Israel Matzav

Even Sharon didn't do this

When Ariel Sharon expelled all the Jews from Gaza, there were serious doubts what to do about the synagogues there. In the end, it was decided to leave the synagogues, and if the 'Palestinians' destroyed them, they would (it was thought) look bad in the eyes of the world, and at least we would not be destroying synagogues with our own hands. Of course, the 'Palestinians' destroyed all the synagogues with a vengeance.

On Tuesday, Israel's Yassam special police forces - the same people who broke heads at Amona four years ago next week - destroyed a synagogue in Nachliel, which was said to have been built in violation of the two-month old 'settlement freeze.'

The Torah scrolls were first removed from the building, and the bulldozers began the destruction shortly afterwards.

Earlier this morning (Tuesday), it was reported that large police forces and special Yassam units had arrived in the Talmonim bloc and prevented entry to the communities of Dolev, Neriah, Talmon, Nachliel and Haresha. They thus wished to prevent residents from arriving en masse to thwart their destruction of a synagogue in Nachliel, said to have been built in violation of the two-month-old construction freeze.

Somehow, the promise that communal buildings like synagogues and schools would be exempt from the 'freeze' did not bother the Netanyahu - Barak government. And if the 'religious parties' are going to object to the wanton destruction of a synagogue, I haven't heard it yet.

A resident of Nachliel told Arutz Sheva that the synagogue was completed a month before the 'freeze' went into effect.

In an interview with Arutz 7, a resident of Nachliel said that the synagogue demolished Tuesday by police, soldiers, and Civil Authority workers, had been built long before the building freeze in Judea and Samaria went into effect. The structure, which had been in use daily, sustained tens of thousands of shekels worth of damage. "This was a shameful destruction," he said. "All of the holy books are strewn about the floor, as are the mezuzot. We intend to begin rebuilding today," said Avi Cohen, a Nachliel resident. Cohen said that the building had been completed on 11 Cheshvan (October 29).

Cohen said that he begged with authorities to spare the building, but to no avail – and that after much pleading they let him remove the Torah scroll from the building. "It is unbelievable that they would destroy a synagogue without thinking twice, but they would not dare to touch a mosque," he said.

A true chilul Hashem (desecration of God's name).

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:03 PM