Aerial View of Kfar Chabad

Kfar Chabad is a Chabad-Lubavitch village in central Israel. Located between Beit Dagan and Lod and 8 km south-east of Tel Aviv, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lod Valley Regional Council. In 2009 it had a population of 4,900.

The village was established in 1949 by the Frierdiker Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn OBM.

The first inhabitants were mostly recent immigrants from the Soviet Union, survivors of World War II and Stalinist oppression. The site was originally a Palestinian village called Al-Safiriyya, which was depopulated after the 1948 war. As late as 1957, it was referred to in Hebrew as Tzafrir.

Regarding their Aliyah, the “Jewish Observer” reported: “There were several noteworthy aspect of this Aliyah. The Chabad members refused all offers of help from religious and political organizations; they insisted on going on the land. Adapting themselves to modern agricultural methods… To them it was a point of honor to live as they taught. This meant subsisting only on what they earned by their own toil.”

Kfar Chabad includes agricultural lands as well as numerous educational institutions. It serves as the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic movement in Israel.

Aerial photos of the village were taken this week by photographer Israel Bardugo as part of an upcoming gala event for friends of Chabad in Israel that will take place next week at the Israel Convention Center in Jerusalem.

After taking the photos, the chopper went for a second spin in the air with Kfar Chabad Mayor Binyomin Lifshitz, Chairman of the Lod Valley Regional Council David Yifrach and entertainer Kobi Arieli. The event is being produced by Michael Caplin.

For more info about Bardugo’s helicopter tours, visit israelonair.net