1948年以色列-阿拉伯战争之后，约旦人摧毁了老犹太区(耶路撒冷城内六分之一的地区)，包括大约60个小犹太教堂。其中一个是旧的胡瓦犹太教堂，和周围的建筑一起被完全摧毁，这片区域与犹太街道毗连。1967年6月，约旦人再次袭击耶路撒冷的老犹太区。
1967年10月，拥有赫瓦犹太教堂租约的所罗门写信给路易斯康，邀请他去耶路撒冷： “我试图确保分配一个足够的地块，旧的赫瓦犹太教堂庭院，以及额外的一点用地……它完全处于毁灭的状态……地面将被清理干净，所有的细节将在12月你来的时候提供给你。”
1967年12月18日。 路易斯康抵达并在耶路撒冷停留了几天，参观了现场和周边地区。1968年3月18日，路易斯康给所罗门写信说：“我一直在思考赫尔凡犹太教堂的精神和建筑，我计划6月带着第一个设计来到以色列。”
同一天，他还写信给耶路撒冷市长说：“为了发展赫瓦周围的环境研究， 从赫瓦到西墙的条件和空间应该引起相关的兴趣……现在最重要的是要有完整的现场情况信息…我将带着我的第一次学习访问以色列。”
第一阶段设计方案（1968年）
我把胡瓦教堂想象成一个新的建筑，主要是因为我是一个艺术家而不是考古学家。当然，我不想在旧犹太教堂的基础上再建一个新的胡瓦教堂，但是我设想用老犹太教堂的墙壁围起一个花园区域，作为新建筑的一部分，它与新建筑相连，但仍然是一个独立的实体。
I visualize the Hurvah as a new building, mainly because I am an artist and not an archeologist. Certainly i don’t want to build the new Hurvah over the old one, but I picture the walls of the old synagogue being used to enclose a garden area for the new building, adjoining it but remaining a separate entity.
新建筑本身应该由两个建筑组成——一个外部建筑可以吸收太阳的光和热，另一个内部建筑可以产生一个独立但相关的建筑效果。内部建筑将是一个单独的房间，位于四个点上。在一些特定的仪式上，人们会在一些壁龛里点上蜡烛。外部看到的是一些石头壁龛。这些石头有16英尺见方，内部10英尺见方。这些石头，和西墙的石头一样，都是金黄色的;内饰将是银白色的。它们之间的空间会让足够多的光也进入的外室，并完全围绕内室,将会有一个回廊，在这里也可以看到小室的活动，建筑的结构就像大树上的叶子，让光线过滤进入室内。
The new building should itself consist of two buildings -an outer one which would absorb the light and heat of the sun, and an inner one, giving the effect of a separate but related building. The inside building would be a single chamber, resting on four points… there are niches where candle services will be sung during certain ceremonies… the exterior will be visible through the niches which are in the stones. These stone are 16 foot square. the interior chambers are 10 foot square. The stones, like the stones ot the Western Wall, will be golden in color; the interior will be rather silver in color. The spaces between them will be such as to allow a sufficient amount of light to enter from the outer chamber, and completely surrounding the interor chamber, there will be an ambulatory from which people will also be able to witness a service taking place in the interior chamber, The construction of the building is like large leaves of a tree, allowing light to filter into the interior.
我打算用和哭墙一样的石头，大的，不是小的，而是尽可能的大，尽可能的整体……
The stone, I intend to use the same stone as the stones of the Western Wall, large, not small stones, rather as large as you can get, as monolithic looking as possible…
混凝土，它很漂亮。如果它做得很漂亮，它是最好的材料之一。如果它做得好像它是被覆盖，或者忽视的每一个细节的技术，它也可以是非常差的。
With concrete it is very beautiful. If it is beautifully done and it is one of the finest materials, it if is done as though it is to be covered and neglected in every detail of technology, it can also be very poor.
第一阶段设计方案（1972年）
我感觉到蜡烛的光在犹太教中扮演着重要的角色。塔属于蜡烛服务，有壁龛对着房间。我觉得这是宗教的延伸，也是犹太教的延伸。
I sensed the light of a candle plays an important part in Judaism. The pylons belong to the candle service and have niches facing the chamber. I felt this was an extension source of religion as well as an extension practice of Judaism.
第一阶段设计方案（1972年）
内墙倾向于接触外墙…光线来自这些点，也来自这些向上的窗户。
The inner walls which tend to touch the exterior walls… the light comes from these points in, slightly, also from this sort of windows that go up.
石头不只是一种材料，如果使用得当，它会像天使一样仁慈。
Stone is not just a material, and if it is used properly it can become as benevolent as an a angel.
从这里到顶部的6o英尺是一种建筑。这是一个保护犹太教堂和建筑物的问题。你看，你根据天气建造建筑，也根据人们建造建筑，这在这里是合适的。我想看看每一栋这样建造的建筑，都有深深的门廊和室内空间，这样你就能感受到凉爽。这是耶路撒冷的自然建筑。
The 6o feet from here to the top is a kind of architecture. this is a matter of protecting the synagogue, the building. .. you see, where you build the building to the weather and you build a building to the people and it is appropriate here. I would like to see every building built this way with deep porches and interior spaces so that you can feel the cool. It is a natural architecture of Jerusalem.
这个小室应该更加匿名。我的感觉要深刻得多，我不知道它应该往哪个方向发展，因此你可能会说，它总结了。你看，一个新开始的会议厅，通过实践，将成为一种仪式，就像今天的以色列，对宗教的各种态度，可以发生。因此，即使是Torah。方舟，并不在我现在看到的这些房间里。但它属于这些利基市场之一。准备好了，这是一个非常重要的部分，它在哪里，在哪里可以取出来，就像过去在方舟里举行游行时那样。约柜在那里，只是不需要放在特定的位置，只需要放在特定的位置。可能会建造一个方舟，一个香柏利方舟，或者你可以说犹太教堂就是方舟，非常珍贵的建筑。
This chamber should be more anonymous. I feel, much more deeply, not knowing in what direction it should go and therefore you might say that it sums up. you see, a new beginning of a chamber which, by practice will become a ritual as the State of Israel today with the various attitudes that are about religion, can take place. So therefore, even the Torah. the Ark, is not present in these chambers as I see it now. but is in one of these niches. ready, and a very important part where it is and where it can be taken out, as it used to be done when there was a procession, you see, from the Ark. So the Ark is there, only it is not necessary in a certain position, except that it will be put in position .. there could be an Ark built, a chambery Ark, or you might say the synagogue is the Ark,… a very precious building.
