Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., November 27, 2008 Cheshvan 29, 5769 | | Israel Time: 23:08 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File
Restoration of Lebanon synagogue in danger despite rare Hezbollah support
By The Associated Press
Tags: Lebanon, Jewish World 

One of Lebanon's sole remaining synagogues was set to get a restoration that has the rare blessing of all the factions in this divided country - even that of the anti-Israeli Hezbollah. But the global financial crisis has scuttled the effort for now, leaving the Magen Abraham chained, padlocked, badly damaged and rife with weeds.

The synagogue, like the country's once-thriving Jewish community, fell prey to the savage 1975-90 civil war. Once the fighting ended, the few dozen Jews who remained could not maintain the proud old structure.

A $1 million project set to begin in November had been organized by the Lebanese Jewish community to restore the two-story ramshackle building which is now surrounded by the gleaming new skyscrapers of Beirut's downtown building boom.
Advertisement

But potential Jewish donors overseas who were to provide the bulk of the funds said the reconstruction would have to wait because of the hard times brought on by the global financial crisis, said Isaac Arazi, leader of the country's tiny Jewish community.

"I'll wait for two or three months. If no money is forthcoming, I'll launch a fundraising campaign in America and Europe for the rebuilding project," he told The Associated Press.

The building's need is acute.

Garbage, empty bottles, broken glass and shattered roof bricks are scattered on the synagogue's floor. Wide cracks cover the walls and stairways leading to the second floor.

But the Stars of David inscribed on walls have been left untouched, as have the Hebrew writings even though Muslim militiamen had apparently used some of the building's rooms as offices during the sectarian fighting.

The synagogue sat on the battle lines dividing the city during the civil war.

In addition to Magen Abraham, there are two other synagogues in mountain towns east of Beirut which were damaged by the fighting and then closed, Arazi said.

The 65-year-old Arazi pointed out that as many as 22,000 Jews lived in Lebanon in the mid-1960s. The number dropped to 15,000 at the outbreak of the civil war in 1975 and by its end, a mere 100 were left.

During the conflict, in which 150,000 people out of a population of 4 million were killed, Beirut's main Jewish neighborhood, Wadi Abou Jmil, fell under the control of Muslim militias battling their Christian counterparts.

Jews did not take part in the fighting. But the violence forced many to emigrate. The trickle turned into a flood when the community became a target of Muslim militants two years after Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 and occupied parts of the country, including - for a brief time - Beirut.

Eleven Jews were kidnapped and apparently killed during the hostage-taking spree of the 1980s that targeted foreigners and Lebanese alike in Beirut. The bodies of only four were recovered, bearing the marks of torture.

Muslims displaced from other parts of the country gradually moved into the shattered old streets of the neighborhood that had once been filled with Jewish shops selling clothes, perfume and kosher meat, until much of the area was razed in the rebuilding projects of the 1990s.

Liza Srour is the last Jew living in the old neighborhood, in a small flat in one of the few old buildings remaining.

"We had Christian, Sunni, Shiite and Druze neighbors with whom we had an excellent relationship," the red-haired and light-eyed woman in her 60s said, as she pulled on an ever-present cigarette.

Srour, who is unemployed, ekes out a living on the monthly stipend of $200 provided by the Lebanese Jewish Council.

There was rare consensus among Lebanon's fractious factions that the synagogue should be restored, although none has offered up any cash.

Lebanon's Western-backed government, which includes Hezbollah's representatives, welcomed the restoration of the synagogue because it is a place of worship, said an official in the prime minister's office, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.

Even Hezbollah, the militant Shiite Muslim group which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist and has fought the Jewish state for decades, backs restoration.

"We respect divine religions, including the Jewish religion," said Hussein Rahhal, Hezbollah's media chief. "The problem is with Israel's occupation (of Arab lands), not with the Jews."

Solidere, the giant company that has taken the lead in flattening and then rebuilding much of downtown, said preservation of the synagogue fits within its plans to conserve the places of worship, as well as heritage buildings and archaeological sites.

But the company would not assist in restoration costs, saying it was up to religious sects to fix their own properties.

