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Last update - 18:09 07/04/2008 Beirut's largest synagogue in danger of being demolished By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: danger, demolition, Beirutt  The largest synagogue in Beirut is in danger of being demolished as part of a city center renovation project. Lebanese sources involved in preserving Jewish tradition in the country published pictures last month of the desolate synagogue, Magen Avraham, and surrounding buildings. The photos, which were taken covertly because of the proximity to government offices, show that buildings in the area are in the process of being demolished. The roof of a building next to the synagogue has been dismantled, which some fear is the first stage of that building's destruction. At this point, the synagogue itself does not appear to have been damaged. Advertisement However, the Lebanese sources said that widespread demolition is taking place even though the structures in the area had previously been declared designated for preservation. The renovation of central Beirut is being carried out by the Lebanese construction company Solidere, in which the Hariri family own shares. Magen Avraham has been left desolate for about 20 years. The Jewish community, which constitutes one of the 19 official religious communities in Lebanon and at various points included tens of thousands of people, pretty much disappeared from the country in the 1980s. Sources have told Haaretz that there are still Jews living in Lebanon, but only a few admit their religious identity, fearing they would be harmed if their neighbors discovered they were Jewish. The community's silence is a problem when it comes to Jewish communal property. The head of the Jewish community apparently lives abroad, and it is not clear who is in fact running communal affairs. Solidere has said that it is working to preserve many buildings in the heart of Beirut, including the three buildings surrounding the synagogue. The company said it submitted an opinion to the high council for urbanization saying that the buildings should be preserved, but the council has allowed the landowners to demolish the buildings as long as the original front is reconstructed. It is not clear whether the synagogue belongs to the Jewish community or has been sold to private owners. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Security.com Shin Bet is reaching out to English and Arabic worlds with new web sites. Obama's blunder As Penn. primary approaches, Clinton has latched on to 'values' remarks by Obama.   1.   What do you expect? 07:33  |  Dan 07/04/08   2.   The Real Apartheid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 07:48  |  Brad 07/04/08   3.   Somthing MUST be done 07:59  |  BeirutCitizen 07/04/08   4.   Wait for it: Lebanese readers will tell us it`s Israel`s fault 08:06  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/04/08   5.   Sin-agogue and Silent Jews 08:17  |  Zev 07/04/08   6.   Pics of the Synagogue Here 08:23  |  Joshua 07/04/08   7.   Must see video of the destruction! 08:27  |  Human 07/04/08   8.   a Lebanese reader 08:33  |  Mustapha 07/04/08   9.   just do it! 08:33  |  Ivan 07/04/08   10.   Brad, some perspective 08:39  |  Lebanese Jew 07/04/08   11.   To #4 Margie in TA: I agree 08:44  |  BeirutCitizen 07/04/08   12.   To #5 Zev 08:50  |  BeirutCitizen 07/04/08   13.   Jews should use their influence. 08:54  |  Adel 07/04/08   14.   # 2 since when have Pals the right to vote?? 08:55  |  Kris Lazar 07/04/08   15.   Safra and Hariri are both dead, unfortunately 09:11  |  lebanese-american 07/04/08   16.   