The Magen Avraham Shul in Beirut has undergone extensive renovations and it is scheduled to reopen in the near future, the London-based al-Shark al-Awsat reports. The shul will serve the Lebanese capital’s estimated 100 remaining Jews.
Jewish community leader Isaac Arazi speaks of the shul located in a once Jewish populated area. The shul was originally constructed in 1926. Arazi explained that Jews in the Diaspora funded the restoration along with donations from Christians and Muslims.
Work on restoring the badly damaged shul got underway in 2009. The nation’s civil war took a heavy toll on the building. The reconstruction was government approved and obviously received unofficial approval from Hizbullah, a necessary reality for the renovations to take place.
The Times of Israel quotes Arazi stating “You can rest assured that if I was a Zionist-Israeli, I would not stay in Lebanon for a second,” Arazi told the paper. “We [the Lebanese Jewish community] have no connection to those who wanted to live in Palestine and kill innocent people.”
“We identify as Lebanese 100%,” said Arazi.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
I think it would serve as a great location for Satmar shul based on the same ideology. The Eida should move there as well
Plonialmoni4:
You obviously dont understand the severity of having an inkling of support for israel when living in arab countries. This approach is a REQUIREMENT to all jews who hailed from countries as Lebanon and mostly Iran, where jews where respected (to some extend) but not those who supported Israel and feared death if they did.
Probably forced to speak that way
A kuperman told him to say that
To Spectrum
My comment was said tongue in cheek. I am quite aware there is a high probability that it was not a voluntary statement.
The true message I was sending via my comment was not said in jest.
The chillus Hashem being practiced on a daily bais by so called chareidim is apalling to say the least.
We are raising a generation of Jews hating Jews.