Tzfat, for newcomers and locals
Places checked against their own sources, this week's Shabbat times and weather, what's on, and the practical answers newcomers ask for.
213 Checked places23 Neighbourhoods mappedCandle lighting Friday 16:17
Photo: Shlomo Rodad, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · Licence (opens in a new tab) · resized and converted to WebP
This week
This week in Tzfat
א׳ בְּכִסְלֵו תשפ״ז
Shabbat
Parashat Toldot
Friday 13 November
- Candle lighting
- 16:17
- Havdalah
- 17:16
Ben-Gurion Day
- Parsha:Parashat Toldot (opens in a new tab)
- Haftarah:Malachi 1:1-2:7 (opens in a new tab)
- Daf yomi:Bechorot 54 (opens in a new tab)
Readings from Hebcal (Israel schedule); texts open on Sefaria.
Chanukah is coming
Get ready for Chanukah
The first candle is lit at nightfall on Friday 4 December. 23 days to go.
On Friday, light before the Shabbat candles, with candles that will burn until half an hour after dark.
Light the chanukiah
Candles go in from right to left. You light from left to right, the newest candle first, with the shamash.
Spin the dreidel
- Your coins
- 10
- Pot
- 2
You start with 10 coins and 2 in the pot. In Israel the letters stand for נֵס גָּדוֹל הָיָה פֹּה, "a great miracle happened here".
Who are you?
Start where you are
Pick the page that fits you: the first steps, the right places in the directory and the people to ask.
Explore
Everything for life in Tzfat
Local directory
Places checked against their own source
Every listing links to where its details came from and shows the date it was last checked. Filter by language spoken, kashrut and neighbourhood.
- Dentists1 place
- Health fund branches4 places
- Urgent care, hospitals & emergency1 place
- Kosher restaurants & cafés14 places
- Groceries & bakeries7 places
- Shuls44 places
- Schools46 places
- Community & youth6 places
- Shops9 places
- Parks, trails & springs1 place
- Council & government offices4 places
- Attractions & sights18 places
New in town
Your first weeks in Tzfat, step by step
The paperwork, the health fund, the bank, the bus card and the arnona office, in the order that saves you trips. Your progress stays on your device.
- 1
Before you land
- Gather original documents
- Check your aliyah file is complete
- Compare the four health funds
- 2
First week
- Install Home Front Command and find your shelter
- Get a Rav-Kav or a payment app
- Open a bank account
- 3
First month
- Register for arnona at the municipality
- Sign up for ulpan
- Meet your absorption adviser
- 4
First three months
- Ask your employer about tax credit points
- Check your National Insurance status
- Decide on health fund supplementary cover
Guides
Practical guides, with the common questions answered
- 01Your first weeks in TzfatWhere to start in Tzfat: the municipal absorption department, the Interior Ministry office, health funds, banks and the community centres.
- 02Tzfat's neighbourhoodsThe Old City and the Artists' Quarter, the western slopes, the south, and the newer neighbourhoods on Mount Canaan and facing the Kinneret.
- 03Getting around Tzfat: buses and roadsTzfat has no train: express buses to Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv, buses to Jerusalem and the train at Karmiel.
- 04Health care in TzfatZiv Medical Center, the four health funds' clinics and the emergency numbers.
- 05Schools, yeshivot and seminaries in TzfatState, state-religious, Chabad and Haredi schools, the AMIT high schools, yeshivot and seminaries, and Zefat Academic College.
- 06Things to do in Tzfat: synagogues, art and viewsThe Old City synagogues, the Kabbalists' graves, the Artists' Quarter, Citadel Hill, the museums and the Klezmer Festival.
The place
The highest city in Israel
- Highest point of the city
- 937 mHighest point of the citySource (opens in a new tab)
- Centre of Kabbalah
- 16th c.Centre of KabbalahSource (opens in a new tab)
- Residents (2024)
- 38,687Residents (2024)Source (opens in a new tab)
View from Tzfat across wooded slopes to Mount Meron
Photo: Ori~, via Wikimedia Commons (attribution licence) (opens in a new tab) · Attribution (opens in a new tab) · resized and converted to WebP
Useful apps
The apps people here actually use
Organisations newcomers use
From our network
Good people I work with
A few organisations from the Consult With Ari network whose work reaches people in Tzfat.
These are not paid listings, and they are separate from the checked directory.
Common questions
About this site
Run a business or a community here?
Get listed free, or get a website that works
I'm Ari, and I built this site. Listings here are always free and never paid placement. I also build websites for businesses, shuls and organisations. If you'd like one, book a free call or message me.