Tahara Mikveh 'Or Atiyas' Opens in Safed 14 Years After Tragic Family Accident

Fourteen years after a devastating car accident claimed the lives of Rafi and Yehudit Atiyas and their six children, a new tahara mikveh named "Or Atiyas" was inaugurated in Safed on Monday. The mikveh was established in memory of the family and was built within a structure that had stood unfinished for about 25 years. Its completion was made possible through collaboration between the Ministry of Religious Services, the Safed Religious Council, the Safed Municipality, and other parties.

The project was initiated by Rachel Atiyas, the sole surviving daughter of the family, who made a significant donation to enable the mikveh's construction. The inauguration ceremony was attended by prominent figures including Israel's Chief Rabbi Kalman Maier Bar, Rabbi Baruch Abuhatzeira, Safed's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Mayor Yossi Kakon, and Religious Council head Rabbi Nehorai Lachiani, alongside rabbis, public officials, the Atiyas family, and local residents.

During the event, it was emphasized that establishing a place to fulfill the mitzvah of family purity is the most fitting tribute to the memory of the Atiyas family. The ceremony featured the affixing of mezuzot, a ribbon-cutting, and a tour of the new mikveh. The Safed Religious Council noted that completing the long-standing unused structure had been a key goal in recent years.