The Hurva
The great Hurva (Ruin) Synagogue has been rebuilt in the Old City of Jerusalem and the opening ceremony was last night when its sefrei torah were dedicated. Why was this major synagogue known as "the Ruin"? Because it was destroyed twice by Arabs forces. It was built in 1701 on the site of an ancient synagogue, then it was burnt down by Arabs in 1720, it was rebuilt in 1864 and then again destroyed by the Arab Legion in their assault on the Jewish Quarter in 1948. They levelled the building with point blank artillery and dynamite.
Only one archway was renovated after 1967 and for many years it remained a ruin. Right next to the Hurva the Arabs built a Mosque with a high minaret to be deliberately higher than the Synagogue, but even when Israeli forces recaptured the Old City in 1967 this Mosque was left undisturbed and it still stands there today. The difference is that the Jews don't have a policy of destroying Muslim places of worship.
The Arabs are very upset by this outcome, as far as they are concerned the Jews have no right to be in the Old City and no right to have a synagogue that is so large. They fear the legend that says once the Jews rebuild the Hurva they will then go on to rebuild the Temple on the Temple Mount, although there are no such plans. Because of this fear the offical PA agencies declared a strike of Arab shopkeepers in East Jerusalem and called on Arabs to demonstrate in the Old City. However, the Israeli security forces were on alert and the area was closed to all men younger than 50. As it happened, following two days of rioting against the Israeli Government decision to build in East Jerusalem, no further violence occurred. But, buses of protesters are being brought into the capital today from north and south to protest against the opening of rthe synagogue!
If anyone should think that the Palestinians do not have a deliberate policy of destroying Jewish places of worship, in fact at least four other synagogues in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City were destroyed by them in the wake of the 1948 War of Independence. Three of those were ancient structures built underground because of the Muslim law that synagogues had to be "lower" than Mosques, but they were still desecrated. However, they were also restored in recent years. Another very large synagogue was destroyed but has not been rebuilt. Also, in recent times the synagogues in Gaza and Jericho have been desecrated and the Tomb of Joseph in Nablus (Shechem) was completely destroyed during the second intifada and several IDF soldiers guarding it were tragically murdered.
By contrast, the Egyptian Antiquities Authority has recently completed a renovation of the Ben Maimon Synagogue in Cairo that was the place of worship of Maimonides. However, after finishing the work they cancelled the official opening ceremony in protest against Jewish building in the City of Jerusalem.
Corrections: The Alex Singer site is www.alexsinger.org. The area of Shimon Hatzadik that was a Jewish enclave in Jerusalem before the Jordanians occupied it in 1948 is considered part of Sheikh Jarrah.
Only one archway was renovated after 1967 and for many years it remained a ruin. Right next to the Hurva the Arabs built a Mosque with a high minaret to be deliberately higher than the Synagogue, but even when Israeli forces recaptured the Old City in 1967 this Mosque was left undisturbed and it still stands there today. The difference is that the Jews don't have a policy of destroying Muslim places of worship.
The Arabs are very upset by this outcome, as far as they are concerned the Jews have no right to be in the Old City and no right to have a synagogue that is so large. They fear the legend that says once the Jews rebuild the Hurva they will then go on to rebuild the Temple on the Temple Mount, although there are no such plans. Because of this fear the offical PA agencies declared a strike of Arab shopkeepers in East Jerusalem and called on Arabs to demonstrate in the Old City. However, the Israeli security forces were on alert and the area was closed to all men younger than 50. As it happened, following two days of rioting against the Israeli Government decision to build in East Jerusalem, no further violence occurred. But, buses of protesters are being brought into the capital today from north and south to protest against the opening of rthe synagogue!
If anyone should think that the Palestinians do not have a deliberate policy of destroying Jewish places of worship, in fact at least four other synagogues in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City were destroyed by them in the wake of the 1948 War of Independence. Three of those were ancient structures built underground because of the Muslim law that synagogues had to be "lower" than Mosques, but they were still desecrated. However, they were also restored in recent years. Another very large synagogue was destroyed but has not been rebuilt. Also, in recent times the synagogues in Gaza and Jericho have been desecrated and the Tomb of Joseph in Nablus (Shechem) was completely destroyed during the second intifada and several IDF soldiers guarding it were tragically murdered.
By contrast, the Egyptian Antiquities Authority has recently completed a renovation of the Ben Maimon Synagogue in Cairo that was the place of worship of Maimonides. However, after finishing the work they cancelled the official opening ceremony in protest against Jewish building in the City of Jerusalem.
Corrections: The Alex Singer site is www.alexsinger.org. The area of Shimon Hatzadik that was a Jewish enclave in Jerusalem before the Jordanians occupied it in 1948 is considered part of Sheikh Jarrah.
posted by Jack Cohen at 6:05 PM
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