THE MISSIONARIES IN Tzfat
In the 19th century, European missionary societies were permitted to operate freely in Eretz Israel, as part of the Turkish authorities’ desire to ingratiate themselves with the Western powers. The plight of the Tzfat’s Jews in the second half of the century encouraged the English and Scottish missions to intensify their activities here. Ben-Zion Friedman, a devout Jew who converted and became a priest, set up two schools in Tzfat. The missionaries also built a hospital which treated patients free of charge. The Jews of Tzfat used the services offered by the mission but none converted. The mission’s main contribution to Tzfat was that it acted as a catalyst; to counter its potential effect on the Jewish community, new schools were built, as well as the Rothschild Hospital (today Tzfat College).
