Canaan Neighborhood Safed

The Canaan neighborhood offers local residents a cohesive and friendly neighborhood with low and medium-priced homes and apartments. The neighborhood is one of Tzfat’s oldest but many new immigrants and young families settle in Canaan.

Background 

After the 1948 Safed War of Independence the Israeli government embarked on a program of building low-cost apartments in new neighborhoods surrounding the Old City and the Artists Quarter. These apartments served new immigrants who were arriving from Europe and North Africa as well as older Tzfat residents who preferred to leave the old drafty and damp stone houses of the Old City. The two neighborhoods which were established were the Darom and and Canaan neighborhoods.

Canaan 

The Canaan neighborhood was built on the hillside above the Old City. The first apartments were built along Zalman Shazar, Yosfetal and HaShiva Streets. These two and three-bedroom apartments house approximately 12 families in each building. Over time the neighborhood spread out.

Kiryat Chabad 

The Chabad Hassidic community established their “Kiriya” — neighborhood — in Canaan in the early ‘70s. Three 12-story apartment buildings were built alongside the community’s schools, kindergartens and other institutions. Kiryat Chabad’s elementary schools serve children who come from the entire northern region, including the Golan Heights. The Kiriya runs its own supermarket, synagogue and “mikve” — ritual bath but these institutions are open to any resident who wishes to take advantage of the services.

Services 

Supermarkets were built in the early ‘90s but many “makolets” — small family-run grocery stores — still exist throughout the Canaan neighborhood. There is an elementary school which affiliates with the National Religious population, Beirav, in Canaan along with the AMIT High School, AMIT Ulpanit and AMIT yeshiva. There are many non-Chabad kindergartens and day-care centers in the area. Bus service is convenient and brings travelers to all areas of Tzfat as well as through Canaan with a continuation to the nearby town of Rosh Pinna.

New Population 

When a new wave of immigrants began to arrive from the Soviet Union in 1990, many of these people settled in the Canaan neighborhood due to the low cost of housing and accessible services. The population mixed easily with the older residents. Many of these new Russian residents are elderly and are served by various organizations for the elderly in the Canaan area.

Real Estate 

Local real estate agents maintain listings for Canaan properties on the market, both for rent and purchase. The area attracts many young low-income families, in particular, families who are connected to the Chabad community and wish to live within walking distance of the Chabad institutions.