But, the Nachal Novea mikve has built a “spiritual spa,” which opened in 2006, and is the largest and most modern mikveh facility in the entire Galilee and Golan. In addition to adhering to the laws regarding women’s ritual needs at a mikve, the Nachal Novea mikve is designed to provide a respectful and nurturing environment to allow women to see the fulfillment of this commandment on the high spiritual level that it is. The mikve includes a separate preparation room, transport chair and mikveh for handicapped women, all of which were specially planned and designed by the rehabilitation center at Tel Hashomer Hospital. In addition to the 14 luxurious preparation rooms, the facility also holds an elegant waiting room, beauty salon, consultation room and first aid room. The mikveh has separate passages for entry and exit, providing additional modesty and privacy. Special attention has been given to the different customs and cultural backgrounds (Ashkenazi and Sephardi) of the women the mikveh serves. It is also designed with the highest halachic and aesthetic standards along with the most advanced computer technology-making it the most unique mikveh facility in all of Israel.

    Women’s Activities and Workshops

    This in itself is quite unique. But the major goal of the mikveh is educational, to promote women’s body- soul awareness towards this discreet mitzvah and towards that end, a large itinerary of women’s programs are being created. These include Arts and Culture Workshops (music, dance and visual arts), a Cooperative Gallery (to showcase womens’ services, talents and creations), Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) Gatherings (for women to connect and inspire each other ), henna parties for brides and a Health Resource Library with free counseling service offering a safe and discreet resource for women.

    Elisheva Mirvis, developer of the Women’s Tent and its programs, explains: “The Kabbalah teaches us that when Hashem (God) destroyed the Second Temple, the “Shechina” (feminine aspect of the divine) retreated to Tsfat and it is here she is waiting for redemption. So too it is here in Tsfat that the Divine is being awakened by the connection of women to each other and to their wellspring of spirituality and purity”.

    www.tsfatmikve.com

  • The Rebecca Sieff Hospital

    The Rebecca Sieff Hospital, at the bottom of Safed, just off the by-pass road, is also known as Ziv Hospital, and treats patients from the Upper Galilee and the northern Golan. It is a government public general hospital with 310 beds and serves as a Regional Trauma Center in case of accidents, natural disaster, terror attacks and war.

    Who The Hospital Serves The Rebecca Sieff Hospital

    Apart from the residents of Safed, the hospital serves the local Jewish kibbutzim, moshavim and small towns as well as the Arab and Druze villages in its catchment area.  The hospital personnel reflect the population it serves, and whether you speak Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Amharic or English there is bound to be a member of staff or even a visitor who can help you communicate your problem.

    Maternity And Child Health

    The maternity ward and the pediatrics unit are two of the most important departments, as the hospital serves several groups that tend to have a lot of children; very observant Jews and traditional Arabs. In fact, in 2007, there were 2,900 births, an average of 8 births a day, and there were some 3,000 patients admitted to the Pediatrics unit. The neonatal ICU and the Child Development Center also offer health care provision for babies and children together with a team of medical clowns, who help the young patients overcome their fears as well as help them to heal through laughter.

    Other Departments

    The hospital has a School of Nursing as well as a specialist oncology unit, and Ziv’s cardiac department is known for its excellence. There are several Out-Patient clinics on-site as well as a mental health unit, housed off-site, with both out-patient provisions and in-patient care. The Accident and Emergency Department had over 60,000 patients admitted during 2007 and its Trauma Unit was vital in the 2006 conflict.

    The 2006 Lebanon War

    During the 2006 Lebanese war, the hospital was used for emergency services for the soldiers fighting in the Lebanon. One katuysha rocket had a direct hit on the hospital which caused damage to the infrastructure, as well as injuring five patients, 2 doctors and two other members of staff. Over 1500 casualties were treated during the conflict, with 288 IDF soldiers and 125 civilians needing hospitalization.

