Jerusalem’s Yemin Moshe neighbourhood, and the Spanish synagogue.

The land where Yemin Moshe and the Sephardi Spanish Synagogue now stand was legally purchased in the mid-19th century - not stolen, not occupied, and certainly not colonised by the British!

This land was originally Waqf property, under the authority of Muhammad Tahir al-Husayni, the Mufti of Jerusalem (c. 1842–1858). Waqf land was typically inalienable, but under Ottoman law, sales or long-term leases (hikr) were permitted with official approval from the Mufti & other authorities.

The purchase was facilitated by Hacham Bashi Chaim Avraham Gagin, the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem’s Sephardic community, who worked within the legal framework of the time.

Later, Sir Moses Montefiore, a British Jewish philanthropist, played a key role in developing Yemin Moshe as the first Jewish neighbourhood built outside the Old City walls. His vision was to improve Jewish living conditions, as many families lived in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions inside the Old City.

Yemin Moshe became home to a diverse Jewish population, including Sephardi, Mizrahi, and Ashkenazi Jews, reflecting the deep and varied Jewish presence in Jerusalem. The Spanish Synagogue, in particular, highlights the rich Sephardi heritage of the city - reminding us that Jewish history in Jerusalem is not exclusively Ashkenazi.

This historical fact challenges false claims of land theft. Jewish settlement in Jerusalem expanded through negotiated agreements, legal transactions, and mutual understandings - not colonial force.

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Photo credit:Giora Shore