The Construction of the Hurva Synagogue
On Monday, March 15, 2010, the Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem’s Old City will have its historic reopening. This is a momentous occasion in Jewish history, almost as significant as the “Abomination of Desolation” of the Temple of Zerubabbel that was desecrated by the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes IV. Since the destruction of the Holy Temple of Herod in 70 CE, the synagogue was the center of connection with the G-d of Israel. The Hurva (Churvah) Synagogue was the largest and most beautiful synagogue in all Israel and representative of the national consciousness of the Jewish people.
Destination Yisra’el posted a blog on December 27, 2009 titled, “Jewish Expectation that with the Completion of the Hurva Synagogue the Construction of the Third Temple will Begin”. It revealed a centuries-old rabbinical prophecy given in the 18th century by the Vilna Gaon. It was his disciples that were so instrumental in the transformation of Jerusalem from a neglected Islamic town of minimal local and no international significance to a vibrant international 21st century Jewish city in which all the world wonders, admires, or covets.
According to the prophecy of the Gra, “The Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem, which was built during his day, would be destroyed and rebuilt twice. When the Hurva Synagogue was completed for the third time, construction on the Third Temple would begin.”
BibleSearchers Reflection Series
Comparative Analysis of the “Great Aliyah of the Disciples of the Vilna Gaon”, Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna with the “Great Advent Awakening” for the Lost Tribes of Israel
“The Churvah Synagogue - Great Aliyah in Judaism by the Disciples of the Vilna Gaon to Jerusalem”
As history does attest, “The Hurva Synagogue was first destroyed shortly after its initial construction when Muslims demanding the return of loans and tore it down. The synagogue was rebuilt a hundred years later and became the most important Jewish house of worship in the Holy Land, only be blown to pieces by Jordanian troops during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.”
On Monday, March 15, 2010, on Rosh Chodesh, the 1st day of Nissan as the Passover season was beginning, the Hurva Synagogue dedication was held. For the first time since it was blown up by the Arab Jordanian Legionnaires in 1948, the synagogue will again bring worshippers into the presence of HaShem, the G-d of Israel. For the first time, Jewish worshippers and pilgrims to Jerusalem will be able to participate in the daily services to be held three times a day in the future. The Holy Ark curtains, the Torah Scrolls, the wall paintings, lamps, and the central pulpit will all transform the modern Jewish and Israelite pilgrim into the sacred holiness of the Almighty One of Israel
The wall paintings of the past, from 1864 to 1948, were extensively researched and documented. According to Nissim Arazi, the director of the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter, he decided to honor the historic spirit of the past and each era of the synagogue’s past would be recreated on each of the four walls showcasing a painting of different holy cities in the Land of Israel. These cities would include Jerusalem with the Tower of David, Rachel’s Tomb at Bethlehem, a View of the Sea of Galilee and Old Tiberius, and Hebron with the Cave of the Patriarchs.
Before the restoration of the walls paintings began, the researchers also tried to discover the names of the artisans of the past who decorated the walls of the sanctuary in each historic period. They studied the painting methods of each artist and conducted in-depth analysis and painting techniques and paint technologies of each era. Historical photographs including color and black and white photos were used to analyze the painting compositions of Hurva’s and other significant Jewish synagogues of past eras.
Faina Milstein, the research and restoration architect for the Israeli Antiquities Authority, identified three stages in the paintings of the prayer hall and noted that these eras went from; 1864 to the 1920s, 1920s to the early 1940s and the last from 1940-41 until the date of the synagogues destruction in 1948. In the first and earliest era, the wall paintings remained in the upper level of the prayer room leaving the walls bare. In the second and third era, the painting became more intensive as they first covered the walls, then the sides and cornices and later the arc and the dome.
BibleSearchers Reflection Series
Comparative Analysis of the “Great Aliyah of the Disciples of the Vilna Gaon”, Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna with the “Great Advent Awakening” for the Lost Tribes of Israel
“The Churvah Synagogue - Great Aliyah in Judaism by the Disciples of the Vilna Gaon to Jerusalem”
The preliminary sketches of the painting for the new synagogue were designed by the architect of the Hurva, Nahum Meltzer. These preliminary sketches were initially researched by Artist Yael Kilmenik who remained loyal to the original design for simplicity and to enhance the emphasis of the worshipper towards the Holy Ark and the pulpit using a background of smooth and light colored walls. For Kilmenik the artist, this project was most “extraordinary”. For this artisan, who was trained by the French wall painting group called Cite de la Creations, has painted mural and wall painting all over Jerusalem, yet, confessed, “For the first time, I became part of the historical chain of a place. Usually we paint history; this time I am part of history.”
Using pastel acrylic paints that are suited for exterior walls, part of the paintings were applied directly upon the walls. Others were painted on cloth like tapestry and later hung in the appropriate locations in the synagogue. It was estimated that 30 square meters of wall painting were placed in the synagogue and 80 running meters of ornamentation were also used. The largest wall painting highlighted a verse from Psalms 137.
“By the Rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept…we hanged up our harps.”
This historic date of Rosh Chodesh, the 1st day of the Hebrew month of Nissan, 5770 (2010) was significant for it was the day the construction was completed on the Biblical Wilderness Tabernacle. This historical day will symbolize that the final Babylonian Captivity is now over. The harps may soon be taken down. The prophetic streams of history for the future will not be exile and separation from the G-d of Israel but redemption and restoration to an earth renewed with the coming Messiah.
The Hurva Synagogue will host regular daily prayer services and will include visitor tours.
Credits to Israel National News – VIDEO - “First Visit to the Rebuilt Hurva Synagogue”
Links - “The Churvah Synagogue - Great Aliyah in Judaism by the Disciples of the Vilna Gaon to Jerusalem” - BibleSearchers Reflections