    Volunteers

    As with most hospitals, there are a lot of volunteers who offer services. One important service is the Yad Sarah office in the basement which provides wheelchairs, walking sticks and other medical supplies on loan to patients, who don’t wish to or can’t afford to buy their own. There are also a group of dedicated volunteers who provide supplies for Shabbat observant patients, as well as mehadrin kosher food during the week.

    The Future

    Ziv hospital has many plans to improve its health care provision, including a new Child Health Center. The new Center will offer pediatric care in one protected and secure facility and add a much needed underground shelter able to hold up to 100 people in a case of emergency. The government has also decided that Israel’s new Medical School in the north should be built in Safed and this will help improve the health care offered to the local population.

    Getting There

    The hospital is directly accessible from the new by-pass road

    By bus: the no 6 bus goes every half an hour

    By car: Follow the signs to the hospital

    By taxi: Ask for the Beit Cholim

    Telephone: main switch board  tel 04 682 8811 or in an emergency dial 101 for Magen David Adom

  • Laugh Yoga

    New Age in an Old Town

    When describing the personality of Tzfat’s residents, people frequently refer to Tzfat as the “Berkeley of the Middle East”. Tzfat is similar to the Californian Bay area, especially in its resemblance to San Francisco, since both cities are built on the side of a mountain and many American immigrants who take up residence in Tzfat are originally from Northern California. The atmosphere of

    Laugh Yoga in Tzfat

    tolerance and acceptance of “alternative” ideas and lifestyles is characteristic of both communities, and many former Berkleyites find Tzfat to be a comfortable fit for their views and lifestyles.

    With this population, it’s no wonder that Tzfat boasts more yoga teachers per capita than probably anywhere else in Israel. These teachers, each with his or her own methods and style, offer classes in a number of locations in the city, and slowly, the philosophy, exercises and discipline of yoga is catching on throughout Tzfat. .

    Reduced Stress and an Increased Sense of Well-Being

    Recently, a new form of yoga has been introduced in Tzfat, and it has caught on quickly. Called “Laugh Yoga”, it is a form of yoga which was developed by Dr. Madan Kataria more than ten years ago. Dr. Kataria developed his unique form of yoga as a further way to utilize the strategies of yoga to reduce stress and enhance one’s well-being. Laugh Yoga is a physically oriented technique that brings together a combination of simple laughter exercises in conjunction with yoga-breathing and stretching activities.

    Participants chant and otherwise simulate laughter which, as they progress, quickly becomes real laughter – the resulting feelings of good-will and stress release is believed to strengthen participants’ health, bring on necessary healing energies, and in general create a personal transformation in how one relates to the world. This comes about, Kataria teaches, in response to the inner stimuli which the laugh yoga session stimulates, and not as a result of the physical activity of laughing itself.

    Today, five thousand “Laughter Clubs” exist throughout the world, and the number continues to grow. It is no surprise that Tel Aviv, the center of Israel’s New Age community, would find so many interested participants for a Laugh Yoga club, and that their workshops are full.

    A bigger surprise, however, has been the popularity of the laugh yoga workshops which have been held in Tzfat. The Tzfat Laugh Yoga Workshops for Women, held thus far in the coldest months of the winter, succeeded in stimulating the curiosity of dozens of women who have attended thus far. The women range in age from late teens to grandmothers, and religiously ranged from secular to ultra Orthodox. They all thoroughly enjoy the sessions and each session has attracted more participants who inhale, expel breaths, chuckle, giggle and laugh out loud together, forming a camaraderie with the good will engendered during the sessions

    More workshops have been requested, both in Tzfat and throughout the country. The facilitators look forward to seeing the activity spread throughout the country. In the meantime, excitement about laugh yoga is spreading by word of mouth, and Tzfat is awaiting the next wave of laughter.

  • Prayer Network in Tzfat

    Power of Prayer

    Several years ago, research began to emerge from major health-care foundations which indicated that people who prayed for their own healing had a better chance of surviving a serious illness than those who didn’t pray.

