Four Centers, Many Histories
The Old Yishuv was not one settlement but a network of Jewish communities. Its best-known centers were Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias, and Safed. Smaller communities also existed in Jaffa, Haifa, Peki'in, Acre, Nablus, and Shfaram.
These centers changed in importance over time. In the Mamluk period, Safed and Jerusalem became the principal urban Jewish communities, taking prominence over places such as Tiberias and Acre. By the mid-16th century, Safed had become a major center of Jewish mysticism and religious learning. Scholars and rabbis including Yosef Karo and Isaac Luria were associated with the city.
Ruin and Return
Political struggles could abruptly reverse local fortunes. In 1660, during a Druze power struggle, Tiberias and Safed were laid in ruins by Ottoman-aligned Druze warlords. Jews fled; although some returned to Safed, it later became a majority-Muslim center.
Jerusalem’s importance grew again through periods of migration and upheaval. A major Ashkenazi group led by Judah HeHasid arrived in 1700, but hardship and debt soon devastated the newcomers: after HeHasid’s death, creditors burned the Hurva Synagogue in 1720, and Ashkenazi Jews faced attacks in the city. In 1837, an earthquake destroyed much of Safed and killed thousands of residents, contributing to Jerusalem’s renewed role as the principal center.
The map of the Old Yishuv was therefore never fixed. It was shaped by movement between cities, sudden catastrophe, and the persistence of communities that rebuilt or re-established themselves.
