Hurva means "ruin" in Hebrew and of course it is not the oficial name of the synagogue. Its name is Beit Yaakov synagogue, but because of its history the name "Hurva" is much more widely known and used. This place has a fascinating history and I will try to tell you somewhat about it.
In 1700 a group of Ashkenazi Jews from Poland came to Jerusalem with their rabbi - Yehuda Hasid. They were approximately 500 people strong group, extremly poor. Unfortunately just 5 days after their arrival to Jerusalem their beloved rabbi passed away and they were left on their own without knowledge of local languages and customs (although Sephardi Jews were nearly always present in Jerusalem Ashkenazis were at the moment the very new arrivals).
They started by building synagogue which seemed fair move except that to do so, specially in highly biurocratic and corrupt Ottoman Empire, they had to loan hardly with their Arab neighbours.
Hurva was built but the loans could not be repaid and as a result of debts and growing tention between Muslims and Jews Hurva was burned in 1721.
During subsequent years many groups of Jews were trying to rebuild it but due to Ottoman law forbidding building new churches or synagogues or repairing the old ones and due to demands of Arabs who credited the building of the first synagogue (they demanded repayment from any Ashkenazi Jew who was in vicinity for next 90 years weather or not they have even heard the story) the trials were not successfull.
In 1836 another group of Ashkenazi Jews collected the money to repay debts and used the window created by temporary power of so called Albanian dynasty over Jerusalem to secur building rights. But it took another 20 years to rebuild synagogue and only in 1856 the second Hurva was opened.
It was a beautiful synagogue - its descriptions, scatches, pictures and miniature are still impressive - but it did not survive even 100 years.
In May 1948 during the war of independance, when after the declaration of independance 7 Arab armies attacked newborn Israel, the Jewish Quarter came under siege. With its 2,000 people, only 200 of them man able to fight, and surrounded by Muslims from Muslim Quarter (33,000 inhibitants) and under shelling by Arab legion stationed on Mount of Olives the Quarter capitulated after 10 days (at that moment only 35 Jewish soldiers were alive and healthy). The Jews were partly taken as captives and partly expelled and the 19 years period of Jewish non-presence in the Old City started.
Two days after capitulation and without regards to international treaties Jordanians blew up all synagogues including Hurva. Thus Hurva became ruin for the second time. In 1967 Jerusalem was united and Jews returned to ruined quarter gradually rebuilding it. In 1973 one arch of Hurva was rebuilt (the rest stayed in ruins) as a reminder of what happened. Early in XXI century a committee was created for the rebuilding of Hurva synagogue, the actual work starting in 2006 and finished in 2010 - on Pesach 2010 Hurva was reopened. It changed colours a bit but the architecture is the very copy of the second Hurva.
Its rebuilding started some riots among Palestinians due to spread of news that rebuilding of Hurva is the sign that the 3rd temple will be soon build!
Hurva may be seen during tours - some in Hebrew and some in English, and of course during prayers.
It is very special place being not only synagogue but a standing and living piece of history.
Please find attached to this post pictures of Hurva from before 1948, from the time when it was blew up and as it was found in 1967, with one rebuilt arch and as it looks now with one wall encompassed in it.
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