A story from Shirley A - My beautiful city, Tzefat

I have found this story on the Fortune Lounge site.

"I live in the beautiful and antique city Tzefat (Safed), near Tiberias, Israel. My city is one of the oldest cities in the world, as it was founded in the year 70 of the Common Era.

Tzefat means "expectation." Messianic expectation plays a central role in its history. In the sixteenth century Jewish mystics and scholars moved to Tzefat, in order to escape the Spanish Inquisition. Tzefat became the world center for Jewish mysticism - Kabballah. Since then it is known as a spiritual and religious center.

Tzefat's cemetery maybe the oldest in the world: There are lots of holly graves, like the graves of Shimon Bar-Yochay and Rabbi Isaac Luria (Ha-Ari), the founder of the Kabbalah.

At present Tzefat's has a cultural and religious ambience, with its artists' colony, galleries, Bible museum, ancient synagogues, a branch of Bar-Ilan University, regional hospital, interesting antiques market, and annual festival of traditional music. One can feel the intense spirituality throughout the city. Most of all, it is my city and I love it!"