Civilians are not "banned from the area" 09:16  |  Hussein 07/04/08   17.   Zionists want it both ways 09:21  |  Hussein 07/04/08   18.   Kris #8 Are you serious? 09:50  |  Yehuda 07/04/08   19.   Beirut synagogue links 09:59  |  sh 07/04/08   20.   Who Cares? No more Jews in Lebanon 10:05  |  semsem 07/04/08   21.   #15 Lies by Arabs about Jewish refugees from Arab countries 10:09  |  EgyptJewRefugee 07/04/08   22.   The Forgotten Jewish Refugees 10:12  |  Laila 07/04/08   23.   One Must Ponder... 10:12  |  Arab DRUZE Muslim 07/04/08   24.   beirut synaguogue 10:16  |  a jewish lebanese 07/04/08   25.   #20 semsem : I DO 10:17  |  BeirutCitizen 07/04/08   26.   To Hussein.more Islamic paranoia 10:34  |  spade 07/04/08   27.   Lebanese Jews have a reputation 10:39  |  Lebo-Palestinian gal 07/04/08   28.   Hidden Jews, or: How free Lebanon really is. 10:39  |  suzanne 07/04/08   29.   @14 they can vote. in israel there are three arab 10:42  |  suzanne 07/04/08   30.   to Leila in Montreal 10:44  |  Lebo-Palestinian gal 07/04/08   31.   #28 Suzanne, The Jews can return 11:20  |  BeirutCitizen 07/04/08   32.   u cant to that 11:31  |  shalom 07/04/08   33.   Sounds Like a Good Spot for a Palestinian Holocaust Memorial 11:51  |  Mr. Know-It-All 07/04/08   34.   TO HUSSEIN - Amman 12:00  |  Sueli 07/04/08   35.   Hussein is more angry than intelligent. 12:08  |  gMoney 07/04/08   36.   to Beirut Citizen 12:08  |  Jeff 07/04/08   37.   Uh....Leb-Palestinian girl... 12:10  |  gMoney 07/04/08   38.   Jews of Lebanon 12:19  |  Ibn Avraham 07/04/08   39.   Israel just a resort for Jews 12:29  |  Indrajaya 07/04/08   40.   Lebanese Jew 12:30  |  Nik Miller 07/04/08   41.   Palestinians in Lebanon, now thats harsh 12:33  |  Ibn Avraham 07/04/08   42.   Free 12:35  |  Uzi 07/04/08   43.   Danger is Real 12:37  |  Walid 07/04/08   44.   Lebo-Palestinian Girl 12:39  |  Nik Miller 07/04/08   45.   Mr. Know-It-All 12:41  |  Nik Miller 07/04/08   46.   @31 thank you for your enlightening answer 12:56  |  Suzanne 07/04/08   47.   #10 Lebanese jew 13:55  |  Moshe 07/04/08   48.   #14 Kris Lazar 14:02  |  Moshe 07/04/08   49.   # 30 Palestinians should also have a home 14:10  |  CM 07/04/08   50.   BeirutCitizen 14:12  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/04/08   51.   Mustapha 14:16  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/04/08   52.   Hussein 14:23  |  x-ray 07/04/08   53.   Lebo-Palestinian girl 14:26  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/04/08   54.   Is the Synagogue In Use? 14:35  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/04/08   55.   Zionists also don`t listen 14:53  |  Hussein 07/04/08   56.   To Yaakov -- The synagogue is not in use 15:00  |  Hussein 07/04/08   57.   Nothing is forever 15:12  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/04/08   58.   Hussein you take it as natural that OF COURSE Jews were deprived 15:23  |  x-ray 07/04/08   59.   Hussein 15:25  |  x-ray 07/04/08   60.   #50 Margie 15:26  |  BeirutCitizen 07/04/08   61.   Jews of Lebanon 15:29  |  A Real Lebanese Jew 07/04/08   62.   Synagogue will be restored 16:05  |  tariq 07/04/08   63.   #61 real lebanese jew 16:16  |  K 07/04/08   64.   Lebanese Jew really??? 16:27  |  Stranger 07/04/08   65.   # 14 so how they have members of parlament? 16:47  |  Abu Yusuf 07/04/08   66.   A real Lebanese Jew: 16:49  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/04/08   67.   16hussein sweetheart, you ought to read a little history... 16:57  |  bat yam 07/04/08   68.   #62 ... Mr. K... you were saying? 16:58  |  Sam 07/04/08   69.   Synagogues Musks and churches 17:09  |  Yosi the Israeli 07/04/08   70.   #56 Hussein 17:09  |  Moshe 07/04/08   71.   #27-Lebo-Pal girl 17:10  |  Louis Fried 07/04/08   72.   www.thejewsoflebanon.org 17:27  |  Moni from Lebanon 07/04/08   73.   the community needs to stand up 18:38  |  leb 07/04/08   74.   The beirut synagogue and lebanon`s jews 18:59  |  Dror 07/04/08   75.   Moni from Lebanon 19:01  |  marbpl 07/04/08   76.   Lebanon`s jewish community 19:04  |  Dror 07/04/08   77.   That`s urban renewal people! 19:06  |  Zeev 07/04/08   78.   #30 very loose with facts 19:12  |  peter 07/04/08   79.   to moni - there are alot of lebanese jews in i 19:16  |  jleb 07/04/08   80.   CLARIFICATION ON THE FATE OF THE MA SYNAGOGUE IN BEIRUT 19:18  |  jleb 07/04/08   81.   Zeev read the article more carefully 19:40  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/04/08   82.   BeirutCitizen 19:40  |  PantherJet 07/04/08   83.   Against the demolition 19:50  |  Lebanese Christian 07/04/08   84.   Lebanese Zhid in Montreal 19:52  |  Herbert Kaine 07/04/08   85.   marbpl in NYC 20:00  |  Walid 07/04/08   86.   Tariq 20:27  |  Walid 07/04/08   87.   #73 leb 20:30  |  BeirutCitizen 07/04/08   88.   #82 PantherJet 20:32  |  BeirutCitizen 07/04/08   89.   #88 Something to dream and live for 20:51  |  PantherJet 07/04/08   90.   Beirut synagogue 20:53  |  Omar Shaheen 07/04/08   91.   Walid, if it was a sea bombardment in 1982? 20:55  |  Dror 07/04/08   92.   to all lebanese jews 21:14  |  northern neighbor 07/04/08   93.   Beirut 21:34  |  Anonymous 07/04/08   94.   #85 Lot of Lebanese Christians and Moslems live in Israel 21:45  |  Albert 07/04/08   95.   #30 Lebo Palestinian; You are correct. Arab brotherhood? 21:52  |  Laila 07/04/08   96.   Walid 22:01  |  marbpl 07/04/08   97.   And HOW MANY MOSQUES did Israel Destroy? Margie & Cipora 22:20  |  ALL 4 PEACE 07/04/08   98.   Can someone inform me please? 22:54  |  Rachel 07/04/08   99.   27 million Lebanese abroad can`t be wrong 23:02  |  x-ray 07/04/08   100.   #20 semsem : I DO 23:44  |  Rammi 07/04/08   101.   arabic wonderful respect of the others 23:48  |  général bugeaud 07/04/08   102.   over 200 mosques have been demolished in israel 00:01  |  Gisele Aoun 08/04/08   103.   margie in TA, I think this is hatefull and wrong, but 00:07  |  Mark B. 08/04/08   104.   #92 northern neighbor 00:08  |  Rammi 08/04/08   105.   Today, decisions whether to wear the veil, grow a beard, eat hala 00:25  |  Joe Blow 08/04/08   106.   Explain to me please ... 00:31  |  Lola 08/04/08   107.   Well, here is a crazy idea... 00:32  |  Cosmo 08/04/08   108.   ALL 4 PEACE, 0 how many mosques did Israel destroy=0 00:44  |  Avram 08/04/08   109.   Lebanese Jew re Apartheid 01:27  |  Brad 08/04/08   110.   racism /passport 02:37  |  a lebanese jew 08/04/08   111.   you never admited your jewish blood even before the civil war 04:28  |  garry 08/04/08   112.   After 2006... 09:47  |  Colin Wright 08/04/08   113.   zev 5 15:00  |  potobac 08/04/08   114.   There is reason to believe it will NOT be demolished 15:54  |  BeirutCitizen 08/04/08   115.   It`s worthy of preservation 17:16  |  Cosmo 08/04/08   116.   It`s worthy of preservation 17:20  |  Cosmo 08/04/08   117.   Gisele Aoun #102 -- citation? 19:11  |  bbl 08/04/08   118.   Beirut synagogue 21:48  |  D. Eddy 08/04/08   119.   D. Eddy, check photos at this link 22:32  |  BeirutCitizen 08/04/08   120.   I hope that they preserve the synagogue in Beirut 08:34  |  Michael J 11/04/08   121.   To # 20 I care: Lebanon Jewish Community 11:28  |  Khalil 11/04/08   122.   for the record 05:54  |  - 12/04/08   123.   Confirmation that the synagogue won`t be destroyed 21:11  |  propagandastopper 15/04/08

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