Returning to the Mountain: A Rosh Hashanah Homecoming in Safed

I turned 44 in a narrow Galilee alley, standing in Safed during the weeks before Rosh Hashanah. I had returned to the city before, but this was my first visit as a travel photojournalist. I arrived looking at the landscape through a new lens, one focused on wellness and healing.

Safed makes renewal impossible to ignore. In the 16th century, refugees expelled from Spain climbed the mountain and built the city into an intellectual and spiritual center of the Jewish world. Rabbi Yosef Karo wrote the Shulhan Aruch there. Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, known as Ha’Ari, reshaped Jewish mysticism nearby. Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz composed “Lecha Dodi,” still sung in synagogues around the world on Friday nights.

Today, the city’s old stone alleys hold what the article presents as a living healing industry. The trip included The Way Inn, Livnot U’Lehibanot, the artists who settled in Safed, and the kitchens that continue to sustain the Old City’s communal life. The Artists’ Quarter also serves as a starting point for exploring the historic center, including a visit to Bella and Jacqueline bakery with Hana Karo and her organization, Ruach Safed.

The Way Inn became the writer’s base for the weekend. The 10-room boutique inn occupies terraced stone courtyards, with suites, tiles, and furniture made by local artists. Its rooftop looks toward Mount Meron and is designed for family gatherings, small groups, healing, and romantic stays. The inn was created by Genine Gita Barel and her husband, Rony Barel. The visit ultimately led the writer to reflect on personal restlessness and on why Safed might appeal to people carrying a difficult year into the Jewish New Year.