Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on May 22, 2014

BEIRUT: Beiruts Maghen Abraham Synagogue has not been reopened and no date has been set for the buildings re-inauguration, said Bassem al-Hout, a lawyer and mukhtar for Lebanons Jewish community.

The synagogue, located in Wadi Abu Jamil in Downtown Beirut, was badly damaged during Lebanons 1975-90 Civil War and has been undergoing an extensive renovation for the past five years.

The construction is basically done, Hout told The Daily Star.

But it doesnt have any benches or furniture, he explained. He refused to speculate on when the synagogue would reopen. Moreover, there are no Jewish religious leaders, called rabbis, in Lebanon to lead religious proceedings, Hout said.

The Jewish community also still has plans to move a trove of historical documents related to Judaism in Lebanon into the synagogue.

The synagogue, which was constructed in the first decades of the 20th century, was shelled by the Israeli army in 1982 during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, according to news reports published by the Associated Press. Both Jewish and Muslim refugees had taken shelter in the synagogue during the Israeli siege, and were seen fleeing into the streets after the building was shelled.

The synagogues feeble, pock-holed shell was shuttered for decades.

The entire renovation project, Hout said, has cost between $4 million and $5 million.

Hout denied recent reports claiming the synagogue was set to reopen.

These are just rumors made up in the press, he said.

More here:

Reports that Beirut synagogue will reopen dismissed as rumors

Category: Synagogue
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