Hurva Synagogue

HURVA SYNAGOGUE
OFFICIAL MEDAL 2005/5766

The Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem was the central synagogue in Eretz Israel before the War of Independence. In the early 18th century Hasidim led by Rabbi Yehuda purchased the land with the intention of building an Ashkenazi synagogue in Jerusalem. After the rabbi’s death, the building remained unfinished and was eventually burned by the Arabs. From that time it was known as the Hurva (or Ruin) of Rabbi Yehuda HaHasid.

In the 19th century the synagogue was rebuilt with financial assistance of Moses Montefiore. The tallest structure in the Old City, its domed ceiling was 82 feet high and it contained 42-foot-high window arches. The center of Jewish spiritual life and the home of important communal institutions, during World War II the Hurva was the site of the launching of the Jewish Brigade and, in a mass prayer service, the cry went out to save European Jewry.

This beautiful building was destroyed by the Jordanian Legion in 1948 and all that remained was the foundation and some columns. For the second time in history the Hurva was destroyed.

After the Six Day War the ruins of the Hurva became an archeological site and its rebuilt arch became a symbol of renewed Jewish settlement in the Jewish Quarter. In 2002, the Government of Israel announced a decision to rebuild the Hurva through the Company for the Rehabilitation and Development of the Jewish Quarter. The new medal is being issued to mark the beginning of the reconstruction project.

The medal issue was overseen by a Public Committee whose members were: Mr. Nissim Arzy, Rabbi Mordechai Elon, Ms. Yael Maly, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Prof. Daniel Sperber, Mr. Mordechai Yogev, and Mr. Avi Goodman.

Obverse: On the face, the planned restoration of the Hurva Synagogue, and the verse from Isaiah: “Shake yourself from the dust; arise”.

Reverse: On the medal reverse, the ruins of the synagogue with its famous arch, and the words From your ruins I will build you”from the song “Above the Peak of Mt. Scopus” by Avigdor Hameiri.

Edge: Serial Number, Metal Fineness in English and Hebrew, State of Israel Emblem

Designer: Meir Eshel

Engraving: Mint of Romania, Bucharest

Mint: Israel Coins and Medals Corp., Israel