If it was ONLY Wikipedia that talked about the historical presence of Jews in Safed, then maybe you terrorist loving whiners would have a point. But that of course is not the case, as we know. It never is.
Continuity of Jewish Presence Safed
Safed, known in Hebrew as "
Tsfat," is the highest city in Israel's Galilee, with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains. Though never mentioned in the
Torah, Safed later became an important center of Jewish life in the Middle Ages, and is considered one of Israel's "Four Holy Cities" (along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tiberias.)
Safed became an important refuge for the Spanish Jewish population starting in 1492, during the reconquista and Spanish Inquisition. Jews were expelled from Spain, and many fled to Safed, which quickly gained a reputation as the home of Kabbalists and Jewish mystics. The
Zohar, the primary book on Jewish mysticism, was said to have been written in the area of Safed in the 2nd century by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, when he was hiding in a cave, fleeing Roman persecution. A 12th century rabbi, Moses de Leon, published the work. During the 15th and 16th centuries, scholars began expounding upon the
Zohar, most notably Rabbi Isaac Luria, known as the "
Ari" (lion). Rabbi Luria lived in Safed in the late 16th century and became the most prominent scholar of the Zohar.
Other rabbis who lived in Safed include Rabbi Joseph Caro, the author of the
Shulkhan Arukh, a definitive work of
halakha (Jewish law). The Caro synagogue in Safed, named after the scholar, houses a
Torah scroll that is at least 400 years old.
