Safed

Beyond the Headlines: Holiness in unexpected places - opinion

A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news.

A sign in a Safed coffee shop showcasing the donation of recyclables to fund a tefillin stand.
A Finnish flag flies over the City Hall in Helsinki, Finland, February 10, 2024.

Missing Israeli found dead on side of road in Finland after disappearing during solo cycling trip

Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest against the drafting of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem, January 11, 2026; illustrative.

Haredi protesters attempt to block bus near Meron over Shabbat operations

Search poster for Haymanut Kasau at the Binyamina train station, 2024.

The search for Haymanut Kasau: Why Israel must not forget the missing nine-year-old girl - opinion


Safed Rabbinical Court may close this fall despite strong local demand

Several rabbis wrote a letter to the chief rabbi opposing the decision, and the Rabbinical Courts Administration said it is doing everything "in its power" to stop the closure, the report said.

 Buildings in old city, Safed, Northern District, Israel.

Israel's furthest north communities welcome baby born during Independence Day

Tal and Kirish Akrish brought their third son into the world, the first to be born at the Ziv Medical Center's maternity ward since the war started more than a month ago.

Parents Tal and Kirish Akrish, residents of Kidmat Tzvi in ​​the Golan Heights.

WATCH: Rocket hits parking lot in Safed as Hezbollah keeps firing at northern Israel

The IDF confirmed that the incident in Safed was due to a direct hit and not due to shrapnel, as it was originally believed. More than 30 rockets were fired on Friday against northern Israel.

Parking lot damaged in Safed.

Six injured as cluster munition fragments hit central Israel amid intense Iranian barrage

Meanwhile, United Hatzalah paramedics successfully performed CPR on a girl, including using a defibrillator, after she fell out of bed during a siren, intending to rush to a sheltered area.

Damage after Iranian missile fragments hit a residence in the Tel Aviv area, March 26, 2026.

At least eight wounded after several waves of missiles from Iran, Hezbollah, including direct hit

A rocket directly hit in Nahariya, northern Israel, on Monday night, injuring at least seven, including six from smoke inhalation, while shrapnel fell in Jerusalem, including near al-Aqsa Mosque.

United Hatzalah volunteers respond to the scene of a rocket hit in Nahariya, March 16, 2026.

Two years on: Missing young girl Haymanut Kasau still not found

Kasau, nine at the time, has been missing since February 25, 2024. Urging further action, her parents have repeatedly said that not nearly enough has been done to find their daughter.

A poster of nine-year-old Haymanut Kasau, who has been missing since 2023.

Kinneret remains below red line despite above average rainfall this winter

The lake is currently 4.43 meters from its maximum level of 208.80 meters below sea level, according to the Kinneret Authority, and 23 centimeters below the bottom red line.

An aerial view of the Kinneret. To the casual observer, the lake, also known as the Sea of Galilee, appears to be a rare environmental success story in an era of climate uncertainty.

MK Tsega Melaku: Missing girl Haymanut Kasau ignored for nearly two years - interview

Melaku added that she distributed Kasau’s photo to fellow MKs "so they will remember: there is a kidnapped child, and nobody is talking about her."

A poster of nine-year-old Haymanut Kasau, who has been missing since 2023.

'God does not do a half job,' Safed's Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu says following Maduro's detention

“The shared denominator is clear,” Eliyahu wrote, describing systems built on oppression, corruption, and fear, and arguing that such a rule “will not survive over time,” according to the statement. 

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and Jewish children take part in a special prayer for rain at the Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee, in northern Israel, October 29, 2025.

Court clears Beersheba assault suspect of link to Haymanut Kasau disappearance, extends detention

According to KAN, police no longer attribute any involvement in Kassau’s disappearance to the suspect, though the investigation into the Beersheba incident will remain under Lahav 433's authority.

Nine-year-old Haymanot Kasau.