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OCT. 4-9 , 2026 • KLIL FOREST, GALILEE, ISRAEL
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Ancient Sounds.
Sacred Landscapes.
A Journey Home.
Join Simcha from Strings of Hope
& Sophia Wisdom Harps for an intimate 6-day
harp retreat in the ecological sanctuary of Klil, in the lower Galilee of Israel.
A Spiritual & Musical
Homecoming.
_
Imagine waking up in an ecological sanctuary hidden within the olive groves of the Western Galilee. The air is filled with the scent of wild herbs and the sound of harps drifting through the trees.
Hosted by Simcha Tzuf and Sophia Abraham, this retreat brings together the Celtic and the Hebraic, the ancient and the modern. We will explore the roots of worship, improvisation, and the healing power of the harp in the land where King David played.
Intimate Group: Limited to 12 harpists.
Ecological Living: Stay at Klil Nature, an off-grid gem.
Sacred Excursions: Sunset harp experiences at the Sea of Galilee.
Meet The Instructors
Hey! 👋
We’re Simcha and Sophia…
Joy and Wisdom!
We’re Simcha and Sophia — joy and wisdom, just as our names suggest.
And we are here to joyfully guide you through the endless musical wisdom of the harp during this retreat!
Simcha brings the ancient melodies of Israel and the Middle East, the meditative textures of improvisation, and a teaching style rooted in playing from the heart rather than the page. His journey began with building his first harp in 2014, captivated by the stories of King David playing to soothe the soul. Today, from his home in the Upper Galilee, he guides harpists worldwide to discover their own inner melody.
Sophia carries the Celtic streams — Irish music and the therapeutic voice of the harp woven together through years of clinical practice and deep listening. As founder of Wisdom Harps, she’s devoted to making the harp accessible to all, bringing its healing presence into spiritual, educational, and bedside settings.
Together, we hold complementary threads: East and West, ancient modes and Celtic tradition, intuitive improvisation and grounded technique. On this retreat, you’ll receive not one teaching style but a weaving — two voices, two lineages, one invitation to discover what the harp wants to say through you.
Authentic Accommodations & Meals
The Klil Retreat: Homemade Pescetarian meals
The Galilee Sea Sunset Concert: Sunset concert on a boat over the waters of the Gaillee Sea
The Shabbat Tzfat Experience: Experience a Shabbat in the mystical Old City of Safed
World-Class Musical Instruction
Daily Workshops: with Simcha and Sophia
Masterclass with Sunita Staneslow
Middle Eastern Maqam Immersion
Group Playing & Improvisation
What’s Included:
The Israel Harp Retreat Experience
More than a workshop. More than a tour.
A musical pilgrimage.
When you join us for the Israel Harp Retreat, you aren’t just booking a seat in a classroom; you are stepping into a living breathing soundscape.
We have curated every moment to ensure you leave with more than just new songs—you’ll leave with a new connection to your instrument and the land where its history began.
*The full line of guest teachers and concerts depends on the amount of sign-ups to the retreat.
Exclusive Concerts & Cultural Encounters
The Guest Series: Private moments with Yaron Cherniak
The Midwives: Psalms Concert on the waters of the Galilee Sea with Chava Saban & Tziona Achishena
Instrument Maker Visits: Woodsong Harps in Rosh Pina
Personal Growth & Creativity
Private Mentorship
Interactive Concert Experience
Therapeutic Harp Techniques
Making Beauty With Simplicity
Spiritual & Historic Exploration
Visit the historical Galilee Sea: A site so special to both Christians and Jews
The Galilee Experience: The Retreat is hosted in a beautiful ecological settlement in the Lower Galilee Forest.
Mystical Safed (Tzfat): Stay in the heart of the Old City, tour ancient synagogues, and experience a “Musical Havdallah” with local musicians. (Optional add-on package)
The “Full Package” Includes:
All Tuition: Every workshop, masterclass, and guest lecture
All Concerts: Every private performance and dinner show
Lodging: All nights in Klil (and Safed for the Expansion package)
All Meals: Daily open kitchen breakfast with fresh vegetables, local cheeses, yoghurt and eggs. Chai tea gatherings, and special evening Pescetarian dinners. Plus a homey kitchen stocked with healthy food for whenever you’re hungry
Ready to find your song in the Holy Land?
Meet Your Companions
Sophia Abraham
Simcha Tzuf
Yaron Cherniak
Tzuf Family Band
Naga, the Singing Husky
Secure Your Place
Base Retreat Price: ~$1,700 USD
(Final pricing subject to room selection)
Shared Room
Shared Room w/ Bathroom
Private Room w/ Bathroom
Private Room
The cottage in Klil has 8 guest bedrooms:
-4 shared rooms, each with 2 beds (and one with 3 beds), great for meeting new friends or booking together with a group of friends.
-4 private rooms, each with 1 twin bed (and one with 2 beds) , perfect for a private solo room, or for a couple/close friends.
*Some of the rooms have an en-suite private bathroom, and some of the rooms share a bathroom/shower with their neighboring room.
