The Arab attack and the story of the battles for the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue are described by Aharon Liron, a fighter stationed at the site (based on his memoir: “The Old City of Jerusalem under Siege and in Battle.”)

“It was the second day that cannon shells from the Mount of Olives had pounded its walls. Large holes were made in the walls and ceilings. One of the holy ark’s two stone columns was destroyed by a cannon shell. Its doors were broken and the Torah scrolls were torn in many places. The antique piriform glass lamps made hundreds of ringing and wailing sounds, like an evil spirit. The defenders – tense and nerve-wracked – were huddled in blankets under the window sills, so as not to be injured by shards. Occasionally a stone would fall from the ceiling, or a sack would be blown off the roof, a stone column, or tables and benches were destroyed. The two children who served as runners for the position sought shelter.

When delivering supplies, they crawled on the floor without lifting their heads, so as not to be seen by the enemy through the windows, which had been completely shattered. In the afternoon hours, whistles and calls of hate from many Arabs were heard from afar, signaling that an attack was imminent.

Five defenders moved to the small openings in the walls. One of the runners jumped outside to announce: ‘We are under attack. Please send more people.’

The rumor that the Arabs had captured ‘Nissan’s Shul’ spread quickly, and within a short time the [strategic] position was reinforced by dozens of Jewish fighters poised for a counterattack. The forces operated under the command of Moshe Rosnak, the Jewish Quarter Commander. They attacked from the direction of Hakaraim Alley. A second force, under the command of Avraham Orenstein, Area Commander, broke through to the synagogue from the south, through a hidden security door. The force surprised the Arabs, who were busy looting the synagogue, and conducted a face-to-face, short-range battle, including bayonet fighting. Some ten Arabs were killed in the synagogue, some of them while still wrapped in the ark and Torah covers they had looted. The defenders’ victory was impressive, but came with a heavy price. Five fighters lost their lives and another ten were wounded. Among those killed was a young runner, who was only fifteen years old.

At night, the Arabs set out to avenge their earlier defeat, and under the cover of dark, they crept into the synagogue. They placed a powerful explosive charge in the synagogue and severely damaged the building’s foundations. The next day they set off another explosion, and roughly half the building was destroyed. One side of the shattered building still stood up straight to its entire height, but with its towering dome split in half.”