Jewish Sites
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A Trip Through History - Chapter 2
07/10/2009 09:00Geographically speaking, the hill that ascends from Ir David is an extension of Har haBayis in a southern direction, even though it is situated lower down and surrounded by valleys on all sides. Pottery shards uncovered during archaeological excavations in the area have been dated to the early Israelite period, and attest to the presence of a Jewish settlement there spanning the generations. It is evident that the area was populated from the times of the Avos (Patriarchs) – and was heavily fortified against the Canaanites who lived in the vicinity and ruled over most of it.
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A Trip Through History - Chapter 1
05/10/2009 08:00When, on one late night, I stepped into the long tunnel that descends from the heights of the slopes of Ir David into the depths of the earth in the direction of the Gichon spring, how could I not sense that I was stepping into history? Who knows – maybe it had been Rabi Yishmael Kohen Gadol himself, one of the Ten Martyrs, who had been the last person to tread this path, the one stretching through this underground tunnel that led to the mikveh used some two thousand years ago, today known as the Shiloach springs?
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The minhag of the area
30/09/2009 15:39In the cycle of Daf HaYomi, maseches Bava Basra has been recently started in the learning schedule. The first mishnah concerns itself with two people who are joint owners of an area which they wish to divide between them by means of erecting a fence.
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The Avraham Avinu Synagogue
23/09/2009 14:00The ‘Avraham Avinu’ synagogue in Hebron was build around five hundred years ago. During the riots of 5689 (1929CE) it was destroyed by the Arabs, and was only rebuilt much later during the reconstruction of the Jewish residential area of Hebron.
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A Synagogue, Hospital or Palace?
16/09/2009 12:00The oldest synagogue in the United States of America has also been used at times as a British hospital, and was one of the only two buildings which survived the destruction wrought by the British in the area. There exists a legend regarding its escape from destruction, related to the three crowns depicted over the aron kodesh.
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Built with Sweat and Tears: Nes Tziona
08/09/2009 13:00In the central region of our small country, between Rishon l’Zion and Rechovot, lies a town that is the essence of all Jewish yearning for the Holy Land – the city of Nes Tziona.
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The Churva Synagogue
01/09/2009 13:00The synagogue known as ‘the Churva of Rabbi Yehuda haChassid’ is situated in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, near the Quarter’s main square. The synagogue has undergone many transformations, having being built, destroyed and rebuilt a number of times.
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The Ohr haChaim Synagogue
25/08/2009 12:00The Ohr haChaim Synagogue is located on Ohr haChaim Street in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, and was founded around 230 years ago by Rabbeinu Chaim ben Attar ztz’l, known as the Ohr HaChaim
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The Gravesite of Don ben Yaakov
17/08/2009 12:00To the west of the Shimshon Junction, just off Highway 44, lies what is known today as the grave of Don, the seventh of the twelve tribes of our forefather Yaakov
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The Madras Ruins
12/08/2009 14:00The Madras Ruins, or Churvat Madras as they are called in Hebrew, refer to the remnants of an ancient agriculture settlement in the Judea region. The Madras Ruins are considered to be one of the largest sites in the region that have survived from the days of the Second Temple, the Mishna and the Talmud.
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