The Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue, circa 1940 (photo credit: CC BY Jerusalem Municipality, Wikipedia)
On Friday, May 25, 1948 (Iyyar 12,
5709), several hours before the onset of Shabbat, the Nissan Beck (Tiferet
Yisrael) Synagogue collapsed into ruins, along with its beautiful dome. Plumes
of fire and smoke ascended upward, and a large cloud of dust at first obscured
the destruction. Arab terrorists had managed to hide a large explosive device
under the synagogue and detonate it.
Esther Cailingold and a handful of
comrades were defending the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City on behalf of
the Haganah. They watched tearfully as one of the outstanding symbols of
Jerusalem's Old Yishuv collapsed. Nevertheless, the fighting continued around
it.
The Jewish Quarter's children, some
of them just 9 and 10 years old, were there too. The younger ones strengthened
fortifications. Children of 12 and older acted as liaisons, passing along
messages, food and even weapons and ammunition to the fighters.
Some of these children took active
part in the fighting and were killed, including Yaffa Harush, 16, and Nissim
Gini, 10, the youngest person to fall in battle in Israeli history. Four days
before the Jewish Quarter fell, at the Karaite site next to the synagogue,
Esther Cailingold sustained serious injuries.
She was carried to the Armenian
monastery. While on her deathbed, she wrote these final words to her parents in
England:
"I am writing to beg you that whatever may have happened to me, you will make the effort to take it in the spirit I want. We had a difficult fight. I have tasted hell but it has been worthwhile because I am convinced the end will see a Jewish state and all our longings ... I want you to remember that we were soldiers and had the greatest and noblest cause to fight for ... I have lived my life fully, and very sweet it has been to be here in our land ... I hope one day soon you will all come and enjoy the fruits of that for which we are fighting. Be happy and remember me only in happiness. Shalom, Esther."
At the beginning of this month, the
state paid off another debt to Cailingold and 66 other fighters and civilians
who fell defending the Jewish Quarter in 1948. It approved a plan of the Company
for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter to rebuild the
Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue.
Model of the Tiferet Yisrael after the proposed reconstruction (photo credit: courtesy Jerusalem Municipality)
Like its twin, the Hurva Synagogue, which was
restored to its original glory several years ago, Tiferet Yisrael's restoration
will be faithful to the original. The ruins of the old structure, including the
western facade, the southern facade and the ritual baths will be incorporated
into the new building.
The famous dome with its 12 windows
and surrounding balcony will be restored, along with the landscape scenes in the
main sanctuary representing the four seasons. When Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph
visited Jerusalem in 1870, he wondered out loud why the building did not have a
dome. Jewish representatives responded that the synagogue had taken off its hat
in his honor. The emperor took the hint and contributed 1,000 French francs to
rebuild the dome and complete the synagogue.
Today, we no longer need
contributions from foreigners, nor do we need their approval. Abdullah el-Tell,
the Arab Legion commander who conquered the Old City in 1948, may have
summarized the battle with the words:
"The Jewish Quarter has been destroyed. This renders the Jews' return to this place impossible."
But the Jews did
return, there and to other parts of the Old City, the Western Wall and the
Temple Mount.
Of course, this has not stopped Hamas
and like-minded groups, who are responsible for endless terror attacks against
worshippers at Jewish shrines (Rachel's Tomb, Joseph's Tomb, synagogues in the
Gaza Strip's Gush Katif area, and more), to try once again to ignite the
atmosphere. After all, that is what they did when the Hurva Synagogue was
restored. But we must not let them make us flinch, even if "enlightened" and
hypocritical Europe once again condemns us.
We could also share with Palestinians
and Europeans the most recent discovery of historian Dr. Aryeh Morgenstern, who
exposed the truth behind the incitement and lies of the "Al-Aqsa is in danger"
campaign in connection with the Hurva Synagogue's restoration. It seems that
what especially bothers the Palestinians, about both the Hurva and Tiferet
Yisrael synagogues, is their height, about 23 meters (75 feet), the same as
their original height.
It turns out that during Ottoman
times the Jews were given special permission to build structures that tower over
Muslim religious buildings on the Temple Mount. This permission was given by
none other than a Muslim architect named Asad Effendi, who was sent from
Istanbul by the sultan to oversee the repair of mosques on the Temple Mount.
That is how the Hurva and Tiferet
Yisrael synagogues came to rise to such heights. Now they are rising anew "from
amidst the turmoil" — the Temple's destruction and the Exile — as the renowned
liturgical poet Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz wrote in his famous prayer "Lekhah
Dodi."
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