ASCENT offers Monthly Seminars; Weekly Shabbatons that include home hospitality; Daily Classes; Tours and Hikes in and around Zefat, the Galilee and the Golan Heights; a cutting-edge Multimedia Center with Torah software, videos, audio cassettes and over 2000 books; and a clean, safe, friendly Jewish Youth Hostel. All programs are currently offered in English, Hebrew, and Russian; other languages are available through pre-arrangement.

ASCENT is located at the edge of Zefat's "old city" in a 12,000 sq foot former hotel with 85 beds, an industrial size kitchen, dining room, lounge area and library/media center, and three levels of porches with breathtaking views of Mt. Meron and the rolling hills of the Galilee. A kind of year-round combination recreation center, Jewish youth hostel, and religious retreat for the young and old from all over the Jewish globe and spectrum, ASCENT hosts boths individuals and groups, totalling thousands of visitors every year. The ASCENT program includes everything from nature hikes to Shabbat dinners, in addition to a dip into genuine Kabbalistic studies, learning from original source material.

The ancient Holy City of Zefat, in northern Israel, is the capital of the Galilee. The north is quieter, greener and more relaxed than the densely populated center of the country. National Parks, archeological excavations and nature preserves may be found throughout the region. Well marked hiking trails abound and several guidebooks are available in English. ASCENT offers walks, hikes, and van and jeep tours of the Galilee and Golan Heights, and will help you with arrangements for fun local activities such as rafting the Jordan River complex, horseback riding, winter skiing and guided tours of surrounding cities and nature preserves.

The Old City of Zefat is a picturesque neighborhood of narrow alleys and cobblestone streets where synagogues dating from the 16th century are still in use. These streets clinging to the side of the mountain, connected by stone staircases and navigable only by foot, possess a serene quality rarely found in today's world. The adjoining Artists' Quarter is also unique, and the artist's home studios are open to the public.

Last year, more than 7000 visitors and residents passed through ASCENT, while 12,000 others receive ASCENT Quarterly in print and another 2000 receive the weekly and monthly e-mail publications. The likelihood of hearing ASCENT's name mentioned in connection with Zefat and Israel is not just a coincidence anymore, it's the norm.

For further information, current schedules, reservations, and a sampling of ASCENT's s-mail and e-mail subscription publications, see the packed-full-of-good-stuff, frequently updated Ascent Website or write, fax or call: