We slept Monday night at alumnus Chaim’s house in Beit Shemesh A. Chaim has a ritual of getting up super early to study and then daven at Neitz (sunrise) but as much as I wanted to join him at his synagogue and experience it along with him, I wasn’t up for a 4am wake-up. So I awoke Tuesday morning before 8am and went to a local synagogue just up the street.
When I came home from Shul, Chaim and his son and oldest daughter prepared a really nice breakfast spread with various forms of cheeses (Israel is really big on soft cheese in various degrees of creaminess and such), baguettes and eggs. We had to get to Jerusalem to make our way to Tzfat, and Chaim graciously offered to take us to the gravesite of Shmuel HaNavi to pray and experience it, on our way. And his son was eager to join us. (It seems he especially appreciates these things and values these spiritual and historical opportunities).
SAMUEL’S TOMB, RAMOT JERUSALEM
Along the ride, Chaim (and his son!) kept pointing things out, the never-ending construction of new neighborhoods expanding upon Beit-Shemesh, the nearby story of Samson, the close-by burial place of Dan, the museum of Nature in the Bible, and more. It’s beautiful when Jerusalem starts coming into view, seeing its neighborhoods, and the old and the new…
Shmuel (Samuel)’s Tomb is very high up in Ramot, with a terrific panoramic view of Jerusalem and beyond. The view gets even better when ascending to the buildings rooftop, which we did. Surrounding the tomb, on the areas just below it, there’s been lots of archeological work, digging up old structures and facilities: olive presses, clay ovens, even a spring-fed Mikvah dating back to Temple times. It’s exposed and visible, with explanatory signage.
But first the Tomb itself. It has been renovated, but in that magnificent way of renewing it without losing its old charm. We descended within, its well-illuminated, fresh-feeling, well cared for. There are books of shelves, cushioned benches, and a plastic-protected velvet parochet cover covering the large stone with pertinent biblical verses and quotes about Shmuel. There was a group of people studying (it seemed they may have been regulars?) in the back of the chamber. We said psalms, we prayed, asked personal requests. Then out of the blue a man began to blow shofar in that stone ensconced chamber, whoa was it loud, and I didn’t see it coming!
After we prayed we ascended the interior worn steps all the way to the rooftop, where we looked around, enjoyed the vast and distant view, and took photos, of course. After our descent, we stopped into a kiosk store built into the building where the Arab proprietor was explaining the various degrees of Kosher symbols to a Jewish customer.
RIDE IN AND AROUND JERUSALEM
We had some time before our 1pm bus to Tzfat, so Chaim graciously took us for a joy ride around some neighborhoods in Jerusalem. We saw the massive Belz Synagogue from afar, the old Breslov Synagogue undergoing expansion construction (literally into the street), we drove through of one of the Chabad neighborhoods and saw the Toras Emes Yeshiva, we read store signs and modesty signs, and multi-language rants against smartphones, we drove thorough the crowded streets of Meah Shearim, and past the big Mir Yeshiva, managed to squeeze by the narrowest streets and avoid cars going the wrong way, the best Cholent Shops, and further out saw big buildings of Chassidic groups we hardly heard of, and the place where Chaim often comes to study many mornings when he can, and all types of places… it was a memorable ride and saw so much in such a short time!
THE RIDE UP TO TZFAT
We caught the 982 going up to Tzfat. It’s incredible how cheap intercity travel can be in Israel. Alas the bus was emptier as less people are headed up north these days. We wound our way headed in a meandering way up towards the north, seeing towns and villages, Jewish and Arab, all along the way, including detours into cities like Afula where we saw the Gaby & Rivky Chabad House on the main street, passed Mount Tabor, and other landmarks. At one point the bus stopped for a rest stop at a gas-station, we all got off to stretch and use the facilities, and maybe get something from the snack bar.
Israel is full of roundabouts. America is just getting around to them and with a limited appetite, but in Israel they are almost everywhere, large and small junctions alike. Chani told us that in Tzfat almost all the roundabouts have something artistic or unusual in their center. And it’s true! Each roundabout in Tzfat has character, something to look for as the bus winds around it.
Tzfat is way up the mountain, and once in Tzfat, there’s climbing further upward yet!
AUNT SARA (SADIE) AND UNCLE GAVRIEL
Sara/Sadie is my mother’s youngest sister -and in many ways they’re quite similar, they both have a lot of Bubbe Risha in them. Aunt Sara and her husband Gavriel are among the Rebbe’s Shluchim to Eretz Yisrael and since the mid 1970’s they’ve been living in Tzfat. They founded and built a Chabad House in the Old City with expositions and exhibits and more, R’ Gavriel revived the old Tzemach Tzedek Shul and is there every single day for years, and they’re very much intertwined with many people of Tzfat, locals and tourists.
The 928 bus from Jerusalem wound its way through Tzfat, and finally lumbered down her street, and stopped at the corner. Our first stop was her house, we met some second cousins we haven’t met before, we got settled and then figured out an itinerary of where to go and see down in the Old Cemetery and the Old City before it got dark. Aunt Sadie recommended a longtime Tzfat local named Chaim, originally from England, to be our driver for a few hours.
THE OLD TZFAT CEMETERY
Our first stop was the Old Tzfat Cemetery, which is alongside a steep hillside. This is no ordinary burial grounds, this is literally a walk through Jewish history, graves spanning hundreds and thousands of years, biblical times to modern day, Mishna-era to Lebanon War, but especially most celebrated for its 16th century luminaries: Isaac Luria – the Arizal – the great Kabbalist upon which much Chassidic thought is based, Joseph Karo who wrote the Code of Jewish Law, the Alkabetz who composed Lecha Dodi, and others. Since I’ve been there last elevated walkways and pathways have been installed, bridging centuries, making the walking between much easier. We agreed to met our driver at the bottom of the hill, at the roundabout (Israel is full of roundabouts!) with the grave of Rabbi Pinchas Ben Yair in its center, shaded by a beautiful tree.