    Even more astounding, the research, whose interpretation is controversial, seemed to indicate that people WHO WERE PRAYED FOR recovered from illness at a higher percentage than others.Prayer Lists in Tzfat

    This was an astounding finding, and was widely reported worldwide. Religious people of all persuasions, however, were not surprised in the least. Their beliefs had always included the understanding that God listens to our prayers, and answers them. He doesn’t always answer “yes”, but prayers often tip the scale to influence His intercession for a good verdict.

    Praying for others has always held a central part in Jewish prayer. The Jewish prayerbook, the siddur, includes several prayers for the health of those who are ill, and there are set times during the prayer service when these prayers are recited. In addition, Psalms are traditionally recited on behalf of ill people, and certain Psalms are suggested for different people, depending on their situation.

    In the past, requests for prayers to be said on the behalf of certain individuals were made publicly, usually in the syna

    gogue during prayers. However, today, the Jewish prayer network has gone high-tech, and in Tzfat, although the town has a reputation as old-fashioned and slow, prayers have gone into digital cyberspace.

    High-Tech Prayer Network

    There are two listserves for English-speakers in Tzfat, one a yahoogroup and the second a newsletter. Both frequently post requests for people to “daven”, or pray, for certain individuals. Jewish tradition refers to individuals, while alive, by their hebrew name together with their mother’s Hebrew name, so the request will generally be worded something like “Please say Tehillim (Psalm) number 45 for Ruth Hadassah Bat (daughter of) Miriam Shaindel. She is having a biopsy this week to ascertain whether a lump is something serious. Please daven for a good outcome”.

    An email list devoted solely to prayers is also sent out several times weekly. This list is organized so that anybody posting a name agrees to be the “sponsor” of the person whose name they are submitting. As a sponsor, they agree to pray daily for all the people on the list, name by name. There are upwards of 30 people on the list at any one time, so this is a serious time commitment, but many people feel that the power of having so many people praying for each individual multiplies the chances for healing.

    A third list that circulates throughout the city is the “Shmirat HaLashon” (Guard your Tongue) list, kept up by a group of women who have agreed, on behalf of the ill people listed (the list is updated bi-weekly) to be extra diligent to refrain from gossip. Each woman has a 2-hour time frame daily when she is “on duty” — committed to hyper-vigilance in refraining from gossip. Once again, the united prayers of the participating women are believed to be even more powerful.

    No amount of research will ever satisfy everyone as to whether prayer really does influence healing. However, in Tzfat at least, almost everyone is connected to a prayer-list in one way or another. There are very few people in the town who would be prepared to refuse to pray for someone, or ask people to pray for them. Tzfat is, on the whole, a fairly healthy town. So who knows?

  • Tzfatline and Tzfatgroup

    Passing Information in Tzfat

    Once upon a time, not many years ago, the English-speaking community of Tzfat communicated by posting notices

    Tzfatline and Tzfat Yahoogroup on the bulletin board of the English library. Since almost everyone visited the library several times monthly, it was a good bet that any announcements posted there would be seen by all.

    The Tzfat newsletter was also a medium for communication among the Anglos of Tzfat. Twice yearly, before Passover and Rosh Hashana, the 8-page Western Settlers Newsletter would be printed, with articles about various people and organizations in Tzfat, happenings, events, and updates. The newsletter was written up and typed by volunteers and printed at a local printer.  Distribution was effected through the library; as people came in to choose their books, the librarian, Edyth, would ask them to take a stack of newsletters and deliver them to their neighbors. Very few newsletters needed to be mailed.

    The last few years, however, have seen the Tzfat English-speaking community move towards modernity. These days

    , the Western Settler’s Newsletter has been consigned to the archives of Tzfat’s history, and two new digital listserves have taken on the job of distributing information to the community.

