Be’er Sheva is Israel’s fourth-most populated city located in the south near the Negev Desert. The city is a mix of Sephardi, Mizrahi, and Ashkenazi families as well as diverse population of Jews from India, Russia, Ethiopia and now the United States. The game of chess is very popular in Be’er Sheva so much that it’s become Israel’s national chess center, with more chess grandmasters per capita than any other city in the world. Be’er Sheva is also home to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. This city also serves as a center for Israel’s high-tech and developing technology industry. There is a lot of new construction, schools, shuls of all kinds, modern shopping centers, and walking paths, with low cost housing options.

Tzfat is not only one of Israel’s holiest cities, it is also the highest city in the Holy Land. Set in the dense pine forests of the Upper Galilee, overlooking Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee, Tzfat is a delicious blend of ancient grandeur and modern-day resort. For thousands of years, the ancient city of Safed was conquered and reconquered – always changing hands. Said to have been founded by one of Noah’s sons after the Great Flood, the city was inhabited by the local Semetic populations throughout the years. Josephus mentions Tzfat as Sepph, a fortified Jewish town in the Upper Galilee. Today, after years of conflict ranging from the Crusaders to the Mamlukes to the British, Tzfat survives – as pretty, vibrant and mystical as ever!