HaLevav - The Center for Healthy Living in Tzfat

halevav-logo-englishMission Statement: Tzfat has a rich history as a center for pilgrimage and learning, a center of commerce and regional administration, a locus for diverse communities, a spiritual and intellectual nexus point, and a place of artistic inspiration and mystical enlightenment. At HaLevav, we believe that Tzfat has the potential to become a model of sustainable co-existence, creativity, and prosperity that engages and inspires residents and visitors alike.

Established in June 2005 and formally incorporated as an Israeli NGO in June 2007, HaLevav - The Center for Healthy Living in Tzfat strives to TRANSFORM Tzfat into a sustainable city that supports the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness of its individuals, communities, and environment. HaLevav PROMOTES, by example and opportunity for direct experience, active participation in and responsibility for the environmental and personal health of the community.

HaLevav serves as a focal point and clearinghouse for local sustainability efforts; we operate outreach, education, and hands-on activities in:

  • Environmental Restoration and Rehabilitation
  • Waste Reduction and Recycling
  • Wellness – Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Health and Healing
  • Gardening and Agriculture
  • Traditional Culture and Recreation
  • Green Commerce and Local Economy
  • Renewable Energy
  • Co-Existence among Diverse Groups

All of HaLevav’s activities promote a synergistic balance between wellness, sustainability, education, and ecology. HaLevav embodies principles of sustainability in its philosophy, activities, and style of management and self-governance. HaLevav is not affiliated with any political or religious organization – everyone is welcome to participate in our programs.

Programs and Activities


Environmental Restoration and Rehabilitation

  • Environmental Education
    • Programs and Activities for School Children
    • Working with Teenagers – Environmental and Communal Awareness, Activism, and Empowerment
    • Creating and Distributing Curricula for Formal and Informal Education
  • Urban Green Space
    • Bustan – Rehabilitating and Stewarding Traditional Enclosed Gardens that Combine Native Fruit Trees with Vegetable and Grain Gardening
    • Restoration and Beautification of Damaged and Neglected Public Spaces
    • Creating and Stewarding Community Gardens and Green Spaces
    • Food and Water – Restoring Water Cisterns in Tzfat and Applying Rain and Greywater Catchment, Filtration, and Utilization Methods to Support the Production of Organic Food
  • Litter Clean-Up
    • Neighborhood Clean-Up Campaigns
  • Eco-Building and Historical Restoration and Preservation
    • Classes and Hands-On Workshops on New Building and Retrofitting

Waste Reduction and Recycling

  • Advocating Mindful Consumption and Eco-friendly Alternatives
  • Initiating, Planning and Operating Tzfat’s Paper and Plastic Recycling Program
  • Battery Collection and Disposal
  • Maintaining Public Composting Sites and Offering Basic Instruction to Individuals

Wellness – Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Health and Healing

  • Yoga, Movement, and Meditation Classes
  • Nutrition and Cooking Workshops
  • Certified Health Instructor Course
  • Health Promotion Workshop Series
  • Complementary Health Practitioner Presentations and Referrals
  • Making Clinic Spaces Available for Complementary Health Practitioners’ Use
  • Community Healing and Stress-Relief Days

Gardening and Agriculture

  • Demonstrating and Teaching Organic Gardening
  • Fruits of the Season – Teaching People to Recognize, Harvest, Prepare and Preserve the Galilee’s Natural Seasonal Bounty
  • Shmita Education
  • Demonstrating and Teaching Grey Water/Rain Catchment and Recycling

Culture and Recreation

  • Hosting Alterative Events During Tzfat’s Annual Klezmer Music Festival
  • Organizing Musical Performances and Movie Screenings
  • Hosting Special Events
  • Nature Discovery Walks
  • Edible and Medicinal Weed Walks
  • Preserving and Teaching Traditional Indigenous Galilean Folkways
  • Hosting Groups for Environmental, Ecological, and Nature-Oriented Educational Activities

Renewable Energy

  • Solar Oven Building Workshops
  • Offering Practical Information and Advice to Individuals and Institutions Wishing to Retrofit Their Buildings for More Sustainable Use

Outreach and Public Relations

  • Hosting Open Houses to Demonstrate the Center’s Activities
  • Publishing Articles on Relevant Subjects in Local Newspapers and on our Website.
  • Network and Co-facilitate with Like-Minded Groups and Organizations that are Engaged in Related Work

Clearing House and Focal Point for Local Sustainability Efforts

  • Information Center and Research Library
  • Environmental Consultation
  • Driving a Sustainable Community Development Process that Encourages the Public, Business, and Non-Profit Sectors to Collaborate with Citizens to Advance the Welfare, Education, Employment, Health, and Cultural Life of Tzfat and its Environs

Co-Existence

  • Conducting Ecology Activities for Children at the Annual Sulha Peace Project Festival
  • Ecological Activities and Workshops for Children and Adults (i.e. Solar Oven Demonstrations, Ecovillage Design) at Events Bringing Together Jews and Arabs in Israel

Links to Additional Information

Project Leader Biographies
HaLevav Web site

Contact Information

Rechov Tet Zayin 5 Kiryat haOmanim, Tzfat 13213 ISRAEL
Phone: +972 77 234 5719
Web site: http://HaLevav.org

Ariel Barzilai, Administrator
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Moshe Tov Kreps, Board Chair
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Shmuel Ofanansky, Director of Ecology Programs
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Muli Randor, Director of Health Programs
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Nili Rabin, Director of Fundraising and Resource Development
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