    Technology Arrives for Tzfat’s Anglos

    The Tzfat yahoogroup is less of an information tool and more of an opportunity for people to discuss, argue, and debate. The subject matter is not limited to Tzfat, but carries over to national politics, religion and philosophy. Members of the group use the forum to voice their opinions on whatever is going on in the city, the country, and the Jewish world, and although the discussions become quite heated at times, the general outlook is one of give and take and respectful disagreements.

    The second information network for the Tzfat Anglos is the Tzfatline. It is a listing of announcements which comes ou

    t several times weekly. Each newsletter has roughly a dozen items, ranging from offers of things for sale to requests for information about upcoming classes and much more. Moshe, the editor, carefully edits the posts, and the assistance is immeasurable for the subscribers (subscriptions are free).

    Appliances have been bought and sold (and sometimes given away), classes publicized, information about city announcements (which are made in Hebrew in the local Tzfat papers) translated into English, homes found for stray animals, jobs offered, clothing passed from family to family, requests for prayers disseminated, and so on. There is almost no English-speaker in the city who has not benefited from this service.

    Quite a number of potential newcomers to Tzfat have cemented their decisions to make Tzfat their new home because of the assistance that they received through these information listserves, or just because their very presence speaks to the friendly and easy-going atmosphere that Tzfat residents enjoy.

    To subscribe to the Tzfatline newsletter, one may write to tzfatline@aol.com and request a subscription.

    To join the Tzfat yahoogroup, one may write to tzfat@yahoogroups.com and request membership.

  • Banking & Postal Services

    Changing Money

    If you want to change money in Israel, the best places to do it are either at Change places or at the Post Office as they don’t charge commission. Banks either don’t offer a foreign exchange service for tourists, or they charge a lot for the service.

    Banking And Postal ServicesYou can also take out money from an ATM, using your credit card. Some ATM’s also allow you to use your bank/ debit card from your home country bank account. Check in advance with your bank or credit card company to know how much this will cost you.

    Queuing

    The Post Offices here in Safed, and a lot of the banks, operate a number queuing system. You take a number

    when you come in and then when your number comes up on the display you can go to the teller.

    If there is a long queue don’t be surprised to see that people take a number and then go away and come back later. There is also a custom that people will ‘save a place’ for someone else in the queue, so you may see someone apparently barging in front of you. Unless you have really good Hebrew, there is no point in letting it upset you or trying to argue against it, as the rest of the queue will support the bargee or say “mah l’a sot” (“what can you do”) and shrug their shoulders.

    Opening Hours

    Banks

    Bank Discount:

    Canyon Zlil, Aliya Bet Street, junction with Jerusalem Street     

    Tel 04 692 7333

    Monday & Thursday: 08.30 -13.00, & 16.00 – 18.30

    Tuesday & Wednesday: 08.30 -14.00

    Friday: 08.30 -12.30pm

    Before Jewish & State holidays, and intermediate days: 08.30 -12.00pm

    Sundays: CLOSED

    ATM Takes cards issued outside of Israel: Visa, Diners Club

    Bank HaPoalim:

    72 Jerusalem Street – bottom end of the Midrahov, near the bridge

    Tel *2407

    Sunday, Tuesday & Wednesday: 08.30 – 13.15

    Monday & Thursday: 08.30 – 13.00 & 16.30 – 18.30

    Friday: CLOSED

    ATM Takes foreign credit and bank cards

     

    Bein Leumi – First International Bank of Israel:

