Here's a model of what the rebuilt synagogue, destroyed by the Jordanians in 1948, will look like:The Jerusalem Municipality awarded initial approval to a plan to rebuild the Tiferet Israel synagogue in the Old City’s Jewish Quarter, a magnificent domed synagogue from the 19th century which was destroyed in the 1948 War of Independence.
The project will recreate the three-story-tall synagogue as well as the iconic dome on the top, with only minor changes to the original, such as the introduction of an elevator to make the building more accessible.
On Tuesday, the municipality’s Local Planning and Building Committee approved the plan for the next step of the process, where it must receive the approval of the Interior Ministry.
An anonymous donor who has been active in previous rebuilding projects in the Old City donated nearly NIS 50 million needed for reconstruction, said Shlomi Attias, the Old City project manager for The Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem Ltd. (JQDC).
The JQDC is a public company under the auspices of the Construction and Housing Ministry.
The synagogue is located just a few hundred meters from the Western Wall Plaza, in the same plaza as the Hurva.
Ashkenazi Hassidim bought the land for Tiferet Israel Synagogue in 1843, though the building wasn’t inaugurated until 1872. The synagogue is also known as the Nissan Bek synagogue, after its founder.
The Al Aqsa Heritage Foundation is freaking out, claiming that the building is being built on the ruins of an Islamic chapel. (Isn't everything?) It also says that this synagogue, along with the Hurva and Ohel Yitzchak, are on areas belonging to the Islamic Waqf. (Isn't everything?)
I once made a video of a "flyover" of Jerusalem in the 1930s, based on high-resolution photographs. Tiferet Israel is prominently featured, right near the Hurva Synagogue.
It is worth mentioning that besides the fact that Muslims object to synagogues in Jerusalem altogether, they are especially peeved that this one - together with Hurva - are so tall, giving the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa mosque competition in the Old City skyline (the Jewish Quarter is situated on a hill.)