Aliyah (Immigration) To Tzfat
FAQ
This page is intended to be a rough overview of Tzfat for people who might settle in Tzfat. The best place to ask the Tzfat english-speaking community for assistance, recommendations, suggestions and other assistance is through the Tzfat forum.
Anyone who has additional knowledge or suggestions to add to this page is welcome to do so, and such additions would be welcome.
In general, there are two "hiloni", or secular elementary schools, Mamlachti Aleph in the Darom (Southern) neighborhood and Mamlachti Bet in Ramat Razim (Northern neighborhood). They are grades 1-6 and boys and girls learn together.
There are two "Mamlachti Dati" schools, Beirav and HaAri. They are affiliate with the National Religious stream. (Religious-Zionist) The schools are mixed but the classes are usually (but not always) separate, boys and girls.(Beirav has some mixed classes. I believe that the HaAri's classes are all separate). They are religious schools and the instruction is in a religious framework but many of the children come from families which are "traditional". There is a full religious and secular curriculum.
There is the NOAM school, which is also a State Religious School. (Religious-Zionist) All the classes are separate, and there is a boys' wing and a girls' wing. The families who send their children to NOAM tend to be stronger in their religious practice. There is a full religious and secular curriculum.
There is a Chabad network. They have 2 elementary schools, boys and girls. There is a girls' jr. high and high school, Beit Chana (with a full religious and secular curriculum), and the boys, after bar mitzva,study at the local Chabad yeshiva (in Tzfat, with little secular studies). Chabad schools and institutions in Tzfat tend towards the messiastic view, meaning that, as do most Chabadniks in Tzfat, they believe that their previous Rebbe is the mashiach (messiah) and is going to return.
For boys elementary, there is the Tzemech David (Rabbinit Dayan) school, which is similar to Noam, but with more Torah study. It's a Talmud Torah with a full secular curriculum as well.
For high school, there is the State (non-religious) Amal school. For religious students, there is the AMIT network, which runs 3 branches, the "Nateeve Hadash" for religious-but-not-strongly-so kids (boys' branch and girls' branch), a yeshiva (religious and secular studies, the kids take a full bagurt/matriculation ) and an ulpanit (for girls, religious and secular studies, the kids take a full bagurt ). These schools are all Zionist in their outlook.
Among the Haredi school system (Ultra-Orthodox) there is a Beit Ya'akov for girls, as well as some smaller schools, including a Yiddish-speaking one. There are so many Talmud Torahs and Heders for boys, Sepharadi and Ashkanazi, Yiddish-speaking and not, that it would be difficult to list them here. Breslev is the largest, and their students are Sepharadi and Ashkanazi, followers of Breslev, Breslev-lite, and Breslev-friendly.
Gans (Kindergartens) and Day Care
There are neighborhood gans for 3, 4, and 5 year-olds throughout the city, both religious and non-religious. Chabad has an extensive gan network in the city, and transportation to their gans for children who lives in areas where there are no Chabad gans. There is a fee for the transportation. These gans are state-supported, and cost only a few hundred shekels per year.
Most of the Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) schools, Cheders and Talmud Torahs have gans connected with their schools. There is transportation to these gans (and schools) as well, for a fee.
There are day care centers located throughout the city, and many private day care facilities as well. The major women's organizations, including Na'amat, Emunah and Herut run centers, which give subsidies according to parents' income. Chabad, Breslev and Shas also run such day care centers. In addition, there are many private day care facilites located in all areas of the city. Local residents of each neighborhood are the best resource to find out what is available in each area.
Ulpan
In Tzfat, whenever there is a group of 20 adults who want an ulpan, the Absorption Minstry of Tzfat will provide one in Tzfat. (See Phone Contacts Page) When immigrants arrive in Tzfat, they should contact the Absorption Ministry to let them know that they are in Tzfat, and the Ministry can put them on the list for the next Ulpan class.
If no Tzfat ulpan is available, new immigrants may travel to the ulpan courses in Carmiel or Tiberias (both about 45 minutes from Tzfat). This should be organized through the Ministry office.
Housing
Please see the Real Estate Page for more information about Housing.
Employment
One of the biggest reasons that new residents don't stay in Tzfat is the issue of employment. Tzfat is a development town, and employment opportunities are limited.
However, most residents DO have jobs, and with some patience and perseverence, new residents should be able to find employment as well. New immigrants are entitled to employment services through the government, including a certain amount of unemployment benefits. The number of the employement office may be found on the Phone Contacts page.
A note: English teachers are always in short supply in the North, and it's a useful profession to study for people who want to settle in the area (and like to teach).
Health
Tzfat has branches of all the Israeli health funds in Tzfat. There are many dental clinics and a number of alternative health professionals, including Doctors of Chinese Medicine, Homeopaths, Naturalpaths, Reflexologists, etc.
There is also a regional hospital in Tzfat, the Rivka Ziv Hospital, which serves the north.