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Richard Woolf

Whatever your interests and no matter how long you have available, I can make your stay here a worthwhile experience.
I have lived in the Galilee for the past thirty years, in the pleasant village of Rosh Pina. Whilst handily placed for the Galilee and the Golan Heights, I guide tours all over the country, especially Jerusalem.

I am happy to work with individuals, couples, families and small groups.

What can I offer you?

I will help you make the most of your trip
Whether you are here for a day, a week or a month, I can suggest an interesting tour to you, to suit both your timetable and interests.
I speak your language
I am a native English Speaker who also speaks fluent Hebrew.
I understand your needs
My clients come from all walks of life, age groups and culture
Jeep used for private guided tours
Richard Woolf, a licensed tour guide, has a wide ranging knowledge of the history and geography of Israel.

Travel Arrangements

I can arrange to meet you on your arrival at the airport or at your hotel in my own comfortable air-conditioned car.
Alternatively, we can travel in your hired car.

David Amiel

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?”

5 Senses Tour Through Mystical Tzfat

Our 5 senses tour is a full on experience that takes you through the mystical, ancient part of Tzfat, to be seen, felt , heard , touched, and tasted. We will experience Tzfat like never before. We will visit the ancients sites, we will hear the beautiful prayers, we will touch the ancient ruins, and we will taste the local delicacies. This is a unique tour given by a local, who has lived in Tzfat for 12 years and who made aliyah from Los Angeles, and the experience will be verstaile and informative, yet fun and interactive.

Glass Blowing Demonstrations

Renowned glass blower and painter Sheva Chaya enlivens her beautiful and popular gallery in Tzfat’s Artist Quarter, where she shares her story, artistic process, and unique insights with thousands of visitors from around the world each year.

After receiving her degree in Visual arts and Art History from Princeton University in 1997, Sheva Chaya made Aliyah to Tzfat, Israel, where the land, the people, and the rich tradition of spiritual teachings infused a greater depth to her work.

Sheva Chaya works in the medium of borosilicate glass and watercolor paint. Her art touches the themes of the Land of Israel, Jewish women, Torah and Kaballah, great mystics, and inner light.

She leads various workshops and retreats, and teaches both painting and glassblowing.

Sheva Chaya regularly hosts lively glass blowing demonstrations in her studio, with a mystical twist unique to her and the city of Tzfat. Her glassblowing demos are well known and have made Tzfat Glass a destination for tourists and art enthusiasts.

Tzfat Walking Tour

Just mention “Tzfat” to any Israeli, and you’ll automatically see the far off gaze and glimmer in his eye…Who doesn’t long for Tzfat, home to the one time Tzfat Kabbalists and mystics of yesteryear, the city perched upon a hill with clear air and mystery around every corner….Come visit this magical city, where the past and present are intricately woven together……

On this special tour we will explore the winding alleyways and cobblestone streets of Tzfat. We will view the varied and beautiful artwork displayed in the Artists’ Quarter and admire the awe-inspiring views of Meron and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). We will also hear the miraculous stories of the War of Independence, and enter the Ancient Synagogues admiring their beauty and taking in their holiness. This historical tour also includes a few stop-offs at important historical religious sites in the Old Jewish Quarter, and the once operating British Police Station among other places.

You can also visit Otzar HaStam, Tzfat’s newest Biblical attraction – and one of the best. Not only is it a hands-on, time-travel adventure, Otzar HaStam brings Judaism to life with its interactive trivia game show, and the Letters of Adventure ride (built by the same people who make educational adventure rides for Disney’s Epcot Center). It also takes you back in time to the world of the ancient scribes when you participate in a scribe workshop. Discover the mystical secrets of the Hebrew letters, their role in creation of the universe, the receiving of the Ten Commandments and more.

Photo attribution: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Safed Old City Tours

Safed Old City – the capital of the Upper Galilee, a city full of charm and inspiration that lies between the mountains of the Upper Galilee. The magical alleyways of Safed have been preserved from ancient times, bearing ancient secrets and legends that were told over the years and became an integral part of the Safed tradition.

The spiritual capital of the Galilee, an captivating and mystical city. The perfect way to experience the north of Israel. During the tour we will visit unique places in the city that have historical significance, view the breathtaking scenery of the Galilee Mountains, hear stories about figures from the ancient world, visit the galleries alley in its picturesque lanes and be inspired by the local art.

Lag BaOmer

Lag BaOmer is a minor holiday that occurs on the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot. A break from the semi-mourning of the Omer, key aspects of Lag B’Omer include holding Jewish weddings (it’s the one day during the Omer when Jewish law permits them), lighting bonfires, and getting haircuts.
When the great Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria, came to Tzfat in 1570, he instituted several new customs linking Jewish mysticism with conventional Jewish rituals. Among them included a Lag BaOmer pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Tsfat, located a 4-hour walk from the tomb of the “Rashbi,” was the logical point from which pilgrims would set off on their pilgrimage. Since the 16th century, Tsfat and Lag BaOmer have been intertwined.
Today, under Knesset law, formal celebrations for Lag BaOmer begin with the Torah procession that begins in Tzfat’s Kikar Abu erev (the day before) Lag BaOmer.
Bonfires are lit throughout the city to commemorate the soldiers of Bar Kochba who fought against the Romans in the 2nd century C.E. The central bonfire is on Mt. Meron. However, throughout Tsfat neighborhoods gather to light their own bonfires. Some of the largest and most active bonfires occur in the Hassidic neighborhoods of Kiryat Chabad (Canaan northern neighborhood), Meor Chaim (Darom-Southern neighborhood), and Kiryat Breslev (just below the Old Jewish Quarter on HaAri Street).

Safed Klezmer Festival

Klezmer Festival in Safed is held throughout the alleyways and lanes of the Old Jewish Quarter and Artist Quarter. On each of the 3 nights of the festival, performances begin approximately 9:00p.m. and go through until after midnight. The performances are free and are all located within a 5 – 15 minute walk of each other in the town’s center.

Artist’s Quarter

In addition to the new immigrants, Israeli artists also came to Safed to open galleries and studios. Early artists, including Yitzhak Frenel and Moshe Castels, had lived and worked in the town since the early 1940s and by the 1950s many of Israel’s best-known artists had opened galleries in Tzfat. These artists included Ziona Tagger, Aryeh Merzer, Mordechai Levanon, Yitzhak Amitai, Shimshon Hotzman, David Gilboa and Raviv. Many of these artists were penniless but they shared their resources as they joined together to create the Artists Quarter Association.

Today there are new artists in Safed. Some of them have established their galleries in the Old Jewish Quarter, where tourists generally go to see the historical synagogues and other sites. Other new artists have come to the Artist Quarter to establish their galleries in the historical Artist Colony of Safed.

Photo attribution:
Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Sdahan11, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Old Safed Cemetery

The Safed Old Jewish Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Israel. The cemetery has been used for hundreds of years as a burial place, including important people and important Jewish religious leaders. The cemetery is located along the western slope of Safed on the slope of Mount Canaan near the Amud River.

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