BRINGING TZFAS TO THE WORLD AND THE WORLD TO TZFAS

In the heart of picturesque Tzfas is the “Kabbala Center of Tzfas.” Rabbi Eyal Riess had it strategically placed between the iconic art galleries of the city, where it has been operating for the last thirteen years. Tens of thousands of people visit every year, including Israeli tourists and tourists from all over the world, Jews and non-Jews.

The artists’ quarter is in the heart of ancient Tzfas. It is a place of narrow, quaint alleyways which embody a rare combination of history, art, archaeology, culinary delights and unique architecture. Walking through the alleyways makes one feel as though he is walking within a painting. Like a backdrop, the magnificent Galil scenery is spread out, and the smoothed over cobblestones, the distinctive street lights, and colorful plants are framed by ancient stone houses. The bow shaped windows of turquoise colored stained glass fit well into the fascinating mosaic.

In the center of the alleyway is the “Merkaz Kabbala shel Tzfas.” It is a bustling lighthouse of the spreading of the wellsprings, situated among the art galleries. The center was opened thirteen years ago by Rabbi Eyal, and visitors come from the United States, England, Russia, Germany, France, China and recently many from South American countries as well. There are suitable programs for all of them, for each visitor in his own language.

Since it opened, the Center has been a draw for hundreds of thousands, which is why I went to learn the secret of its magic.

I arrived early in the morning in the middle of the week. In the visitors’ lounge, I found a large group of young Jews from Brazil who were on a Birthright program. They came to hear about Jewish history and identity.

“We opened Tzfas to the world,” R’ Riess said to me. “We are listed on all the platforms aimed at tourists coming to Eretz Yisroel. We work with all the tourist agencies and attend international tourist conferences in the U.S., Germany, London and Tel Aviv. The merchandise that we offer is spirituality, Judaism, Kabbala, and Chassidus.”

The Center offers all kinds of shiurim, lectures and workshops that take several hours, as well as extended programs that take a week or more for specific groups. In the summer, the Center hosts Shabbatons with a Chassidic flavor. R’ Riess takes me up to a fabulous balcony on the top floor of the Center. The view is breathtaking. This is where the Kabbalas Shabbos programs take place.

“80% of visitors are Jews; the rest are non-Jews. We recently had groups from Costa Rica, Holland, and Hong Kong, attending seminars for B’nei Noach that extended for several days. The group from Holland has come to us for eight years in a row. A tourist who comes to us is looking for meaning, which is why the programs are constructed in such a way as to whet the visitor’s curiosity to hear more. We enable visitors to register for a weekly newsletter that my wife publishes, which is received by tens of thousands of people around the world.”

THE ROAD TO JUDAISM VIA ISLAMIC APHORISMS

Before I begin to explore the vast range of activities which are carried out at the Center and draw back many to their heritage, I wanted to hear Rabbi Riess’ personal story which was never publicized.

Eyal was born and raised in northern Tel Aviv to a typical Israeli family, devoid of any feeling for or observance of tradition.

“Ever since I can remember, I was a curious child. I took an interest in many things, and even as a child, my parents enrolled me in enrichment courses at the university. I played chess and was an avid soccer player. I played in the youth group of Maccabi Tel Aviv.”

In elementary school, Eyal was placed in a gifted class and his teachers predicted great things for him. Before his army service he attended a military academy. He did his service as an officer in a field unit of the Quartermaster Corps.

At the conclusion of his army service, instead of traveling to the Far East like many of his friends, he registered for Eastern studies at Tel Aviv University.

“I loved languages. I studied Arabic in school. Topics related to the culture and history of the region always interested me.”

It was Jewish culture and heritage that was of less interest to him at that time. He did have some experiences with Chabad’s outreach activities that had made an impression, but they did not light his fire at that time. For example, he remembers a Chabad tank that parked near his parents’ house and Chanuka gelt that he got from the Rebbe during his army service.

