by Nadav Shragai
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. 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."
Nadav Shragai
Source:http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=3112
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment