The Vilna Gaon’s Followers Arrive

A wave of anticipation for the messiah in 1840 brought many Jews to the Land of Israel in the nineteenth century, including followers of the Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Elijah ben Soloman Zalman of Vilnius). At first they lived in Safed but a few years later they began to move to Jerusalem. They renewed Ashkenazi Jewish presence in the city and paid off the burdensome debt of Rabbi Judah HeHasid’s community. The mid-1850s saw the construction of a new synagogue, known as the Rabbi Judah HeHasid Synagogue or the Hurva. This synagogue became a Jewish religious and national symbol for the generations that followed. Members of this community were later part of the move beyond the city walls and the establishment of the colony of Petah Tikva as part of the vision to settle the Land of Israel.