    34 Jerusalem Street    

    Tel 04 690 9200

    Sunday – Thursday: 08.30 – 13.30

    Monday & Wednesday: 08.30 – 13.30 & 16.00 – 18.30

    Friday & Holidays: CLOSED

    ATM Takes Mastercard & American Express

    Bank Leumi

    35 Jerusalem Street           

    Tel 04 699 4311

    Sunday, Tuesday & Wednesday: 08.30 – 14.00

    Monday & Thursday:08.30 – 13.00 & 16.00 – 18.15

    Friday: CLOSED

    Before Holidays: 08.30 – 12.00

    ATM Takes cards issued outside of Israel: Diners, Visa, Plus

    Change Shops

    Change – next door to Bein Leumi bank

    Sunday – Thursday: 08.30 – 13.30 & 16.00 – 18.30

    Tuesday afternoons: CLOSED

    Friday: 08.30 – 12.30

    Apart from changing cash & travelers checks, this Change shop accepts credit cards and ATM cards

    Change – next door to Seven Grains coffee shop, Jerusalem Street

    Sunday – Thursday: 09.00 – 18.00

    Friday: CLOSED

    Before Holidays: 09.00 – 13.30

    This Change shop does foreign exchange

    Post Offices

    Apart from the usual postal services, you can change money, send money abroad, receive money from abroad, get a mail box, and open a Post Office Bank account.

    Main Post Office

    89 Palmach Street, at the end of the parking lot by the Yigal Allon Cultural Center, next to the Betuach Leumi (Soc

    ial Security Dept)                   

    Tel 04 692 0405

    Sunday & Thursday: 08.00 – 18.00

    Monday & Tuesday: 08.00 – 12.30 & 15.30 – 18.00

    Wednesday: 08.00 – 13.30

    Friday: 08.00 – 12.00

    Post Office

    37 Jerusalem Street             

    Tel 04 692 0115

    Sunday & Thursday: 08.00 – 18.00

    Monday & Tuesday: 08.00 – 12.30 & 15.30 – 18.00

    Wednesday: 08.00 – 13.30

    Friday: CLOSED

     

  • Tzfat Tourist Information Center

    Navigating the City

    Where can I park my car? What is there to see? How can I get to the art galleries? Where is there a nice place to eat?”

    These are questions heard in every tourist information center throughout the world.

    Visitors Center of Tzfat

    However, the Tzfat Visitors Center has more than its share of queries that are not often heard in other tourist offices.

    “Which synagogue has the chair where a woman who wants to get pregnant should sit” is one which is frequently asked. “Who can I go to for a blessing? Where is the tomb of the rabbi that you go to pray at if you want to get married? Where did Madonna go when she came here? Can I take pictures in Tzfat? My great-great-uncle is buried in the Old Cemetery…..how can I find his grave?” And the most frequent, “I have 5 minutes before my bus leaves….can you explain to me what exactly Kabbalah is?”

    About the Center

    Ten years ago, Tzfat’s “twin” community, the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach, Florida, turned to Livnot U’Lehibanot to ask them to establish and maintain a tourist information center as a Palm Beach’s contribution to encouraging tourism in the city. Livnot acquired a building next to the campus of the Livnot U’Lehibanot program and set up the center as part of its commitment to Community Service.

    There are maps and guidebooks, wall panels about the history of the city as well as a 10-minute audio-visual presentation about the history of Tzfat. There’s also information about the Livnot program, for people who are thinking about coming on an educational program, or for people who are looking for a quality program for their kids.

    A Unique Tourist Center

    The Tzfat Visitors Center also has something which would not be a common sight in other Tourist Information Centers — an excavation under the ground of the Center which explains, much more clearly than words or diagrams, the concept of successive layers of the city being built one on top of the other, as earthquakes destroyed the city and survivors rebuilt. Visitors are invited to

    walk into the “tunne,l”

    which was once a street-level corridor with rooms on either side, including a room with a Jewish ritual bath, a mikve.

    Visitors will soon learn that here’s a lot more here than art galleries and walking into a few synagogues. Recently, the Center has begun to offer Livnot-type workshops and seminars to visitors who want to experience Tzfat in a deeper way. There are many talented professionals who offer Storytelling, Jewish Art and Music, hiking in the North, Jewish meditation and movement workshops.

