Cana'an Gallery

Weaving Workshop

Two frequently-asked questions that tourists in the Old City have are, "what is there to do here?" and "where can we eat?".

Over the last several years, both questions can be answered "the Cana'an Gallery".

The Cana'an Gallery is located next to the Yosef Caro Synagogue on the main street of the Old City. Today, the gallery exhibits a wide variety of Judaica and the work of many artists, but the central attraction of the gallery is the weaving workshop, established and managed by one of the Cana'an Gallery's owners, Orna Mor.

Orna studied artistic weaving in Tel Aviv. She has been weaving for 17 years, and her weaving workshop is one of the most interesting attractions in the Old City. Visitors can see the hand-weaving process, as Orna and her staff create intricate patterns and designs whose influence comes from the Kabbalistic teachings of Tzfat, as well as the nature that surrounds the town. In creating woven Judaica, talits (prayer shawls), kippot (head-coverings) challah covers (ceremonial covers for the Sabbath bread) and more, Orna weaves the designs which not only visualize the holidays and life-cycle events that the objects are going to be used for, but which include the concepts that these ceremonies represent.

Other Attractions

Next to the weaving workshop, the Cana'an Gallery offers a wonderful bistro, where visitors can sit and sip coffee or tea, munch on tasty baked goods, or eat a hearty meal, all the while gazing out at the magnificent view of Israel's north.

In the same courtyard, other artists exhibit their work. The handmade silverwork of Avi Nadav, a third-generation Yemenite silversmith, is shown -- Kiddush cups (cups for sacramental wine), tzdekka (charity) boxes, menorahs (candelabras) and more. Stylized and whimsical dreidels (spinning tops) and menorahs are on display, works of Andreas Myer. Naharia has an extensive collection of mezuzza covers (covers for the parchment, on which is written a special prayer, found on doorposts of Jewish homes) and seder plates (the center plate on the Passover Seder table, with the ceremonial objects used in celebrating the Passover holiday).

The woven objects, however, are the center of the gallery. Made of cotton woven in Israel's Galilee (northern) region, the fibers are exceptionally soft, and inlaid with Kabbalistic, biblical, and nature-inspired motifs. The presence of the Cana'an Gallery amongst Tzfat's artists and artisans is a boost to the artist's community and visitors alike.