Or HaGanuz

Or HaGanuz אוֹר הַגָּנוּז‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
• unofficial	Or Ganuz
Or HaGanuz
Coordinates: 33°0′18″N 35°26′44″E
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Council	Merom HaGalil
Affiliation	Amana
Founded	1989
Founded by	Gush Emunim
Population  (2022)	607

Or HaGanuz

Or HaGanuz (Hebrew: אוֹר הַגָּנוּז, lit. Hidden Light), sometimes Or Ganuz, is a community settlement in northern Israel. Located in the eastern Upper Galilee, about six kilometers northwest of the town of Safed, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merom HaGalil Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 607.

History

The Orthodox settlement was founded in 1989 by a group of newly religious baal teshuva Jews with the help of Amana, the settlement arm of Gush Emunim, even though the village is located within the Green Line. The name is derived from the kabbalah which refers to the original light described in the Bible that was the first act of Creation (Genesis 1:2).

Education

Several formal educational institutions operate in the village including a preschool, a kindergarten, the Ginzei-Shimon Talmud Torah, a midrasha for women, and the Elima college of alternative medicine combining Chinese acupuncture with Jewish spirituality and kabbalah.

Economy

The original founders decided to concentrate on employment that does not necessitate being close to the country's main population center. The village offers a range of holiday bed and breakfast guest houses operated by individual families, tours to graves of tzaddikim, a publishing house for religious and kabbalistic literature (Or Da'at), a printing press (Da'at), and a matza factory. Or HaGanuz Boutique Winery is also located there.

The village is a tourist location for pilgrims visiting the tomb of Rabbi Shimeon bar Yochai in nearby Meron.