Shalom Rav Yeshivah Safed
(Hebrew: ישיבת שלום רב / Translation: Shalom Rav Yeshiva / Other Names: Chernoybl Yeshiva, Chernobyl Synagogue / /Definition: Tzfat Yeshiva for English-speaking men / Description: Rabbinical seminary for men of all ages in Safed)
The Shalom Rav Yeshiva provides an opportunity for men and older boys to learn Torah in a warm environment in Tzfat.
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Chernobyl
In the late 18th and early 19th century Jews from Eastern Europe began to “make aliyah” -- move to Israel -- in large waves. Many of these immigrants moved to Tzfat and established their own communities which they named for their towns of origin. Jews from Chernobyl, a town near the Ukranian/Belarussian border, opened a Chernobyl synagogue on Bar Yochai Street in the northeastern quarter of the Old Jewish Quarter of Tzfat.
Disrepair
Throughout the following decades Tzfat’s population rose and fell. A large percentage of Tzfat’s population left during World War I due to the hardships inflicted by the governing [[Ottoman Rule of Safed 1760 to 1918 |Turks]] and more residents left after the Arab Riots of 1929. By the early years of Israel’s independence, many old synagogues, including the Chernobyl synagogue, had fallen into disrepair and disuse due to the lack of community members who could keep them running.
Renewal
In the late 1980s Rabbi Rafael Weingot obtained permission to open the Chernobyl synagogue as a yeshiva for young men as well as a functioning synagogue. Ever since, the small structure has served as a seminary where men of all ages can learn and pray.
Open Yeshivah
The Chernobyl synagogue has a daily “minyan” -- prayer quorum -- comprised of men from the Old City. The yeshivah functions throughout the day and attracts a wide range of students, from young men who have no Jewish background to those who grew up in Orthodox homes and are looking for a more spiritual aspect to Jewish practices. The yeshivah emphasizes its personal relationship and individualized attention that it provides to its students.