Tajikistan moving ahead with demolition of only shul

[Coastie for Truth]

Despite pleas from the Jewish community and international organizations, the Tajikistan government has started to destroy the country's only synagogue.

The mikve and several of the classrooms have already been torn down, with all the structures due to be demolished by June to make way for a new presidential palace.

The World Jewish Congress this week sent a letter to UNESCO in a last-ditch effort to stop the synagogue's destruction. It wrote that the action "will effectively put an end to Jewish life in Tajikistan and will strike a severe blow at the cause of Muslim-Jewish mutual respect and coexistence."

UNESCO had written the Tajikistan authorities to halt the construction project when the WJC first contacted the organization in June 2004, labelling the synagogue's destruction "in contradiction with existing international standards for the protection of cultural heritage."

[roguevalley]

1. we're a doomed species

[demosincebirth]

2. Why would the do something like that?

[Colorado Blue]

3. I don't understand. Jewish people have lived in Central Asia

for ages.

The community is small but still.

Another bad sign - the recent murder of a rabbi in Uzbekistan:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=99273