The Hurva synagogue, located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, was Jerusalem’s main Ashkenazi synagogue from the 18th until the 20th century.
The synagogue’s first construction began c. 1700 under the auspices of Rabbi Judah the Hassid, head of a group of 300 Ashkenazi Jews from Poland. After their failure to pay the debts on the half–constructed synagogue, Arab riots ensued, which resulted in the expulsion of the Jews from portions of the city, and the synagogue consequently fell into ruins.
The synagogue was restarted under Ibrahim Passha in 1836 and was finally completed in 1856–1864 period. Moses Montefiore played a role in its development.
Designed in a grand neo–Byzantine style; it is one of the largest buildings in the Old City. The historically important Ramban Synagogue is nearby in Hurva Square.
The Hurva was destroyed by a Jordanian shell in the course of the 1948 War. After the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967, discussions commenced regarding its rebuilding. Thirty–eight years later, commencing in 2005, a four–year rebuilding program was begun.
Hurva; means destroyed, as the synagogue had “gained a reputation” over the centuries. Its original name is unknown.
Thus the “destroyed synagogue” ends up with “life after death”—repeatedly.