“There was another powerful experience that I regularly experienced since I was a child. Before every holiday, when I would leaf through the newspaper, I would see the Rebbe’s general letter to B’nei U’B’nos Yisroel. That amazed me, seeing a leader who sought to reach the totality of Jewry.”

While studying for his degree, he was drawn into a dialectic search. “While learning about Islam, I became curious about Judaism. I found wise sayings in the Hadith of Islam that I connected with. Later, I realized that it was all taken from our sources. I remember asking one of the lecturers, Professor Shimon Shamir, who later became ambassador to Egypt, whether it was possible to enter into a dialogue with extremist Moslems. He reacted with shock and compared such an idea to having a conversation with Jews from Meah Sh’arim with whom you also cannot arrive at agreements.

“By saying that, he wanted to demonstrate that Judaism also has its extremists. It was because I was so ignorant when it came to Judaism that his response increased my desire to check out my Jewish heritage. I walked around with this inner feeling for several months but didn’t know whom to speak to. The Gulf War was the final blow that pushed me to find out what the significance of being a Jew is. I saw G-d at work; it was clear there was Divine Providence in the world. Many missiles had fallen, and nobody was hurt.

“The newspapers were full of fear-mongering. Only one person insisted on being reassuring, and that was the Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose message was publicized in the papers. I would hear his Chassidim speaking on the radio, conveying reassuring messages. In one article that I read, it said that the Rebbe anticipated that the war would end on Purim. Indeed, contrary to all prognostications, it happened. This amazed me.”

During one of the alarms, Eyal made his way to the shelter in his building. He noticed an unfamiliar neighbor. It was R’ Itzik Rutter who now lives in Kfar Chabad. They exchanged some pleasantries.

A short while after that incident, Eyal decided to change his routine, sort of a time out to do something different than anything he was used to doing. He decided to keep the upcoming Shabbos. He had not heard of Kiddush or any of the other mitzvos of Shabbos. He just stayed at home all Shabbos and did not use the television.

On Motzaei Shabbos he was convinced to keep the following Shabbos too. “My entire week was calmer and better. And then something incredible happened. Before the fourth Shabbos, I met R’ Rutter again, on the steps. He greeted me and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, to join him for the Shabbos meals. His offer came at just the right time, and of course I accepted. I learned that in addition to the serenity of Shabbos, the day has other aspects to it. R’ Rutter connected me with Rabbi Gerlitzky of Tel Aviv, and I became his regular guest.”

Eyal’s transformation was quick. In retrospect, he will tell you that the kindling was there for several years, so when it ignited, the flame quickly became a bonfire.

“After just a month, R’ Gerlitzky spoke to Rabbi Wilschansky of the yeshiva in Tzfas and suggested I visit there. Without a kippa and with very little knowledge of Judaism, but with a lot of curiosity, I went to Tzfas. I arrived on a Thursday, 5 Teves 5752, and I walked right into a farbrengen given by Rabbi Ofer Maidovnik who spent hours describing the global influence of the Rebbe.”

Three days later, Eyal asked R’ Wilschansky if he could stay in yeshiva. The following year, Eyal learned there diligently.

He flew to New York for Yud Shevat 5753 and walked straight into mincha with the Rebbe. “I stood on the farbrengen platform, far from the balcony. Before I left, some people had asked me to mention them in thought by the Rebbe. During the seconds that the Rebbe was on the balcony, I looked at him and thought of those people. I had a hidden request that the Rebbe would look at me; that is how Rabbi Orenstein prepared me before the trip, explaining that it’s like Moshe Rabbeinu looking at Eretz Yisroel and instilling it with holiness.

“At a certain point, I had the amazing privilege that the Rebbe turned his gaze and stared at me. I felt as though two torches were beaming straight into my eyes. I cried and cried and felt a warmth throughout my body.

“A few days later, someone suggested my wife as a shidduch. We married on 12 Tammuz of that year and settled in Tzfas.”

