Stories from the Stacks

A Hopeful Corner of Tzfat

by Susan Cohen

28.5.2026

One of my favourite parts of volunteering at the library is the people. I love seeing neighbours, but the real magic is welcoming visitors who come because they heard how special this place is.

Today I met Adam (last name unknown, but apparently he's one of three Adams who do this gig), One of the first non-Tzfat tour guides I’ve met who really understands our history and why programs like Birthright and Livnot u’ Lehibanot matter here. He brings young people with a clear purpose: helping them fall in love with Israel and want to return. Meeting him, and the young people with him, lifted me up. It reminded me that our library matters not only to Tzfat, but to the story of the country.

Our library holds 18,000 English books on every topic you can imagine and is the largest exclusively English library in Israel.

It stands here as the living result of Edyth Geiger’s dream, and decades later we get to carry it forward. We should be proud patrons, bringing family and visitors to experience it, and volunteering when we can. It’s a place where children, whether Israeli, American, South African, or from anywhere else, can build strong English reading skills that will open doors for their future.

Come visit, bring someone new, and if you have a couple of hours to give, join us. This is a cozy, hopeful corner of Tzfat, and it’s ours to keep alive.

Susan Cohen is a career journalist and community advocate, the second of four generations of her family to live in Tzfat.