The city of Safed (otherwise known as Tzfat), up in the north of Israel, is about to host its annual Klezmer Festival, an interesting festival celebrating traditional Jewish music and expected to bring over a quarter of a million tourists from both Israel and abroad to the area!
OK, so what is Klezmer music? Well, basically Klezmer music is the traditional Jewish music you’re likely to hear at a celebratory event, such as a wedding or bar mitzva. Because of its Ashkenazi roots, first noted in the 15th century, most of the songs are actually in Yiddish, not Hebrew. The video at the end of this article will hopefully shed some more light on what is Klezmer music, it’s well worth watching. As you can safely assume with so many people heading to Safed for a 3-day festival, Klezmer music is still hugely popular today…
The Klezmer Festival typically starts on a Monday/Tuesday (so that the 3 day festival squeezes in before the oncoming Shabbat – Safed is a quite religious town), but if you’re hoping to just pop up there and catch some tunes, be prepared to fight the crowds. There are some 100 shows lined up by some of the world’s leading Klezmer musicians, and all shows are FREE. Festival attendees will also have the opportunity to go on guided tours of Safed, plus there will be workshops, all free, on spirituality and Kaballah, as well as special shows for kids.
If you’re planning to stop overnight, just bear in mind that Safed accommodation is expected to be hard to find, as most guest houses in the area are fully booked.
There has been talk from local politicians over recent years to turn Safed into an international cultural and spiritual hub. High hopes maybe, but Safed is certainly an amazing place and definitely in the right location.
