Tzefas

The historic city of Tzefas has grown today into a thriving residential city with a population nearing 40,000 residents. The majority, around 35,000, live in the newer residential areas with a few thousand living in the Old City itself. Tzefas has a mixed population, with a growing number of Chareidim alongside national-religious, traditional and some secular residents.

Old City of Tzefas

See Full Picture Gallery of Tzefas here.

Population

The Chareidi population of Tzefas has mushroomed in the last 15 years. R’ Yoel Berman remembers the Kollel situation in Tzefas 20 years ago as a few kollel yungerleit learning here and there, today there are hundreds of yungerleit learning across the city and even kollels which boast over a hundred avreichim.

Chassidic Communities

Kollel Amelim in Pa'ar Netsach Shul during Night Seder

Tzefas is know for it’s flourishing Chassidic community which includes Sanz, Biala, Seret-Viznitz, Lelov, Chernobel, Sadigura, Rivnitz, Breslov and Chabad. A large percentage of the Chassidim live in the Maor Chaim section of the Darom neighborhood with more families spread out in other parts of the neighborhood. Cheders that serve the Chassidic population include Sanz, Biala, Bat Ayin, Rivnitz, Tachaver, Breslov and Chabad. Tachaver was the only cheder 20 years ago serving the general chassidic population so the flourishing of so many other chadarim demonstrates the rapid growth of the community. The Rav of the Sanz kehillah is Rav Reich, and Rav Dovid Osko is the posek for the kehilla. Both these Rabbanim speak English. The Breslov and Chabad communities are of note as both are large and growing communities. The Breslov community’s cheder, Magen Avot, is one of the largest in the city with 500 boys. The biggest Breslov shul, Pa’ar Netsach, located in the Maor Chaim area hosts a large kollel with 150 avreichim called Kollel Amelim. The Breslov community also has their own girl’s school, called Derech Yehudit, with around 450 girls.

Litvish Community

Yeshivas Tzefas Kollel

The Litvish community is centered around Rav Dov Kaplan’s Yeshivas Tzefas mosdos. The mosdos began about 15 years ago and have grown tremendously in the short time span since their establishment. Yeshivas Tzefas includes a kollel of 85 avreichim, of whom about 10 are Anglos. The boys Cheder with a few hundred students is under the same name as the kollel and is located in the same building. Many of the talmidim from the cheder join the kollel for Mincha after the first seder. Next to the cheder is the girls gan that is connected to Rav Kaplan’s mosdos. Yeshivas Tzefas mosdos also run a girls school under the name Maalos Hadassah with about 200 girls and a girl’s seminary. There are a number of other Litvish kollelim including a Sorotzkin kollel. Until recently Litvish families would send their older boys to yeshivas outside of the city but this past Alul, the yeshiva ketana, Revavos Ephraim, opened in the Old City of Tzefas with Rav Goldberg as mashgiach and Rav Bloy as Rosh Yeshiva. Rav Goldberg also serves as Mashgiach of Rav Druck’s yeshiva gedolah in Yerushalayim. Currently the yeshiva includes 17 bachurim, mostly from Tzefas families but 50 boys are already registered for the next zman and the yeshiva has plans to continue expanding. Rav Yitzi Friedman, an English-speaking Meshiv at the yeshiva ketana spoke highly of Rosh Yeshiva Bloy’s aspirations for the yeshiva. Rav Friedman shared that Rosh Yeshiva has a unique derech where he is able to inspire the leading bachurim to grow while lifting up the bachurim who are finding the learning more challenging. Many Rabbanim from around the country have taken the time to visit and learn from the style of Rosh Yeshiva Bloy and his yeshiva.  While the majority of the community’s mosdos are in or surrounding the Old City, the families live in the Darom residential neighborhood about a 15 minute walk from the Old City.

Ridbaz Shul Masmidim Program

The main Litvish shuls in Darom are Ohel Dov, led by Rav Goldberg, the mashgiach of the yeshiva ketanah, Ridbaz, and Chanichei Yeshivos.

Sephardi Communities

The Sephardim have their own mosdos as well including the large Alkabetz and Pirchei Kehunah chederim. The Alkabetz kollel is a well known Sephardi kollel. Sephardi shuls are also spread throughout the city predominantly in the Old City.

Housing

While the mosdos of the Chareidi communities are spread throughout the city including in the Old City, the majority of the families live in the residential neighborhoods of Darom and Canaan. Darom has the largest concentration of Chareidim and the Maor Chaim section within Darom is almost completely Chareidi. Many of the large Chabad community live in the Canaan neighborhood.

There are 400 new apartments being built in a new building project.

Employment

The major industry in the city is tourism and there are also computer workstations for those who work remotely and want to do their work outside of the home.

Why Tzefat?

Kedushah, beautiful views, growing Chareidi communities, more affordable living options, relaxed pace of life, lifestyle with spiritual (non-materialistic) focus

Contacts

Eli Mendel: English Breslov chassid that learns in Yeshivas Tzefas kollel (Litvish Kollel). He is familiar with both Chassidic and Litvish communities. (053-312-9170)

Yitzchak Friedman: Avreich in Litvish Kehilla, American-Israel, also Meshiv in new yeshiva ketanah. (054-845-4791)

More

Rav Goldstein, an American Rav, lives with his family in the center of Yerushalayim street, the main tourist thoroughway in the Old City. The family moved three and a half years ago from Boro Park where Rav Goldstein was a Dayan on a Bais Din. Rav Goldstein shared that the Kedusha of Tzefas is different than the Kedushah of Yerushalayim. While Yerushalayim is associated with aish, fire, Tzefas is associated with ruach, wind, and the Rav feels that this translates into Tzefas being a very soothing and ‘chilled out place’. Rav Goldstein shared that “the clarity of thought here is a’yom v’norah” and that “‘kochi v’otzem yadi’ does not exist in this place.” He explains that the city has tremendous kedushah and offers real potential for growth but the motivation has to come from within the person. Rav Goldstein did share that the area he is living in is a tourist hotspot and suggested that living in the more Chareidi neighborhoods in Tzefas of Canaan and Darom would be a different experience. Rav Goldstein shared that living in the Old city is really for a family that is individualistic and does not need to be surrounded by a kehillah structure.

Useful Links

Eretz Chemdah article - "No Reason to Go Back"