The ancient Jewish cemetery in Safed is one of the oldest cemeteries in Israel. It has served for many centuries as a burial place for the local residents, including prominent and important figures in the heritage of Israel. The cemetery is located along the western slope of the city of

Safed Safed (known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardi Hebrew, Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), i ...

, at the end of Ari Street, down Mount Canaan, facing the

Amud Stream Nahal Amud ( he, נחל עמוד), also known as the Wadi al-Amud, is a stream in the Upper Galilee region of Israel that flows into the Sea of Galilee. History The source of the stream, Ramat Dalton, is located 800 meters above sea level. Its ...

and overlooking the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...

. Every year, more than 700,000 people visit the graves of the righteous at the site, which according to tradition includes the graves of Tannaim,

Amoraim ''Amoraim'' (Aramaic language, Aramaic: plural or , singular ''Amora'' or ''Amoray''; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen") refers to Jewish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500 Common Era, CE, who "sai ...

, Kabbalists, and many Rebbes. Near the ancient cemetery is the "new cemetery of Safed". On its northern side is the military cemetery of Safed, located on the mountainside, and nearby is the monument in memory of the seven martyrs of the gallows. At the entrance to the cemetery is the Ari's mikveh.

History

The earliest mention is by a student of Obadiah of Bertinoro in 1495, who mentions the cemetery and the grave of the prophet Hosea son of Beeri. Around 1635, Gershon ben Eliezer Segal describes the village of Ein Zeitun: "Ein Zeitun has a built and closed synagogue with a Torah scroll. And to the north of the village, Beit Chaim."

Description

The old cemetery spans an area estimated at one hundred and fifty dunams. Due to earthquakes and soil erosion, it is sometimes possible to find graves above graves in the cemetery.

Ancient Sephardic Section

From the 18th century, a separation in burial was created between the members of the Ashkenazi community and the members of the Sephardic community. Most of the Sephardim were buried in the northern part of the cemetery. Occasionally, Sephardic burials can be found in burial caves in the southern part. In the year 5776 (2015), Dr. Nissan Sharifi, a lawyer and law lecturer, discovered the exact burial place of the

Radbaz David ben Solomon ibn (Abi) Zimra ( he, ר׳ דָּוִד בֶּן שְׁלֹמֹה אִבְּן אָבִי זִמְרָא) (1479–1573) also called Radbaz (רַדְבָּ"ז) after the initials of his name, Rabbi David iBn Zimra, was an early A ...

, following an in-depth research in which Dr. Sharifi reviewed many sources that indicated that the Radbaz was buried to the right of the grave of Rabbi Moshe Mitrani (the Mabit), in the Ari's burial plot, who was his student in Egypt. Thus, on the 21st of Cheshvan 5776, the first celebration was held at the grave of the Radbaz, after more than a hundred years of the grave's disappearance due to natural forces (earthquakes and soil erosion) combined with poor preservation of the ancient cemetery in Safed.

Ancient Ashkenazi Section

Most of the members of the Ashkenazi community in the city were buried in the southern part of the cemetery.

Military Cemetery

Most of the graves in this section are from the 20th century and are very crowded. Among others, the section includes the graves of those who fell during the siege of Acre in the War of Independence.

New Sephardic Section

After the establishment of the state, two new sections were established for Ashkenazim and Sephardim.

Sites of interest

* The Ari's Mikveh. The mikveh is built on a spring where, according to tradition, the Ari used to immerse. * The grave of Rabbi

Pinchas ben Yair Pinchas ben Yair ( he, פנחס בן יאיר) was a '' Tanna'' of the 4th generation who lived, probably at Lod, in the late 2nd century. He was the father-in-law of Shimon bar Yochai and a fellow disciple of Judah haNasi. He was more celebrat ...

- within a large square there is a large tree on which cloths and plastic bags are hung. It is customary to circle this grave seven times while praying. * Victims of the earthquake that occurred in 1837. * Victims of the plague and famine of World War I, including 104 tombstones of those who perished in the expulsion from Tel Aviv. * The monument of the Olei Hagardom - seven members of the underground fighters who were executed by hanging by the British in Acre prison in 1947 are buried in the cemetery. * Victims of the Ma'alot massacre. * Victims of the Avivim school bus attack.

Popular graves

{, class="wikitable sortable" !Name !Period !Source of Tradition !Notes , - , Hosea ben Beeri , rowspan="2" , 8th century BCE , Student of Rabbi Obadiah of Bertinoro (1495 CE) , rowspan="2" , Biblical figure, prophet , - , Beeri , Rabbi Moshe Basola (

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CE) , - , Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah , rowspan="11" ,

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CE , rowspan="2" , Rabbi Chaim Vital (

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CE) , rowspan="3" , Tanna , - , Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta , - , Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair , Rabbi Naftali Hertz Bachrach (

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literature , - , Descendants of the Child from Kfar Sakhin , - , Rabbi Yossi bar Yaakov , - , Rabbi Chiya from the Zohar , - , Rabbi Abba from the Zohar , - , Rabbi Yehuda from the Zohar , - , Rabbi Hezekiah bar Rav , - , Rabbi Yossi from the Zohar , - , Rav Saadia Gaon , 9th century CE , Gaon , - , Rabbi

Bahya ibn Paquda Bahya ben Joseph ibn Paquda (also: Pakuda, Bakuda, Hebrew: , ar, بهية بن فاقودا), c. 1050–1120, was a Jewish philosopher and rabbi who lived at Zaragoza, Al-Andalus (now Spain). He was one of two people now known as Rabbeinu Behay ...

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CE , First, exact location unknown , - , Rabbi Elazar ben Arach ,

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) , Tanna, exact location unknown , - , Martyrs of the Court , 1st century CE , Rabbi Simcha ben Yehoshua of Zalazitz (

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CE) , Before the destruction , - , Mother of the Child from Kfar Sakhin , 2nd century CE , Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kaminetz (

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CE) , Figure from the Zohar literature , - , Hannah and her seven sons ,

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E / 1st century CE , Rabbi Moshe Reisher (

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References

External links

on Yichus.net.

. Safed Jewish cemeteries in Israel Burials at the Old Jewish Cemetery, Safed Cemeteries established in the 14th century