Hurva Synagogue

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The Hurva Synagogue before 1948

The Hurva Synagogue ( Hebrew בית הכנסת החורבה, Beit HaKnesset HaChurva , full name Churvat Rabbi Jehuda Hechassid ), located in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's Old City , is an Ashkenazi synagogue and was one of the most important synagogues in Yishuw and until its destruction in Arabic - Israeli War 1948 Jerusalem's main synagogue.

Creation

One of the first immigrant groups of around 300-1000 Ashkenazi Jews from Poland began building synagogues in 1700 under the direction of Rabbi Jehuda HeChassid in the immediate vicinity of the Ramban Synagogue, which was closed by the Ottoman rulers in 1589 . It was to become a new center for the growing Jewish community in Jerusalem. After Yehuda's death, the Ashkenazi community, which then dwindled, was unable to pay its debts, which led to unrest and finally in 1720 to a construction freeze and the community's expulsion from Jerusalem. The building was made unusable by fire in 1721 by Arab donors. The unfinished, burned-out synagogue building led to the name Hurva, which means ruin .

completion

In 1816 Rabbi Menachem Mendel von Schklou came from Safed to Jerusalem and obtained a final release of the Ashkenazi community from all remaining debts, which was an important basis for the reconstruction and further construction of the synagogue. Another problem was a law of the Ottoman rulers, which strictly forbade any synagogue building.

In 1832, Muhammad Ali took control of Jerusalem from Egypt . He relaxed the building ban insofar as existing synagogues could be repaired. It was not until 1836, under the influence of Salomon Meyer Freiherr von Rothschild , that negotiations led to success and the lifting of the Ottoman construction ban.

With massive support from the Rothschild family and other personalities, e. B. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia , the synagogue was financed, built according to plans by Assad Effendi in the neo-Byzantine style and completed in 1856 as the first domed synagogue in the history of synagogue construction. With 12.8 m high arched windows and a ceiling height of 25 m, it was one of the largest and most visible buildings in Jerusalem's old town.

It was named Beit Jaakov (Haus Jakob), based on Jakob Rothschild , the father of the two most important supporters of the synagogue, the brothers Alphonse and Edmond Rothschild . Nevertheless, she kept her name Hurva in the population.

For 84 years the Hurva was the most beautiful and most important synagogue in the Yishuv , which was evident at several high points. For example, it was home to the largest yeshiva in Jerusalem, where the Ashkenazi chief rabbis of Jerusalem and Palestine were installed, and on February 3, 1901, a memorial service for Queen Victoria was held.

1948

View from the Armenian Quarter to the east, the Hurva Synagogue in the center of the picture. With a British machine gun post shortly before the withdrawal in 1948.

During the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, the Hurva Synagogue was of great strategic importance due to its size and location. The Hagana created a defensive position in the synagogue . The Jordanian Arab Legion called on the Red Cross to surrender , but the Hagana refused. As a result, soldiers of the Arab Legion blew a hole in the wall surrounding the synagogue and captured the building after a 45-minute battle. Then the Jordanian soldiers hoisted the flag of Jordan on the top of the dome and blew up the entire complex.

The Jordanian commander of Operation Major Abdullah at-Tall commented on his victory: "For the first time in 1000 years, not a single Jew remains in the Jewish Quarter. Not a single building remains intact. That makes it impossible for the Jews to return."

Since 1967

After Jerusalem came under Israeli administration after the Six Day War , several plans for a modern new synagogue were drawn up. However, due to ongoing disputes between several architects and archaeologists, none was realized. In 1977 the 16 m high great arch of the synagogue, which was once a striking feature of the building, was rebuilt. As a ruin, the synagogue served as a memorial .

In the summer of 2003, the archaeological institute of the Hebrew University carried out excavations in the area of ​​the ruin on an area of ​​300 m² . The excavations brought to light evidence of the four important settlement periods of the first temple (800 to 586 BC), the second temple (100 AD), the Byzantine and the Ottoman times.

In 2005 the decision was made to rebuild the synagogue according to the old plans of Assad Effendi, which the Jerusalem architect Nahum Meltzer was entrusted with. The project budget was $ 6.2 million and the project duration was estimated at four years. At an installation ceremony on February 15, 2007, during the construction phase, Rabbi Simcha HaCohen Kook was appointed rabbi of the Hurva Synagogue.

The synagogue was rededicated on March 15, 2010.

Surroundings

The Hurva Synagogue is located in the vicinity of several other synagogues: The Ramban Synagogue, Tifferet Yisrael Synagogue (also called Nissan Bak), and the complex of the four Sephardic Synagogues built together .

Web links

Commons : Hurva Synagogue  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
  • Hurva at Synagogues of the World
  • Hurva at Sacred Destinations

Coordinates: 31 ° 46 ′ 31.3 "  N , 35 ° 13 ′ 53.5"  E