Day 4: Old Jerusalem Jewish Quarter...

The Hurva Synagogue from 1864 was reduced to rubble in 1948.
The renovated synagogue opened in 2010.

Benny dropped us off near the Zion Gate, which is pockmarked from bullet holes. Built in 1540, it is one of the seven open gates to Old Jerusalem. We first passed through the small Armenian Quarter;  other than a few pottery shops, it is closed to tourists. Then we entered the Jewish Quarter, where everything was closed due to the Sabbath. This area was completely devastated when taken over by Jordan in 1948 with all but 1 of the 53 houses of worship destroyed. It  was completely rebuilt after Israel regained control in 1967 and now houses around 2,300 people. Interestingly, while some mosques were destroyed, there are still several within this quarter as you can see in the photo above.