David’s background gives him a unique background and ability to give visitors a full tour. His family history gave him a particular interest in Tzfat’s history, and his academic credentials include a M.A. in History and Philosophy, with his Master’s thesis on “The Influences of Kabbalah on the Shabtai Tzvi Movement”. (Shabtai Tzvi was a false messiah of the 17th century who misled a huge segment of the Jewish World, including many great Rabbis, of the day. When he was denounced, and subsequently converted to Islam, it was akin to a spiritual catastrophe for the Jews of the day, who had been misled by Tzvi, as well as their own leadership).
Because Tzfat was such a huge center of the Jewish community of Israel throughout the 15th – 19th centuries, their descendents can today be found scattered throughout the world, and it is not uncommon for people from lands as far-flung as Australia, Brazil, South Africa, and everywhere in-between to arrive in Tzfat asking if “anyone knows where my great-great-great-grandmother Zissel Goldenfarb’s house is” and “does anyone know if there are any descendents left in Tzfat?”
