The once bustling Yemenite Village just outside the Old City walls has been occupied for more than 77 years. Now the central fixture in the village has returned to Jewish hands. Could this be a sign for more to come?
It is not every morning you feel that the redemption is unfolding around you. This morning I had the merit of witnessing the final 2/3 of the Yemenite Beit Knesset in the Old Yemenite Village of Jerusalem return to Jewish hands. When I arrived at the scene riot police were all around and kept a tense peace in one of the most violently anti-Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem. The Beit Knesset has been the central focus of this violence and with its lawful return to Jewish hands a rebirth of true Jewish sovereignty will certainly return to a once historically thriving Jewish neighborhood.
The Beit Knesset stood out for years as a three domed structure. One third was returned a few months ago and subsequently renovated, but the other two domes were a mystery. Now with the removal of the final Arab squatters a true renovation can begin.
Partly renovated Yemenite Beit Knesset in the Old Yemenite Village of Silwan (Shiloach)
Riot Police Guarding the Yemenite Beit Knesset
First Entry to the final 2/3 of the Beit Knesset.