Can a ruin still be called a ruin once it has been rebuilt? This
is the not-so-theoretical question that visitors to Jerusalem’s
Jewish quarter may be asking after strolling by the construction
site where the preserved remains of the Hurva (Ruin) synagogue
used to stand. Late last year, the Israeli government began work
on a multiyear project to construct an exact replica of the
venerable Hurva synagogue on its original site. If all goes
according to plan, then by 2011, what was formerly Jerusalem’s
largest and most recognizable synagogue will loom over the
city’s skyline once again. The story of the Hurva’s rise from
the rubble thus far has received little attention outside of
Israel. But it contains many lessons — some cautionary — about
the manifold links among architecture, politics and memory that
shed a revealing light on Israel as it approaches its 60th
birthday. The Hurva’s violent history befits its evocative name.
The synagogue dates back to the year 1701, when a group of newly
arrived Polish Hasidi