From there we drove to the left, where the modern local cemetery of Tzfat adjoins the ancient one. We set out looking for the gravestone of Bubbe Rishe Piekarski, my grandmother, the girls’ great-grandmother, the beloved matriarch of my mother’s side of the family. At first we weren’t sure we’d find it, but then it was right there. I (Mendel) spent 10 years, from age 10-20, living in my grandparents home while studying in Yeshiva in Brooklyn. At age 87, my grandmother sold her home in Crown Heights Brooklyn, and moved to Tzfat, to live with her daughter Sadie on Rechov HaShivah. She lived there until age 98, and was buried in the new side of the old cemetery in Tzfat.
My older daughter on this trip had opportunity to meet her in her last months, my younger daughter never met her. But Bubbe Risha is iconic in our family, so much has been passed on about her, that we all felt we knew her. I really knew her, she was there for me in tremendous ways. She was insightful, relevant, engaging. I shared some memories of Bubbe Risha at this post.
After visiting Bubbe Risha closer to the bottom of the hill, the driver took us back up again to the top of the hillside, and we went down other way through the well-manicured and landscaped military burial grounds, to stop at the burial place of the Rebbe’s brother, R’ Yisrael Aryeh Leib Schneersohn, an academic who died young in England and was buried in Tzfat.
It was a walk through history and a connection to so much Jewish and personal history!
THE OLD CITY OF TZFAT
The driver brought us up to Rechov Yerushalayim, a central shopping street just above the Old City of Tzfat. We walked past eateries and shops, there were people in the streets, but far quieter than Tzfat would be on a summer day. The open eateries were hungry for people.
While passing a clothing shop, my daughter noticed through the open door, Chagit! she and her family lived in Albany years ago. We stopped in and she was so excited to see us! She insisted we pick out some jewelry to bring back to Albany, and she expressed how much Albany did for her and her family. She spoke of her son serving in Gaza, and her concern for him. We noticed a meaningfully fitting homemade sign of a verse hanging behind the counter: “Vayihi Noam – May G-d’s pleasantness be upon us, and the divine presence rest in the handiwork of our hands.” Perfect for a crafty shop! She was excited that we appreciated the connection, and asked that we share this with my father (Rabbi Israel Rubin) who’d especially appreciate that!
From there we descended down the long, long series of stone steps leading downward into the terraced streets of the Old City of Tzfat building along the mountainside. For some reason, we skipped the first street (where my uncle’s Chabad House and the Tzemach Tzedek’s synagogue are located, will have to come back someday for that) but started exploring on the next street below.
My daughter Chani was a little disoriented at first, not recognizing the streets she once knew so well! Then she realized: Nearly all the shops of the Old City are closed, shuttered. The old windy narrow streets, usually teeming with tourists and guests, especially summertime, were eerily empty. It’s hard to see, and so much harder for the locals to endure such economic hardship as so many stay away from Tzfat. A city that is so dependent on tourism, this is doubly and triply difficult. As one person put it, “even the solidarity trips don’t come up this way.”
Sara loved the charm and beauty and character of the stone streets and alleys. We stopped into the Alshich Shul, the Abuhav Shul with windows in its cupola, and the Ari-Ashkenazi Shul. In each we said a prayer, a Torah thought, took pictures and took in its vibe.
There was an older man sitting on a bench outside the Ari-Ashkenazi synagogue, in its small scenic pleasant courtyard. He was excited to see new faces, guests in an empty quiet Tzfat. He asked if my daughters were married, I told him not yet. Ah, he insisted on bringing them inside the synagogue for a special blessing, “I am a Kohain,” he said, “I can bless!” He sat each of them down on the Chair of Elijah and blessed them to find their spouse. It was so sweet and giving, generous and loving of a man we never met before!
We walked about a bit more, exploring side streets and alleys, taking in the views, taking some photos (including manhole covers, I love Israeli manhole covers!), then called the driver from the closed candle-factory. And back we went to Har Canaan where Aunt Sadie lives, just above the Kiryat Chabad.
NIGHT IN TZFAT
Aunt Sadie made supper. Uncle Gavriel wouldn’t come home until later. She sat with us and reminisced about her mother, my grandmother, the girls great-grandmother, Bubbe Risha. Then we took a walk about the Kiryat Chabad, seeing the glistening lights of Tzfat all around the mountainside and the girls continued walking while I went into the Levi Yitzchak Synagogue for Maariv.
I recognized a few souls from my 770 days. Men, now grandfathers, or close to it, who were in Kvuztah studying in 770 around the time I was there. Some I interacted with, others I just knew by face. A blast from the past.
I went outside to the girls, we walked a bit more, then walked back to Aunt Sadie. Gavriel came home, we talked a bit, then I was too tired after a long day and lie down and quickly fell asleep. The girls stayed up to wait for Moussia, a cousin from back in NYC, who is a counselor in Tzfat for the summer.
While I slept, there was some action in Tzfat. Actually over nearby Mount Meron but clearly visible and very loud in Tzfat (though I slept through it). Hezbollah shot some 8o rockets into Israel’s north, many near or over Mt Meron, shot down by the Iron Dome. It was like a light show they said!
There’s reason people are staying away for now from Israel’s north, but it is very hard for the people there, even if their towns and cities are not evacuated.