DISPLAY WINDOW OF TZFAS

R’ Riess wasn’t satisfied with what he learned; he wanted to teach. From the very beginning, it was clear to him and his wife that they would dedicate their lives to revealing the light of Judaism and the light of P’nimius HaTorah to other Jews who were searching.

In 5766, after years of lecturing, giving workshops and seminars, and traveling all over the world, he opened the Merkaz HaKabbala shel Tzfas.

“I saw an ad from the Jewish Agency that they were looking for a director for a tourist initiative in Tzfas that would be funded by the Jewish community of Palm Beach in Florida.

“The Jewish Agency knew that the window display of Tzfas had to be about Judaism and spirituality. I submitted my candidacy and out of 300 candidates, I was chosen to run this initiative.

“The beginning was quite minimalist. I worked out of a little office in the Old City. Since then, it has grown to what it has become today, a huge visitors’ center with suitable rooms and a large balcony. Programming that began with a few hundred people over the course of a year turned into working with tens of thousands a year, with indirect influence over many more.

“For quite some time, I thought about an emblem logo for branding our work and I could not think of anything that served that exact purpose. One morning, I woke up before my usual time and that’s when I got the idea to use the emblem of the Tourist Ministry in which two people are carrying a cluster of. But instead of a cluster of grapes, I would put in the ten s’firos and underneath I would write: LaTur B’Chochma (citation from the book of Koheles meaning to tour/explore wisdom).

“The next day, a company that builds websites called me and offered to construct a site for us. When I asked for the name of the company, I was stunned. The name was LaTur B’chochma!”

Those who know R’ Riess, know that he combines two competing traits: very broad spiritual knowledge with an understanding of marketing and branding. On top of that, he is gifted with nonstop energy. All this has led the Center that he founded to what it is today.

“In the first month, three women from Germany walked into the Center. They enjoyed our program and afterward, each one asked to speak to me privately. The third one said her name was Bettina and that she was from Hamburg. She wanted a blessing for a certain difficulty she was experiencing, and I decided to dare to ask whether she was Jewish. It was interesting, because I hadn’t asked the other two women.

“‘I am a quarter Jewish,’ she said. ‘My maternal grandmother is Jewish.’ She did not understand my reaction. ‘You are fully Jewish!’ I told her and explained how Judaism views it. She burst into tears. ‘Are my children Jews too?’ she asked, and I said yes. I told her about the shliach in Hamburg, Rabbi Shlomo Bistritzky, and that is how another Jewish family was added to his community.”

IN A SUPERNATURAL WAY

Eyal shared with us some of the miracle stories that occur regularly at the Center.

“There is a young man by the name of Yaakov who donated a Torah scroll to us. Until recently, he was looking for a shidduch. At a certain point when he came to visit us, we blessed him that he should find his match.

“When someone asks me for a blessing for a personal difficulty, in addition to writing and asking the Rebbe, I tell him that he needs to make a vessel for the blessing. He needs to commit to something in Torah and mitzvos. Yaakov committed to observing Shabbos.

“He had kept two Shabbasos when a woman shadchan called with a suggestion. The amazing thing is that after he became engaged, he found out that his future wife had committed to keeping two Shabbasos before she met him, as a segula!”

R’ Riess has many stories involving children. Here is one of them:

“Four years ago, a couple came to us from Tel Aviv. They discovered us through our website, made an appointment, and came. After a lecture, I learned that they were married for many years and had no children. They had spent 11 years going to doctors, to no avail. Some of the doctors they had seen were pessimistic and said the woman could not have children.

“They were a typical Tel Avivian couple without a scrap of information about Judaism. I suggested they commit to the laws of Family Purity and Shabbos and then wrote to the Rebbe. I invited them to our house for Shabbos and then sent them to study and fill in gaps. Today, the woman is completely religious, and her husband is following her. The most amazing thing is that a year after their visit here, they had a son. We were invited to the bris that took place at the events hall at Tel Aviv University.”