Related articles:
  • Beirut's largest synagogue in danger of being demolished
  • Report: Alleged Lebanon spy was tracking Hezbollah for Israel
  • American-Muslim blog promotes Lebanese Jewish community
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Signs of al-Qaida
    Is the global terror network behind the deadly attacks in Mumbai?
    Denying Nazi links
    104-year-old entertainer files lawsuit: It's not my fault Hitler was my fan.
      1.   WASTE OF MONEY 03:01  |  Ian 21/11/08
      2.   where are the Jews? 04:13  |  GK 21/11/08
      3.   the zionists are now ridiculed by hezbollah 04:32  |  VIPER 21/11/08
      4.   #1 Sorry to dissapoint you, but they.... 04:35  |  deltaleb 21/11/08
      5.   one ironic thing about the synagogue is that it was 04:37  |  David K 21/11/08
      6.   read that line again and again 05:05  |  sara 21/11/08
      7.   Another example of the recreation of Hisbollah 05:11  |  Mark Lincoln 21/11/08
      8.   Sara - why did the Jews of Lebanon leave? 06:44  |  Jewboy 21/11/08
      9.   to Jewboy#8 07:01  |  newsreader 21/11/08
      10.   Viper: They Are Barbaric & Oppresive! 07:36  |  Brad 21/11/08
      11.   Sara: 07:44  |  Brad 21/11/08
      12.   to Jewboy#8 08:03  |  newsreader 21/11/08
      13.   Interesting news for Jewboy in #8 08:55  |  Will-o`-the-wisp 21/11/08
      14.   # 1 to ian re: $10,000 each 09:13  |  eric 21/11/08
      15.   #8 Response 09:17  |  Habazlam Bazzaza 21/11/08
      16.   IDF shells did damage - IDF could send some money 09:22  |  Khalil Jean Estaphan 21/11/08
      17.   #8 Jewboy 09:50  |  Ali 21/11/08
      18.   #3 yeah, and Iran is the Switzerland of the Middle East 09:51  |  David G 21/11/08
      19.   I hope this can be turned into a Museum. 09:55  |  David G 21/11/08
      20.   # 8 to jewboy re: what sara said 09:56  |  eric 21/11/08
      21.   what a blissful harmony in Lebanon! 09:57  |  happy Meretz voter 21/11/08
      22.   #11 - Heaven Help Us 10:51  |  Hmmmm..... 21/11/08
      23.   Confessionalism 11:01  |  Yuhannon 21/11/08
      24.   Lies lies lies 11:20  |  Ex-Lebanese Jew 21/11/08
      25.   When the IDF took over some workshops for wood carving in 11:48  |  Andreas 21/11/08
      26.   200 Jews KILLED in lebanese POGROMS in 1975; 11 killed in 1982 12:42  |  Arthur 21/11/08
      27.   Don`t pull the thread 14:08  |  Natallie Durson 21/11/08
      28.   #4,#10 READ PROPERLY MY #1 14:39  |  Ian 21/11/08
      29.   to Andreas 14:56  |  Harry 21/11/08
      30.   Do these 20000 jewish refugees deserve COMPENSATION? 15:08  |  Alain 21/11/08
      31.   # 11 Habazlam 15:54  |  Abuya 21/11/08
      32.   #13 Ali 16:05  |  Abu Yusuf 21/11/08
      33.   Why "even and despite Hezbullah" ? 16:15  |  FalluJah 21/11/08
      34.   Harry you forgot something 16:24  |  Moh 21/11/08
      35.   #20 ex Lebanese Jew 17:37  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 21/11/08
      36.   To the newsreader number 9 17:42  |  x-ray 21/11/08
      37.   To ex Lebanese jew 21:20  |  Gisele 21/11/08
      38.   To Gisele 22:58  |  FalluJah 21/11/08
      39.   #10, BRAD, SICK OF SAYING HYPCORICY 00:05  |  VIPER 22/11/08
      40.   #7 02:25  |  Shtarka 24/11/08
     Read & React
    Conflicting reports emerge on release of Mumbai Chabad center hostages
    Responses: 89
    Mazuz: Olmert indictment possible in Rishon Tours scandal
    Responses: 43
    Ari Shavit: While the Palestinian track fails, let's focus on Syria
    Responses: 35
    Israel Harel: Defense establishment gives enemy hope that Israel's end is near
    Responses: 37


    More Headlines
    22:53 Reports on release of Mumbai Chabad center captives conflict
    19:03 Yossi Melman / Is al-Qaida behind the Mumbai terror attacks?
    16:49 'I just grabbed the baby and ran,' says Mumbai Chabad employee
    22:35 European powers: Iran showing 'utter disrespect' for UN nuclear watchdog
    20:58 104-year-old entertainer files lawsuit: It's not my fault Hitler was my fan
    21:18 Body of one-day-old baby found in Be'er Sheva dumpster
    17:14 Pope to make rare visit to Israel in May, following months of Jewish-Catholic tension
    15:24 Iran missile launch into space was 'publicity stunt,' Israeli experts say
    03:07 Who stole Hitler's golden bookmark?
    22:52 Ministers and policymakers approve plan to combat economic crisis
    16:03 Ultra-Orthodox MK Ravitz announces retirement from Knesset
    04:25 IDF rejects claims it killed Palestinians in defiance of court
    07:08 ANALYSIS / What it means: the path to indicting Olmert
    07:18 Palestinian power struggle may bar pilgrims from visiting Mecca
    07:41 Israel Harel / Defense establishment gives enemy hope that Israel's end is near
    10:01 Court ruling sees IDF targeted assassinations as last resort
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Inbal Thanksgiving Sale
    Save up to 30% off reservations at the Finest Hotel in Jerusalem
    Living in Israel Studying in English
    Click & Meet our students from all around the world
    Living in Israel Studying in English
    Click & Meet our students from all around the world
    Dan Boutique Jerusalem
    New Dan Hotel in Jerusalem Young, Fun & Distinctively Dan Book Now Online!
    Fattal Hotel Chain
    Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel.
    Car rental in Israel
    Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates.
    Dial 013 for your long-distance calls
    and get all your money back
    US CITIZENS
    Vote for real change. Request your ballot today!
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations
    Jewish Singles Personal Ads
    Find the love of your life on JDate.com
    Israel's Premier Real Estate Website
    www. israel-property.com
    Hebrew Summer courses
    From $39.95
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |
    Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel
    birthright Israel | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved