Mordechai Zeller, Storyteller of Tzfat

Israel probably has more per capita tour guides than any other country. This is not a statistic that is born out by any concrete facts; rather, as one watches tour groups large and small being guided around Israel by guides, one begins to suspect that the guide population is a large one.

Especially in Tzfat, where almost every tour group spends at least a few hours learning a bit about the city, its history, and its central place in the development of the Jewish religion as the City of Kabbalah, its easy to assume that every fourth Israeli guides tourists for a living.

Guiding with Philosophy

Many guides specialize; some in outdoor adventure tours, in guiding religious tourists, in desert tours, or in youth groups. Within Tzfat, there are a number of guides who specialize in guiding tourists in the city. Among them is a relative newcomer, Mordechai Zeller, who enjoys guiding, but more than that, enjoys the philosophical implications that come with helping visitors understand the city, its people and its stories.

Mordechai's first experience in Tzfat was when he came on a family trip at age 5.....he says that even then, he remembers what a strong impression the city made on him. Growing up in Efrat, south of Jerusalem, Mordechai often thought of Tzfat, and when he completed his studies at Hebrew University, he decided come for "a break". His break has stretched out indefinitely, and he has quickly found his niche as Tzfat's Philosopher-Tour guide, bringing his visitors closer to a real connection with the city through stories and tales which make Tzfat's history come alive.

The Stories are the Window to Understanding

This is a central principle that Mordechai guides by.....the belief that it's not enough to give a visitor a quick overview of the history and significance of the sites. "The Crusaders were here in XXX and the Jews arrived after the Spanish Inquisition" may work for some guides, but Mordechai prefers to give his visitors an authentic feel for the city by telling stories....dozens and dozens of stories which he has learned by walking through the streets of the city and talking to the residents. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't learn another story" Mordechai relates. "These stories are in the bones of the people, in their souls, and thus, they are the core of what Tzfat really is."

For Mordechai, stories are what connect the present to its past; they connect people to their roots, and in this way, visitors can truly feel themselves a part of this special town. "God created the world with a story; He's still creating the story" Mordechai says.

Tzfat is lucky to have Mordechai Zeller around to continue the story, and allow us all to be a part of it.

Mordechai can be contacted at mordechai.zeller@gmail.com 

In addition to his guiding, Mordechai teaches a weekly Portion of the Week class (English) on Tuesday nights which is open to the public, and a class on the Zohar (Hebrew) on Wednesday nights. He is also teaching a Dream Workshop at the yeshivah where he is presently studying for Rabbinical Ordination.