INFLUENCING THE INFLUENTIAL

Many non-Jews also visit the Kabbala Center. Collaboration with the Jewish Agency also brings many celebrities as well as academics from all over the world. The Agency specifically requested that we provide them with a spiritual program.

“We have a program in all languages. We worked hard to ensure that the messages are accurately communicated in the translation. On the one hand, the programs shouldn’t arouse opposition and antagonism on the part of the audience; on the other hand, authentic Jewish truths shouldn’t be prettified. We usually begin with information about Tzfas, about the kabbalists who lived here, and then move on to speak about Torah in general and its various parts including the mystical.”

Although R’ Riess emphasized that his main work is focused on the communication of ideas, still, he puts a lot of effort into programs and media, trying to convey messages that are deep in an engaging manner

The main part of the media outreach and workshops is connecting the world of theory with the world of action, as the Rebbe constantly teaches, “and action is the main thing.” Jews have 613 mitzvos and non-Jews have 7. “There is practically nobody who does not relate to that idea. We get hardly any questions that are oppositional; it’s more out of interest. It is fascinating to see the groups from China. They live under atheistic, communist rule, and they leave here in amazement. Every week we have classes on Skype with Jews and non-Jews from all over the world who were here and want to keep up the connection.”

Speaking about famous people, R’ Riess remembers the visit of one of the most famous Jewish singers in the world, Paula Abdul, who showed early signs of connecting to her roots. She was a guest of the prime minister’s office and wanted to deepen her knowledge of her heritage.

“When she requested to celebrate her bat mitzva and the people from the Tourism Ministry arranged a Reform ceremony at the Kosel, she criticized them and said she had come to Israel for authentic Judaism. And that is how she connected with us.

“Paula came with her entourage to our Center. We had prepared a packed program with Jewish knowledge and experiences. Then she celebrated her bat mitzva in a truly meaningful Jewish fashion. She was thrilled. A short while later, she visited Australia and spoke to a Jewish audience. She told about our Center and the spiritual experience she had here. Thanks to her, many Jews have come from Australia to visit us.”

Famous non-Jews also come to the Center.

“There is a Puerto Rican singer, one of the most famous in the world, Luis Fonsi. Two years ago, his career began to stagnate and upon the advice of a Jewish friend in Miami, he came to us. He prayed at the grave of the Arizal and visited us for an entire day with some friends. He committed to keeping the Seven Noahide Laws and from the moment he returned to the United States, his career took off. He became the greatest star in his genre and many Jewish fans who heard about his visit here also come to visit us when they come to Eretz Yisroel.”

I can practically feel the Chabad spirit here. Why don’t you give your Center a name that reflects that?

“The work here is super-Chabad but there are situations in which you don’t have to hang up a sign that says ‘Chabad.’ Our ability to convey messages of the Rebbe is far greater when we don’t identify as Chabad and when we approach from the professional tourist service angle. This is our shlichus.

“Just now, a woman who was with us in the past wrote to us and came a second time for two weeks of spirituality in Eretz Yisroel. She asked us to put together a learning program for her and the date fell out on Yud Shevat. The first week she was in Tzfas and the second week in Yerushalayim. The title for the program that we designed for her was Basi L’Gani. She is from Chicago and we connected this to the fact that the Rebbe Rayatz was also in Chicago, so she learned his maamarim and sichos.

“This woman wrote that instead of returning to the United States, she decided to stop in Ukraine and visit Mezhibuzh and Haditch, by the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe. The influence is very much present, but one does not always need to proclaim it in headlines. We are very involved with substance. If Americans come here and see a sign that says Chabad, many would love it, and some wouldn’t come in. But when we are a tourist center, then all preconceived images and stereotypes never arise, and we can talk about spiritual substance.”

How do you talk about Moshiach?