    Not to mention finding the answers to such questions as: Where is the legendary “Elijah’s Chair” is where a woman who wants to become pregnant should sit. (answer: The ARI Ashkanazi synagogue)

    To contact the Center: 972-4-6924427.

  • Old City Real Estate

    Tabu

    More than one visitor has come to visit Tzfat and fallen under the enchantment of the Old City. The archit

    Buying Property In Tzfatecture and layout of the Old Jewish Quarter has, on many occasions, been compared to Toledo, Spain. The cobbled streets are narrow and windy, the stone houses seem warm and inviting, and the Quarter has an Old World charm which is quite enchanting.

    Real estate in the Old City of Tzfat is expensive, but not out of reach, and once potential buyers get a sense of prices, if they decide to continue their hunt for a home, reality sets in.

    The Old Jewish Quarter of Tzfat is one of the few places in Israel where land is “Tabu“, or fully owned by the ow

    ner. In most of the country, one technically leases the land where one is buying property – the lease renews automatically every 99 years. However, in the Old City of Tzfat, as well as other sites where Jews lived before the British Mandate of 1918, the ownership deeds are still held by the families which owned the property hundreds of years ago.

    Arranging a Sale

    When a potential buyer finds a property in the Old City that they wish to buy, the first hurdle is to identify the

     present owners. This generally simple task has ruined countless sales. Many of the owners are impossible to trace, since they are the descendents of the original owners who lived hundreds of years ago. These owners have been traced to Brazil, Australia, South Africa and other far-flung locations, and explaining to them that they have part ownership of a Tzfat ruin can be challenging, much less organizing the sale.

    In addition, since the original owners lived so many years ago, the properties are today owned by dozens of people, all of whom need to be identified, persuaded to sell, paid and signed for the deal to go through. Oftentimes, some of the owners will agree to sell, but not all, leading to a situation where the buyer succeeds in purchasing a majority percentage of the property, and ends up owning, for example, 75% of the house. That’s enough to allow the new owner to live on the property without worrying that someone else could move in, but not enough for them to claim full ownership and receive the coveted “tabu“.

    One local legend tells of a buyer who, in the days before internet, found a house that he wanted to buy. He was worrying about how to track down the various owners when he discovered that a family wedding was planned in Tel Aviv.

    On the evening of the wedding, he arrived at the wedding hall with a list of the original owner’s descendents, many of whom had flown in from throughout the world for the wedding. Over the course of the next several hours, he worked the hall with contracts and a checkbook in hand, and by the end of the night, he owned his house in Tzfat.

  • Halevav – Center for Healthy Living

    Getting Started

    Over the last 30 years, a number of attempts have been made in Tzfat to improve and strengthen the commitment to environmental responsibility and ecology. The situation sometimes seemed hopeless, as successive mayors and their representatives ignored the calls of citizens who were appalled at the littering, dumping, and lack of conservation seen in the city.

    HaLevav: Center for Healthy Living

     

    Many of these initiatives were led by the city’s Anglo population, but they were unorganized; the city government n

    ever felt any wave of political pressure from these initiatives.

    Today, the Halevav organization, a recognized non-profit in Tzfat, is changing this. Also called the “Center for Healthy Living”, Halevav was established several years ago by a group of concerned citizens, mostly immigrants from English-speaking countries, who were fed up with Tzfat’s garbage and pollution. They wanted to see change and action. On their own, they began to collect trash, organize recycling, teach about permaculture, run classes, and raise the consciousness of the community about the need for more involvement in protecting and maintaining our environment.

    Projects

    With the assistance of a dedicated staff, they engage in research projects, public education, demonstration projects, and community service. They sponsor classes and education projects on healthy practices such as yoga, movement, and nutrition. They promote natural health and traditional practices, using native plants and local food products. They teach the community about environmental preservation and restoration, urban gardening, composting, traditional and sustainable building methods and wise use of natural resources such as water and solar energy.

