Gan HaNefashot Museum of Living Jewish Heritage


Gan HaNefashot Museum of Living Jewish Heritage

“Tsfat is the field of visionaries for our generation. It is the field of dreams where Jews look beyond the confines of the four cubits of their little lives and dream of something greater and bigger.” ~R’ Moshe Weinberger, Aish Kodesh Congregation, Woodmere, NY

Rebbe Nachman describes a mysterious field where wondrous trees and plants grow.l It is also where holy souls develop. Inspired by Rebbe Nachman of Breslev’s message, “Gevald! Don’t give up!” Gan HaNefashot Museum of Living Jewish Heritage connects past, present, and future to inspire all visitors to Tsfat. Overlooking the ancient cemetery of tzaddikim, it will tell the story of Tsfat and the history of the Jewish people against a fascinating archeological backdrop. The building site sits directly upon layers of history, revealing the house where the Arizal once lived through a beautiful archeological courtyard and children’s garden. The adjoining Tsfat Mikveh Center represents the future generations of the Jewish people.

An inaugural dinner event held in Manhattan in 2005 at the Museum for Jewish Heritage catalyzed the vision of Gan HaNefashot. Shortly afterwards, a small museum and visitors center was launched as a pilot project in the Old City. It featured a mini-theatre as well as a model of the Third Jewish Temple built according to the vision of the Prophet Ezekiel. The center operated for three years and hosted local residents, tourists, educators, and school groups.

Gan HaNefashot Holocaust Memorial Plaza

As an extension of the museum and overlooking Tsfat’s ancient cemetery, the Plaza will commemorate the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust with six dramatic pillars extending upwards from the plaza floor. Each pillar is designed with a broken portion towards the top, where it continues with a transparent segment, symbolizing the continual renewal of the Jewish people throughout history and their ability to triumph over adversity through faith and dedication to the Torah.


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