(NEWS) Beirut Jewish Community Restores War-Ravaged Synagogue

Pics below: "Lebanon is a multi-faith country home to 17 Muslim and Christian groups as well as a large Jewish community older than the country itself. The latter has not had a place of worship for the past 30 years.

Beirut is still healing from the wounds inflicted by Lebanon's civil war. A large part of the city's architectural heritage was destroyed by years of fighting. Today, they have been replaced by modern buildings. Even places of worship have not been spared, as evidenced by the deplorable state in which restorers found the Maghen Abraham Synagogue. Located in the heart of the city, the building has been in the process of restoration for the past year and is due to re-open in the coming months.

SB, who wishes to remain anonymous, is the head of the Lebanese Jewish religious community. He has overseen the restoration works at the Maghen Abraham Synagogue.

The Lebanese Jewish community has 100 members within the country, mainly in Beirut, and 2000 in the world (of Lebanese nationality). There was a time when there were many more of us; there were about 20,000 at the end of the 1940s. But unfortunately, the Civil War ended that. In 1975, when the armed conflict broke out in the heart of the Jewish quarter, Wadi Abu Jamil, many were forced to leave the country, leaving everything behind. There was a haemorrhaging of all communities at that time.



Despite the mass exodus, we continued to celebrate prayers, weddings and religious festivals at Maghen Abraham, long recognised as the most prestigious synagogue in the Middle East. The construction of this synagogue started in 1920, on the initiative of an Indian Jew who had emigrated to Lebanon. The building officially opened its doors to followers in 1926, and the Selim Tarrab School just behind the synagogue ensured the education of the children of the community. But in 1982, the year of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, our synagogue was subjected to looting and vandalism. The building was devastated and the Talmudic school was completely destroyed by the war. Members of our community who stayed in the country were deprived of their place of worship.

It took a lot of time and effort for the restoration of Maghen Abraham to take shape. We had already collected the necessary funds for the restoration, mainly from members of our community (within and outside of the country), but also with the help of other religious communities. However, due to the precarious security situation, particularly with the Israeli War of 2006, we had to delay the project. Eventually, the restoration of the synagogue began a year ago, at the same time as the restoration of the Wadi Abu Jamil neighbourhood. The reopening is expected in six months' time. We are also planning to do the same for other Jewish places of worship in other parts of Lebanon which have been abandoned.

Many are surprised that we still live here, and believe that we ought to have crossed the border to where we belong; to Israel. It gets forgotten that we are the oldest religious community of the country. We belong here." (source)

Click here to join the Beirut Maghen Abraham Synagogue on Facebook.

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(BLOG) In Gaza It Is Taboo For Women To Ride A Bicycle, One Palestinian Woman Decided To Break It

"In Gaza, an unspoken rule bans women from riding bicycles after they have hit puberty. But last Saturday, one young Palestinian woman decided to defy the taboo, sparking smiles - and a few threats - from fellow Gaza residents.

In a spur of the moment decision, 28-year-old Palestinian journalist Asmaa Alghoul decided to join three of her friends, two Italian human rights workers and an American, on a tour of Gaza by bicycle. On a warm summer's day, the two men and two women set off from the Egyptian border town of Rafah and headed north to Gaza city, along 30km of coastal road. But to Asmaa, the ride was more than a sunny day trip: women on bicycles are frowned upon in most Muslim societies, and the young woman had not ridden a bike since she was 14 years old.



Most of the Gazans the small group came across were friendly and hospitable, as well as very helpful when it came to repairing flat tires or twisted chains. A rough encounter with a group of men on motorcycles, however, came as a harsh reminder of the domestic role women are expected to stick to in Gaza.

Many thanks to our Observer in Gaza, Patrick McGrann, who was part of the bike trip and put us in touch with Asmaa.

Asmaa Alghoul is a journalist in Gaza city. A divorced and independent woman, she describes herself as a secular Palestinian.

'For my international friends, riding a bike is just a pleasant means of transportation, not a political statement. But as soon as I, a Palestinian woman, decided to join their group, the trip took on another dimension.'

You just don't see women riding bikes in Muslim countries. It's not forbidden per say, but it's socially unacceptable. In addition, the Hamas government in Gaza has begun enforcing very strict, sexist rules restricting women's freedom - we can no longer smoke water pipes in cafés, for example. I find all of these rules unfair - stupid, really - so I decided to go on the bike ride as a test, to see what would happen.



Mostly, I was very pleasantly surprised. I thought I wouldn't remember how to ride a bike after so many years, but after a couple of minutes I was zooming away! Another nice thing was to see that people generally reacted in a very friendly and supportive manner: they would smile or wave and say hello in English - no one seemed particularly shocked to see two women on bicycles.

We had two unpleasant incidents, though. First, a group of young men on motorcycles began following us - me and my friend Chantal especially. They were tailing us closer and closer. They claimed to be Hamas police, but I didn't believe them because they looked much too young and didn't show me ID when I asked for it. So I shouted at them to leave us alone. Then I saw a real police car and pulled it over. I told the officers the men were bothering us, and the police actually helped us! They told the motorcyclists to go away and were very polite to us. Surprisingly, they didn't say anything about us being women on bikes. I think it may be because I was with international people, so the rules are a little more flexible.

The second incident was more unpleasant. Again it involved men on motorcycles. They went past us once, then came back and crossed us again. We stopped on the side of the road because they were passing by us very close and very fast. The second time they passed us, one of the men punched my friend Chantal in the back, hard, and spit in my face. I was expecting that, so I spit back. As a secular woman who doesn't wear a veil, I get a lot of that kind of attitude from younger men.

Overall, however, it was a very positive experience. Twice, we had technical problems, and twice, very conservative families offered us hospitality and help. They didn't berate me for riding a bicycle at all - although they did ask me whether or not I was fasting for Ramadan!" (source)