Journey to Tzfat

 

 A few weeks ago a few friends and I rented a car and drove up to Tzfat. A tiny artsy, spiritual town nestled in the hills above the Kineret. Tzfat is beautiful and lovely. we got there Friday morning just in time for lunch and to be privy to the hustle and bustle of the city pre-shabbat. We wondered around the artist quarter and found beautiful jewelerly and paintings. It was wonderful. There was a man there who did fused glass work and I literally just starred at his tools and scraps of glass. The town is known for the blue doors and there were many paintings and post cards that displayed them. The old city of Tzfat is truly beautiful. Lots of old stone, beautiful flowers, blue door fixings and lots of art. 

One of the amazing things about Tzfat is not just how beautiful the city is but also the warmth of the hospitality of all the people who we met. I personally didn't know anyone who lived in Tzfat but one of my friends knew one girl, our age, who then made a bunch of phone calls and found not only a family who would house us for the night but also another family for lunch the next day. Later, our host family found a place where we could go for Shabbat dinner and my friend had a friend who could host us for Sudah Shishit, a third meal, Shabbat afternoon. It was incredible! so many people who were going out of their way to host FIVE american strangers. All our meals were delicious and people were kind. We had some fascinating conversations throughout our time there. Overall the population in Tzfat is very observant and my peers found it hard to navigate how/if to tell our hosts that they were becoming rabbis (specifically because they are female). The few times they choose to engage in this conversation is was met with many questions and some apprehensions. One asked why would we specifically choose the word "Rabbi" is there a different word that they could use instead? Part of the challenge is that not only were gender roles a topic of different understanding but so was how we choose to practice our Judaism. Many of the individuals we met had not known practicing Reform Jews and have little experience of the roles or expectations of a Reform Rabbi. These conversations were not easy and force us to articulate our Reform Jewish Identity in a way that many of us hadn't before. The people who we talked with were respectful. The man who we stayed with who we had the most extensive conversation with agreed that by after Shabbat, he still felt the same way he had felt in the beginning but that we had opened his eyes to thinking in a different way and he was pleased to met such passionate young women who would lead the Jewish people. We decided that was a little victory. 

Overall, I loved visiting Tzfat. I was captivated by the beauty, the nature and the passion of the people towards their judaism and towards each other. I also loved seeing a community where art and nature was so prevalent in their Jewish Practice. Hopefully I will go back again, I feel like the community has a lot to teach me, especially about art and I enjoyed a restful and filling shabbat where I felt like I was able to indulge in a true day of rest.