Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl

The site of the Holy Temple was restored to Jewish hands at precisely this time 49 years ago. At the time, many people did not understand the role that Divine Providence had bestowed upon the members of the generation that lived to see what generations of Jews had only dreamed of. But one man understood: Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, who was then a teacher at the Mir Yeshiva. Taking his Gemara and book stand, he moved his place of study to the plaza in front of the Kotel the next day, marking the start of a campaign to restore sanctity to Jerusalem. Today, 49 years later, we can see that this great challenge is still only beginning.