Historic Synagogue Depicts Biblical Sites
The Hurva Synagogue reopened Monday to the public after an extensive four-year construction project in the Old City of Jerusalem. Built in 1864 atop ruins of an earlier synagogue, the Hurva Synagogue was the largest and considered the most important synagogue in Jerusalem.
It was destroyed in 1948 during Israel’s War of Independence. After the city was reunified in 1967, a 52-foot arch was erected on the site to commemorate the giant dome of the destroyed building, and this arch has been incorporated into the dome that is the centerpiece of the new building.