I was in the re-built and re-opened Hurva Synagogue in the Old City on Jerusalem Day. If only I had had my wide-angle lens with me! These photos were taken from the women’s gallery, which was nearly empty because mincha had just finished. This was the first time I had ever been inside. I have photographed the outside before. I will probably not be able to photograph the synagogue from the main floor because it has been turned into a beit midrash (study hall). Tours are given but I understand that visitors only have access to the women’s gallery and the dome gallery.
The Hurva, whose name means “destroyed,” was founded in 1700, destroyed by the Muslims in 1721, rebuilt in 1864, destroyed by the Jordanians in 1948, and rebuilt in 2010. When I came to Israel, it was an empty courtyard with an arch. The synagogue was reconstructed from old photographs. Here are a couple photos I took in the past.
Synagogue exterior during construction:
Jerusalem Light Exhibit, 2010, with animation projected onto the facade:
Detail of corner painting of Rachel’s Tomb (Hebron):
Hall viewed from above. Note the elaborate canopy over the bima (raised platform from which the Torah is read).
Two-storey aron kodesh (Torah ark).
