Who Built the House for the Messiah?

When the Bucharim neighborhood was established in Jerusalem, the local residents were initially astonished. They were used to small, cramped homes and narrow streets, but the wealthy immigrants from Bukhara constructed a neighborhood with grand buildings, wide streets, large structures, and spacious courtyards. This unique area was known as 'Rechovot,' named from the verse "He called it Rechovot and said, 'Now Hashem has given us room to flourish.'"<\/p>

But above all, the magnificent palace built for Elisha Yehudayoff and his family, prominent Bukharan Jews, stood out. Supervised by his son-in-law Yisrael Hefetz, they hired an Italian architect to create a splendid palace unlike anything Jerusalem had seen. It featured an elegant facade, decorated columns and cornices, beautiful moldings, round windows, and stylized grilles. The walls boasted stunning landscapes and reliefs adorned the corridor.<\/p>

The corridor's ceiling and upper wall sections were embellished with nature scenes of birds, deer, flowers, and trees, as well as landscapes of Absalom's and Zechariah's tombs in the Kidron Valley, snow-capped mountains and streams reminiscent of Europe, and Jewish motifs like the Star of David and the symbols of the twelve tribes. All paintings were crafted by artist Shmuel Mellnik. The house also featured a large synagogue with big round pink marble columns imported from Italy. The building had a flat roof with a stylish iron railing adorned with large stone goblets. It was built in a European style, reminiscent of European palaces.<\/p>

Unfortunately, just a year after the Yehudayoff family moved to the Land of Israel and settled into their lavish home, they sadly had to leave due to the expulsion order issued against Russian nationals. Russia had joined World War I, becoming an enemy of the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the land. The Turks occupied the deserted home, turning it into the Turkish army's headquarters in Jerusalem. After the war, the family returned to Jerusalem penniless, having lost all of their assets during the Bolshevik revolution the previous year, and they still couldn't reside there.<\/p>

However, the people of Jerusalem claimed there was no sorrow in their hearts, as the palace wasn't truly built for themselves. Its great beauty was intended for the dwelling of the Righteous Messiah. Since then, it has been called: the Messiah's House.<\/p>