HaMeiri Museum

Upper Galilee & Golan


Housed in a 150-year-old building that once served as the seat of Tsfat’s rabbinical court, this museum illustrates Jewish life in Tsfat during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Exhibits include unique household and Jewish ritual objects made by local tinsmiths using empty kerosene cans (some even incorporate the Shell logo into the design). To get there, go all the way to the bottom of the Ma'alot Olei HaGardom staircase and turn right.

Upstairs is a re-creation of a one-room apartment inhabited by a family with six children. The mother got to sleep in the one bed, and the shower consisted of a hanging bucket made of reused tin with a showerhead welded to the bottom.

Visitors are asked to check in their backpacks so they don’t knock anything over. Signs are in English.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Upper Galilee & Golan attractions

1. Kadosh Dairy

0.03 MILES

Run by the Kadosh family for seven generations, this microdairy produces minuscule quantities of deliciously sharp, salty gvina Tzfatit (Tsfat-style…

2. Sephardic Ari Synagogue

0.04 MILES

Tsfat’s oldest synagogue – it's mentioned in documents from as far back as 1522 – was frequented by the Ari, the great 16th-century Kabbalist, who…

3. Abuhav Synagogue

0.04 MILES

Named after the 15th-century Spanish scholar Rabbi Yitzhak Abuhav, this synagogue was founded in the 16th century but moved to its present location after…

4. Caro Synagogue

0.05 MILES

Decorated with Middle Eastern arches, hanging lamps and bookshelves heavy with holy texts, this synagogue – like the street it’s on – is named in…

5. HaMeiri Dairy

0.05 MILES

Run by the same family for six generations, this small dairy takes about 80,000 litres of sheep’s milk a year and turns it into delicious cheeses,…

6. Ari’s Mikveh

0.07 MILES

A boldface Hebrew sign on the gate reads ‘entry for men only’. The reason: not fear of women but rather the fact that inside naked men are taking ritually…

7. Yehezkel HaMeiri Viewpoint

0.07 MILES

Situated at the very bottom of Ma'alot Olei HaGardom, this platform affords views of the Kabbalists' tombs and Mt Meron.

8. Fig Tree Courtyard

0.08 MILES

Set around a centenarian fig tree and a 9m-deep cistern (visible through a glass floor panel), this collection of four galleries is one of Tsfat’s…