Safed is a principal town in the Upper Galilee about 25 miles north of Tiberias. Although not mentioned in the Bible, it is mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud. Jewish settlement is documented from the first half of the 11th century. By the 16th century, largely as the result of a large influx of Sephardic Jews, the city became an important religious center and the focal point for Jewish mysticism. Among the prominent rabbis residing in the city during this period were Joseph Caro and Issac Luria.
At the start of the 17th century, there were 21 synagogues and 18 Jewish schools in the town. Toward the end of the 17th century, the Jewish population declined dramatically, so that by 1764, there were only 50 Sephardic families left. However, a more stable government during the latter part of the 18th century led to the return of many Jews and substantial Eastern European immigration. By 1895, Jews constituted a majority of the population. The population significantly declined after World War I, and at the start of the War of Independence in 1948, the Jewish population was 2,000 out of a total population of 12,000. By the mid-1990s, the population was in excess of 21,000.
The postcard below depicts the interior of the Ari Synagogue of Rabbi Issac Luria in Safed, which was constructed in the 16th century and reconstructed after an earthquake in 1837.
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Copyright © 1998-99 Edward Victor