DUSHANBE CITY GOVERNMENT FINALLY ACTS AND DEMOLISHES HALF OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000329

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SOCI KIRF TI
SUBJECT: DUSHANBE CITY GOVERNMENT FINALLY ACTS AND DEMOLISHES HALF OF
ONLY REMAINING SYNAGOGUE

REF: 05 DUSHANBE 1737

DUSHANBE 00000329 001.2 OF 002



1. (SBU) SUMMARY: City authorities tore down half of
Dushanbe's synagogue February 8 along with several private homes
remaining in the largely cleared vicinity to build a road
leading to the new Presidential Palace. The synagogue has known
about this planned demolition for at least three years, but has
been unable to stop it and unwilling to consider relocation
(REFTEL). The synagogue's Rabbi, Mikhail Abdurahmonov, is
seeking legal assistance to try post facto to reach an
agreement with the government for fair compensation. We
expect the story will soon go international. Anti-Semitism is
not involved. The saddest part of this long-brewing story is
that various international communities have not been willing to
be pro-active on this issue to help the small remnant Jewish
community in Dushanbe. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) A Jewish-American citizen, who has taken interest in
assisting the synagogue met with PolOff February 21 to update
the Embassy on recent developments. According to him,
Government authorities advised the synagogue on February 7 they
would begin demolition. Rabbi Mikhail Abdurahmonov staved off
the demolition and asked the authorities to talk to city
officials and the mayor, whom he claimed promised him they would
not tear down the synagogue. (COMMENT: In fact, to the best of
our knowledge, the mayor never made this promise, although he
did promise to relocate the synagogue and community center. For
various reasons, the rabbi never accepted this offer, and
insisted the synagogue would never move. END COMMENT.)
Officials could not get anyone in the government to authorize a
construction halt and proceeded to pull down half the synagogue
February 8. They informed the Rabbi the remainder of the
synagogue would be torn down in June.


3. (SBU) The American citizen has documented the Rabbi's
account of meetings with government officials. On January 11
Deputy Prime Minister Asadullo Ghulomov met with Rabbi
Abdurahmonov and told him that he would speak to President
Rahmonov on this issue and that the government would build a new
synagogue for the Jewish community. One month later, Ghulomov
rescinded, citing separation of state and religion and called
the synagogue an "appendix"-unnecessary and easily removable.
Around the same time as Ghulomov's meeting in January, the local
district government asked Abdurahmonov for the synagogue's
charter, his personal biography, and two photos. The Rabbi
never provided the information.


4. (SBU) On February 22 the Rabbi will meet with the
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law to obtain a lawyer
and seek legal advice. The synagogue hopes that a lawyer will
be able to assist in formally dealing with the government and
reach an agreement on fair compensation, which would include
land located in the center, or very near the center, of Dushanbe
and an actual building where the synagogue and soup kitchen can
operate. (COMMENT: A central location is essential for the
community because most of the members are elderly and live in
the immediate area, and because the community observers Orthodox
practices and does not use transportation on the Sabbath. END
COMMENT.) The Tajik government has offered the synagogue a new
piece of land which is not near the center of town and not
easily accessible to the elderly Jewish community and those who
utilize the soup kitchen. In addition, the Rabbi believes the
synagogue may have a legal case because he claims the Tajik
government did not present the necessary demolition
documentation and permits to the synagogue prior to February 8.


5. (SBU) On February 8, the General Prosecutor attempted to
get the Rabbi to shake on a gentleman's agreement to accept the
new plot of land. The Rabbi refused and threatened to go to the

DUSHANBE 00000329 002.2 OF 002


media, but has refrained from making his case public. He claims
that he will approach local news agencies on February 26 after
hearing from Koen Davydov, an expatriate Tajik-Jew currently in
Israel, whom he believes may have a solution to the problem.
(NOTE: Davydov has not been able to come up with a solution to
the problem for years now. In fact, he has not appeared very
engaged or interested, even when the Ambassador asked him in
October 2005 to mobilize his contacts and resources to help the
Dushanbe community. When asked why he had not done so
previously, he answered, "No one asked." END NOTE.)


6. (SBU) In an attempt to rally support, the American citizen
has released this news to a few agencies which have published
short anonymous articles. He is trying to spread the news on a
number of internet websites. In addition, the American citizen
has talked with other expats in Dushanbe and they are attempting
to raise funds locally and abroad to go towards the purchase or
construction of a new building and general support for the
synagogue.


7. (SBU) COMMENT: Although the destruction of the synagogue
is regretful, this is not a religious freedom issue or an
example of anti-Semitism, but rather a land dispute. The Tajik
government is an equal-opportunity demolisher and has torn down
other structures around the synagogue as well - including the
old headquarters and barracks of the Russian 201st Motorized
Rifle Division - to clear the way for the "national park"
surrounding the new Presidential Palace. Unfortunately, the
Jewish expats Rabbi Abdurahmonov have been relying on for help
have been unable to find a solution to the problem, and he
himself, during the three years we have tried to get him to be
pro-active, has simply said he won't move. The only option he
has now is to try to negotiate fair compensation, but it's
rather late in the game for that. We expect the
Tashkent-based Rabbi David Gurevitch to make this an
international issue, which he has tried to do in the past. The
Embassy has been fully engaged on this issue for years, trying
to interest the Israeli Embassy in Tashkent, Davydov and his
ex-Tajikistan compatriots in Israel, the Bokharan Jewish
community in New York, and U.S. Jewish organizations in the U.S.
with interests in the former Soviet Union. While all have
expressed varying degrees of restrained sympathy, we have seen
no attempt to help. If the story goes international, which it
surely will, and if the Embassy is requested to comment, we say
we have long followed the developing story, are convinced
anti-Semitism is not involved, and advocate fair financial
compensation from the city. In the end, the tragedy is not the
land-grab by the city - it's the passivity of the communities
that long knew this was coming. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND