Hurva Synagogue

[William H.]

- the arch was all that remained for a long while-

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136528 

 

After a nearly 62-year pause, the renowned Hurva synagogue inside the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City has been rebuilt and in use! Hundreds joined in for the official rededication ceremony in the exact place it once stood until it was reduced to rubble during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War at the hands of the Jordanian Arab Legion during the War of Independence.

The synagogue is a real piece of history for Israel. Its first incarnation was in 1701, when it was constructed by disciples of Judah Hahasid. Its first destruction came some 20 years later (during a time of relative unrest in the area), when those same disciples lacked the funds to repay local creditors, who in return burned the Hurva to the ground.

It was nearly 150 years before the Hurva stood again, but in 1864, after a massive construction project was approved by the Ottoman Turks and funds were procured from Jewish communities the world over, a neo-Byzantine Hurva was soon towering over the rest of the Jewish Quarter. It hosted many historical events and brought many together in fellowship that touched the roots of the Jewish people and faith. Until the Jordanian army took Jerusalem’s Old City in May of 1948, loaded the building with explosives and set off a blast whose smoke cloud could be seen miles away.

I forget the details but a rabbi of the mosque after its first destruction made a statement that many feel was prophetic. He claimed it would be destroyed again but that after it erection the third time would come the messianic age. This message was mentioned many times as the celebration of the complete construction! Many were noted (Rivlin, Nir Barkat) for saying they would not allow it to be destroyed again. It serves as a progression of God's will, people and nation to the Jewish people.

Tensions were high among the Palestinians (arabs, muslims) and Jews as both thought of some peoples interest in a modern temple construction (while some Jews believe the temple will decend instead of being built by man)

[His_Will]

2012 report: "Anonymous donor donates money to rebuild Tifereth Israel, located near Western Wall", an iconic synagogue destroyed in 1948. Its was so well known that there is a location in the states by the same name.