11 Best Sights in Upper Galilee and the Golan, Israel

This spacious Sephardic synagogue is named for a 14th-century Spanish scribe whose Torah scrolls found their way here with the Spanish Jewish exiles 200 years later. A look around reveals several differences between this synagogue and its Ashkenazi counterparts: for example, the walls are painted the lively blue typical of Sephardic tradition, and the benches run along the walls instead of in rows (so that no man turns his back on his neighbor).

Every detail is loaded with significance. There are three arks—for the three forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the one on the right is said to be the Abuhav original)—and 10 windows in the dome, referring to the Commandments. The charmingly naive illustrations on the squinches (supports) include a depiction of the Dome of the Rock (referring to the destruction of the Second Temple) and pomegranate trees, whose seed-filled fruit symbolizes the 613 Torah Commandments. The original building was destroyed in the 1837 earthquake, but locals swear that the southern wall—in which the Abuhav Torah scroll is set—was spared.

Set in the city's old Arab Quarter, the Artists' Colony was established in 1951 by six Israeli artists who saw the promise hidden in Tzfat's war-torn condition. For them, the old buildings, the fertile landscape, and the cool mountain air fused into the magic ingredients of creativity. Others soon followed until, at its peak, the colony was home to more than 50 artists, some of whom exhibit internationally. Many galleries host workshops as well as exhibits, and many are open only in the spring and summer, from about 10 am to 6 pm.

Tucked among art galleries, the charming Caro Synagogue appears quite run-down, but it is considered one of the Old City's most interesting destinations by those who feel a deep spiritual connection to the great scholar who lent it his name. Rabbi Yosef Caro arrived in Tzfat in 1535 and led its Jewish community for many years. He is the author of Shulchan Aruch, the code of law that remains a foundation of Jewish religious interpretation to the present day, and this synagogue is said to have been his private study hall. It was destroyed in the great earthquake of 1837 and rebuilt in the mid-19th century. If you ask, the attendant might open the ark containing the Torah scrolls, one of which is at least 400 years old. A glass-faced cabinet at the back of the synagogue is the geniza, where damaged scrolls or prayer books are stored (because they carry the name of God, they cannot be destroyed). The turquoise paint here—considered the "color of heaven"—is believed to help keep away the evil eye.

In Talmudic times, hilltop bonfires here served as a beacon to surrounding communities, heralding the beginning of the lunar month, the basis for the Jewish calendar. In the 12th century, the Crusaders grasped the strategic value of this setting and built the Citadel. The Muslim sultan Baybars conquered it in 1266, leaving only the scattered pieces you see today.

The Jewish settlement outside the Citadel's walls grew and prospered during and after the Crusader era, becoming a center of Kabbalah studies. When the departing British Mandate forces left the town's strategic positions to the Arab forces, the remains of the Citadel again became a battleground between Jews and Arabs.

An important stop in a tour of the Artists' Colony, the works inside this large space are a representative sample of the work of Tzfat's artists, ranging from oils and watercolors to silkscreens and sculptures, in traditional and avant-garde styles. The permission of the Muslim authorities was required to organize the exhibition, as it is housed in the old mosque, easily identified from afar by its minaret. The Artists' Colony has recognized the growing presence of artists from the former Soviet Union, and the adjacent building holds the Immigrant Artists' Exhibition. In either facility, if any works catch your fancy, just ask directions to the artist's gallery for a more in-depth look at his or her work.

This Ashkenazi synagogue has associations going back to the 16th century. It's named for a rabbi who left an indelible mark on Judaism: Isaac Luria, known to all as the Ari, Hebrew for "lion" and an acronym for Adoneinu Rabbeinu Itzhak ("our master and teacher Isaac"). In his mere three years in Tzfat, he evolved his own system of the Kabbalah, which drew a huge following that would influence Jewish teaching the world over. Even more astounding is that he died in his thirties; it is generally said that one should not even consider study of the Kabbalah before the age of 40, when one reaches the requisite level of intellectual and emotional maturity.

The pale colors of this tiny Ashkenazi synagogue contrast sharply with its olive-wood Holy Ark, a dazzlingly carved tour de force with two tiers of spiral columns and vibrant plant reliefs. The Sephardic Ari Synagogue, where the rabbi prayed, is farther down the quarter, by the cemetery. The oldest of Tzfat's synagogues, this 16th-century structure has especially fine carved wooden doors.

This centuries-old three-story stone building, at the northern end of Keren Ha'yesod Street, houses a historical museum that offers great insight into the daily life of Jews in Tzfat over the past 200 years. Textiles, tableware, and Judaica-like ornate menorahs are displayed with notations in Hebrew and English. Guided tours are available by appointment.

"Defenders' Square" was once the social and economic heart of the Old Jewish Quarter. A sign points to a two-story house that served as the command post of the neighborhood's defense in 1948—hence the plaza's name.

Part of Tzfat's charm is its setting, on the slope of a hill. This ma'alot, or stairway, which extends from Yerushalayim Street to Keren HaYesod Street, forms the boundary between the Old Jewish Quarter and the Artists' Colony. It is named for Tzfat freedom fighters executed by the British during the Mandate.

The founders of this museum are Tzfat residents and Holocaust survivors Hava and Yosef Lustig. The exhibits in the museum's three small rooms, including letters, children's books, drawings, items of clothing, and more, tell of the everyday life of communities and individuals in the Hungarian-speaking Jewish pre-Holocaust world. The computer database has information about 1,700 Jewish communities in Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and other countries. Guided tours can be arranged in advance.

Old and new cemeteries are set into the hillside below the Old Jewish Quarter. The old plots resonate with the names and fame of the Kabbalists of yore, as their graves are identifiable by sky-blue markers. It is said that if the legs of the devout suddenly get tired here, it is because they are walking over hidden graves. The new cemetery holds the graves of members of the pre-State underground Stern Gang and Irgun forces, who were executed by the British in Akko's prison. In a separate plot, bordered by cypresses, lie the 21 Tzfat teenagers killed by terrorists in 1974—they were taken hostage while on a field trip in the northern Galilee town of Ma'alot.