The rooms are priced accordingly based on Shared/Private, and en-suite bathroom/shared bathroom
Provisional Retreat Schedule
*The current schedule is a provisional schedule, and will be finalized after we meet with each of you, to discuss the harping topics that you are most interested in learning.
We can also add in more workshops per day if you’d like a more full schedule
Day 1 - (Sunday)
Arrival and Gathering
Morning: Group transportation departs from Tel Aviv (The Abraham Hostel) to the Galilee.
Afternoon: Check-in to our retreat home in Klil.
🎶 Evening: Chai Tea & Harp Circle. A gentle evening of song-sharing to meet one another over middle-eastern chai tea, and set our intentions.
Stay: Klil - Lower Galilee
Day 2 - (Monday)
Psalms & Performance
Morning: Workshop with Simcha in a topic of the groups choice - decided from previous days meeting.
Noon: Tzuf Family Band house concert in Tzivon
Afternoon. Workshop with Sophia Wisdom on The Irish Harp and Celtic Melodies.
🎶 Evening: CONCERT
Stay: Klil - Lower Galilee
Day 3 - (Tuesday)
Middle Eastern Melodies
Morning: Workshop with Simcha in Middle Eastern Music - The exotic Hicaz Zirguleili Ilahi Maqam - an old spiritual Sufi song.
Afternoon: Workshop - Middle Eastern Music Workshop with guest teacher Yaron Cherniak
🎶 Evening : CONCERT with Yaron Cherniak from Miqedem. Dive into the unique scales of Middle Eastern music with Yaron Cherniak.
Stay: Klil - Lower Galilee
Day 4 - (Wednesday)
Craft & Creation
Morning: Workshop - Playing with Others.
How to accompany other musicians live with Simcha and the Tzuf Family Band, and how to accompany oneself with singing.
Afternoon: Music therapy and the harp in healthcare - Sophia
🎶Evening: The Harp In The Wind. An evening interactive group concert led by Simcha and joined by everyone together, based on the ancient Psalm about King Davids midnight alarm clock - his magical wind harp.
Stay: Klil - Lower Galilee
Day 5 - (Thursday)
The Galilee Sea
Morning: 2 Workshop choices: - ‘The Galilee Sea’ with Simcha
- Christian and monastic music - with SophiaNoon: Trip to the Galilee Sea -
- Meet local Harp Builder Peter from Woodsong on the way to the Galilee Sea in Rosh Pina.
Afternoon - Evening: Sunset Boat ride and concert on the waters of the Galilee Sea.
🎶 Sunset Psalms Concert on the Galilee Sea: A boat concert featuring 'The Midwives' (Chava Saban & Tziona Achishena) performing 'What Grows In The Dark' as the sun sets over the water.
Stay: Klil - Lower Galilee
Day 6 - (Friday)
Final Day and Departure
Morning: Workshop 1: Sophia - Traditional Christian Prayer song
Workshop 2: Simcha - Traditional Jewish Sabbath songAfternoon: Farewell Lunch gathering and Departure
✨ADD-ON SHABBAT EXPERIENCE:- An optional extension of the retreat, offering a soulful Shabbat in the mystical Old City of Safed.
Stay: Old City of Safed
✨Day 7 (Optional Shabbat Add-On)
Mystical Shabbat in Safed
Morning: Guided tour of the historic Safed Synagogues.
Noon: Kiddush on a scenic rooftop overlooking the Galilee.
Afternoon: Personal time for rest or local exploration.
Evening: Musical Havdallah. A soulful musical transition into the new week followed by a concert with local Tzfat musicians.
Stay: Old City of Safed
✨Day 8 (Optional Shabbat Add-On)
Farewell
Morning: Farewell Breakfast.
We gather one last time to break bread and share reflections before heading onRide to train station for transport to airport or your next destination.
Guest Concert
What Grows in Darkness
An Acoustic Concert with The Midwives
What Grows in Darkness is an intimate acoustic concert by The Midwives, exploring the way song and prayer merge. Drawing from Psalms, sacred texts, and original poetry, the duo weaves voice, guitar, and violin into a heart-centered musical journey.
Tziona Achishena (guitar, voice) and Chava Rachel Saban (violin, voice) have been creating music together for decades, with a shared devotion to harmony, transcendence and inner experience.
Their work lives on the experiential end of the musical spectrum - less about performance, more about what music awakens from within: presence, healing, and simple joy.
Grounded in folk rhythms, melodies and occasional audience participation, the concert helps listeners get in touch with their own souls.
Chava Rachel brings the depth of classical music held within spiritual simplicity;
Tziona brings the presence-based language of healing music, shaped through years of work in hospital and neonatal settings.
Together, they traverse a wide emotional and spiritual range through acoustic simplicity and care.
This concert offers a quiet invitation:
to listen inward,
to be held by sound,
and to discover what grows - even in darkness.
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Interested in joining us in the retreat?
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We are looking forward to hearing from you!