Belated Sukkot pics

There were sukkos here, and there, and everywhere!

U'morid Hagashem

Wonderful rain, rain, rain. Cleaned the air, decorated the plants, accented the green. May all our prayers be answered!

Belated Klezmer Festival Pictures

I always love Klezmer Festival in Tsfat: the party comes to us. Okay, it's crowded, transportation is a mess, and the trash piles up. But what a great way to spend an evening! Walking around in the cooler night air, eating ice cream, looking at crafts, listening to all kinds of Jewish music. We went up each of the three nights (advantage of older kids), and I was outrageously tired for work every day!


Udi Davidy (above) was by far my favorite music act we heard. Each of the members of his band is an excellent musician in his own. Plus his style is very rock n roll, to which I long ago sold my soul. We enjoyed a 2 hour concert at the main Saraya stage until 1 am.




Different crafts (above three pictures) are featured at several areas of vendor tables. Prices are steep, but some of it is one of a kind work (our favorite perfume suppliers from Yishuv Itamar come in for Klezmer and we stock up on natural perfume).


Ben Snoof and his band (above) are Tsfat based. Also quite enjoyable, I finally got to purchase his disc.


My fair city at night, all abuzz from the Klezmer Festival. Party!



Fireworks nightly. Reminds me of ... well, there wasn't any Tinkerbell doing a finale from the Magic Castle.



Street scenes abounded. Our kids used to be happy with these little glow toys, too. This year my favorite to watch was this glow bubble gun: pressing on the trigger lit up the gun and blew bubbles. What fun! Even the babies are having a great time at the party!!

Abu Hav Synagogue

Under exposure does wonders in the afternoon on the bright stones of the Old City. Normally the stones look very flat due to how much light is reflected in full sun.

Managed to capture these pictures of the front of the AbuHav synagogue by underexposing the image.

Blue Tsfat

Blue is so much the color of Tsfat, that instead of a white picket fence, you have a blue picket fence.

Spring Time in the Galilee - Tsfat is in Flower

This is the type of beautiful late afternoon view I get while walking home from work. How wonderous are Your works, oh Creator!


This lovely patch of varied flowers and greens is on my way to and from work also. There's noplace as lovely as the Galilee in the spring!


Caught this view from a cab one day. The view is looking south from the eastern edge of town. The haze sort of hides the Sea of Galilee behind the forest ridge. On a clear day you can see forever.

Snow in Tsfat

Here are some pics from this morning. As of now, more light snow is falling. My kids are pleased. I walked in to work to take pics and get out of the house a bit. I didn't bring my laptop in, so these are unedited.

Trinkets in Tsfat

In one of the alleys, I think it's the Yosef Caro alley, there's a bunch of galleries and stores in a row. And then at one junction, there's a trinket seller. Sometimes you can find some really neat stuff among the trinkets.

Doggie in Artist Quarter Alley, Safed

Reminds me of a joke. An Israeli is out walking his dog with his Anglo immigrant friend. After a few blocks, the Anglo immigrant has a very sad look on his face. The Israeli asks him what's wrong. "Even your dog understands Hebrew better than me."

Okay, it doesn't translate that well ;). I thought this doggie looked pretty cute in the Artist's Quarter.

If you're lucky, we might get snow pictures sometime in the next few days. However, the snowline will have to drop a few more hundred feet. Some cars arrived from the Canaan neighborhood today with at least an inch of unmelted snow on them, but it was only rainy here. By afternoon the skies were freezing blue again.

More Doors of Safed Old City

I hadn't seen this one before. A couple of galleries moved here, which is right across from "Gan Hakasum", the Enchanted Park. When our kids were little, we used to call it "suicide park" due to rock structures and sharp inclines.

Anyway, a couple of galleries moved in, and this lovely doorway leads into a courtyard with scultpures, artwork, and a cafe. Some beautiful works of art there. Coming back out, the door is just as lovely:

Happy Hannukah from Safed!

May your Hanukka be bright and light and fill you with inspiration!

Kitty Cat in Safed

The life of a cat in the Old City!

Fall grape leaves, snoozing in the sun. Truly a cat's life.

Winter is late...

A few images of the last few weeks.

Some stunning days of clouds and sun.





















That's the view...












And on a sunnier day in the Artist's Quarter. You have to admit, painted utility cabinets are lovely.

Jordan Valley views

No pics of sukkah or lulav today. I got a cold on Shabbat, and am tired and weak. The days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot I had work reasons to go to Jerusalem, and snapped these shots.

The one with the bouganvilla is at a rest stop in the Jordan Valley. I always marvel at how much the Samarian hills look like Mars this time of year.

The moonrise was on the way home and is a view east towards Jordan. The might Jordan mountains at sunset/moonrise.

Green Olives in the Holy Land

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. (Psalms 52:8)”

May everyone's year be fruitful and blessed.

Olives are an amazing fruit. While bitter and almost inedible right from the tree, when pressed their oil is prized around the world. When soaked and rinsed and then cured, their fruits can be as varied as black salty olives to tart green olives.

How great the wonders of the olive.

Elul growth for High Holydays

These palm fronds will probably be cut right before Sukkot. The lovely summer growth is perfectly timed for providing schach for the mitzvah of Sukkah. Ah, Elul days leading to the High Holydays.

If only I had time to really reflect. Just call me a working stiff.

Kever Ari at twilight

Took this picture as the sun set into darkness. The gravesite of the Arizal was hopping even at that time of day. You have to admit, in Tsfat, even the graveyard is beautiful.

Tourist Season in Tsfat

The tourist buses are a welcome sight in Tsfat. While the average tour bus only stops for less than 1/2 hour in Tsfat, which is a pity, it does help the local economy and lifts spirits to see folks visiting our little town.

Here's a couple of shots from above the main bus parking area. You see the General Exhibition in the top photo, renovated from an old mosque. In the bottom photo you can see a tourist group walking towards the Old City. There are two alleys leading into our little mystical Old City. Some people take the path less travelled...

Summer Grapes 2007

In the Old City especially, the grape vines are like living poetry.
There's something that calls out to take a picture when you see the ripening grapes.

May we see them ripen in peace...

Tsfat Alleys

Behind the Rimmonim Inn in the Artists Quarter. Notice the oddly blue painted light covers. I dunno. Down the alley a bit further are some painted orange.