“Our basic platform demands that we speak about Moshiach. For example, our films, which hundreds of thousands have seen in many languages, talk about Moshiach. The beginning of the film talks about the world of kabbala in Tzfas and how the Chassidic movement in our times is the current paradigm of kabbala. Then we talk about the purpose of creation and make our way to the coming of Moshiach and the building of the Beis HaMikdash. We talk about Moshiach in their language. In this way, our guests accept Moshiach naturally.”

GLOBAL REACH

The Center is in touch daily with many shluchim around the world who refer their mekuravim to the Center. This helps the shluchim affect people on an experiential level, when they themselves cannot provide the atmosphere that the picturesque alleyways of Tzfas can.

We walked around the Center for several hours and enjoyed the unforgettable experience. The feeling is one of p’nimius and spiritual depth expressed in modern-day tools. “The world today consumes culture and information in a very specific way. You need to use these tools of the media, branding and marketing in order to convey Torah messages that will leave an impression. Recently, we trained ten Spanish-speakers Lubavitcher young men from the community in Tzfas, so we can handle the many tourists who come from Spanish-speaking countries.”

R’ Riess makes sure to point out that he also works with Israelis. Throughout the year, mainly on holidays and special Shabbasos, there are Shabbatons and seminars in collaboration with the Ruth Rimonim hotel, Mitzpeh HaYamim, and Canaan Spa. HAFATZA IN SPANISH

For three years now Mrs. Natalie Riess, Eyal’s wife, has been running an internet blog which is viewed by tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of people all across the American continent.

“Three and a half years ago, my wife went to Mexico to visit her sister. Since I have connections with some of the major players in the Jewish community in Mexico, I arranged for her to give some lectures and shiurim. There was great feedback. Women left the classes with the desire to know more.”

Jewish men in Mexico enjoy a flourishing communal life, but the women apparently needed more. Mrs. Riess returned home deciding to do something about it. “My wife recorded short and catchy shiurim in Spanish and sent them to friends in Caracas, Mexico and Miami. She kept it up every week. They loved it and shared it further with other women. They share it on WhatsApp groups for Spanish speakers on the Aish HaTorah website. Later, we discovered that her clips are also being played on non-Jewish radio stations.”

R’ Riess says he has heard of priests, L’havdil, who share his wife’s shiurim in their own WhatsApp groups. “Every week, we get feedback from all over the world. A woman in Madrid wrote to my wife that she is hospitalized, and these classes revive her spirit every week and keep her alive. Another woman wrote to us that her daughter was in a deep depression, and thanks to the shiurim, she recovered.

Throughout the year, Mrs. Riess lectures in Spanish to hundreds of Spanish-speaking women who come from all over the world. Twice a year, she goes on a lecture tour to Latin America to Chabad Houses and other Jewish organizations.

In the past two years, every visitor at the Center is asked to leave his phone number and email address. If he agrees, he receives the weekly shiur and the Center maintains the connection even when the visit is over.

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The programming for Spanish-speakers increased until a separate division was founded for them. The work takes place on two fronts, with tourists and with Spanish-speakers living in Eretz Yisroel. Rabbi Avrohom Roitman is the director; he became religious through the shluchim in Paraguay.

“Tourists, Jewish and gentile, hear things here that they won’t hear anywhere else,” he says. “Just a few days ago, a Christian came over to me and whispered that what he heard here is far deeper than when he heard all his life in church. We work a lot with Spanish-speaking Jews in Eretz Yisroel. There are thousands of immigrants here who feel alone. We have created a community forum, through which we also provide chesed to those in need.”

R’ Roitman has numerous examples and stories about the tremendous impact of the Center. “There is a famous actress, born in Colombia, named Maritza Rodriguez. She was born a non-Jew but felt a constant bond with the Jewish people. She visited us here and left in amazement. She still keeps in touch with us to this very day. We accompanied her over a long period of time, including the conversion process that she underwent. Today she is a religious Jew who changed her name to Sara Mintz.”