    When the city government proved ineffective in starting a recycling project, they acquired a grant which allowed them to begin recycling plastic bottles and paper – large cages for the plastic recycling project are located throughout the city, and the residen

    ts of Tzfat are appreciative. “Everyone thinks that we’re primitive here” one elderly man commented. “Well, I read the paper. I know that if my grandchildren are going to have a world to live in, we have to start being more responsible now. But I didn’t know how to start. These people, they didn’t sit around waiting for someone to do something…..they just went out and started working. And now, I feel that we’re taking at least one step in the right direction”.

    In conjunction with a second non-profit organization in Tzfat, P’niat HaGalil (Corner of the Galilee), Halevav has made its voice heard in the city hall. Tzfat’s newly-elected mayor now knows that the environmentalists in Tzfat are a strong force, and growing, and he made a point of acknowledging his commitment to their concerns in his mayoral campaign.

    Raising the environmental-awareness of the Tzfat community has been a long struggle, and there is much work left. But Halevav, a grass-roots movement if there ever was one, has shown everyone that persistence and patience can turn a city upside down, for the better.

  • Yigal Allon Cultural Center

    The Yigal Allon Cultural Center’s size and central location makes it an ideal venue for a variety of organizations and institutions from all over the Upper Galilee. With seating for 712 in the theater and room in the lobby for over 200, it is used for everything from plays and concerts to school graduations and official local government ceremonies.

    The Yigal Allon Cultural Center

     

    Location

    The center was built with the support of the Labor Zionist Alliance of Greater New York and is a modern building situated opposite the Wolfson Community Center (the Saraya) in the center of Safed. There is plenty of parking in front of the building, and it is also very easy for members of coach parties to be dropped off and picked up.

    Productions

    Although the Yigal Allon doesn’t have its own repertory theater company, a wide variety of productions come to Safed throughout the year including special plays and other events for children. The Center is also a host to well known Israeli theater compani

    es that come to Safed as part of their national tours. Classical concerts held at the theater are also very popular and tickets are available with a subscription for the concert series as well as for individual concerts.

    Program And Prices

    A program of events is regularly published in advance and can be obtained from the Center. The Yigal Allon Center is in the process of setting up an online booking system which will make it much easier to obtain tickets to popular shows. There are posters advertising upcoming shows in front of the box office and throughout town.

    As there is no cinema in Safed, movies are also shown at the Yigal Allon from time to time. Tickets for events and shows are available from the box office both in advance and on the night of the performance. Prices range from 20shks for individual lectures

    to up to 500 shks for a subscription to a whole theater season. A variety of discounts are available.

    Hiring The Venue

    The Yigal Allon Center is hired by organizations in the Galilee for private and public events. These include concerts, conferences, meetings, plays, school ceremonies etc. If you are interested in hiring all or part of the venue, prices start at 2,000 shks, with special prices and arrangements for Safed institutions. Both the theater and the lobby area can be hired separately for all or part of a day or for an evening. There is also a seminar room available in the bomb shelter in the basement.

    Facilities

    The large size of the stage, 17meters by 13 meters, means that it can host almost any type of production. Access for stage trucks is very easy and stage hands can unload their equipment straight into the theater. The theater dressing rooms are housed do

    wnstairs in the bomb shelter and they are equipped with shower and toilet facilities. There is also a large room that can be used for a chorus or by the wardrobe department. This room is often used as a seminar room when the Yigal Allon hosts conferences.

    Disabled Access

    The theater is wheelchair accessible with space for wheelchairs at the end of the first 6 rows of seats. Although wheelchair users are welcome to come to the theater unaccompanied and without booking in advance, it’s always a good idea make sure the show isn’t sold out before coming without a ticket! There is also an easily accessible restroom.

    Booking

    To find out about what’s on and to book tickets phone 04 686 9600/1

    To learn more about hiring the venue ask to speak to the manager Yehuda Goldstein.