About the project
The Menachem Zion (Consoler of Zion) Synagogue is located up a set of stairs near the rear of the Hurva Synagogue. The synagogue was dedicated in 1837 and takes it name from a prayer recited on Tisha B’Av, the day of rememberance for the destruction of the Temple (“Blessed are You, Consoler of Zion and Builder of Jerusalem”). The synagogue remained in use until the War of Independence (1948), when it was badly damaged and its contents looted. The congregation was one of the first to be re-established by residents of the Old City after 1967. The synagogue contains an 18th Century Italian ark and furnishings that came from Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch’s synagogue in Germany. The Jerusalem Foundation supported renovations to the synagogue in 1992, necessitated by water damage the building had suffered in recent years. Work included repairs to stonework, windows and walls and installation of a kitchen.
