DUSHANBE SYNAGOGUE DEMOLITION GAINING MEDIA INTEREST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DUSHANBE 000394 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL/IRF NSC FOR MILLARD, MERKEL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PROP KIRF TI SUBJECT: DUSHANBE SYNAGOGUE DEMOLITION GAINING MEDIA INTEREST REF: A) DUSHANBE 0329 B) 05 DUSHANBE 1737 DUSHANBE 00000394 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. SUMMARY: The February 8 partial demolition of the Dushanbe synagogue (reftel A) is beginning to make waves in the international media and is stimulating letters of protest to Embassy Dushanbe from private citizens in the United States. The media accounts emphasize the reported intemperate and insensitive remarks that a few Tajik officials allegedly made, and perpetuate the inaccurate information that the synagogue is a century old and a historic site. Because the story is growing, we propose press guidance in para 7. END SUMMARY. ¶2. The demolition of the Dushanbe synagogue is drawing international attention. Forum 18 News Service ( ) provided a detailed and generally factual account February 22, "TAJIKISTAN: Demolition of Country's Only Synagogue Begins." February 28, "IsraelInsider" ( ) posted an op-ed by Shelomo Alfassa, "Our Synagogue is Destroyed. Why are We Silent?" This article contrasts international outcry over the destruction of the Shia'a Shrine in Samara, Iraq, to the lack of attention to the synagogue story. The "IsraelInsider" op-ed includes the following: "~The destruction of the Tajikistan synagogue is the most disgraceful act committed by a sovereign state toward its Jewish population since the end of WWII. The Soviet Union and its successor states may have oppressed and harassed their Jewish communities, but even at the height of Stalin's anti-Semitic purges they did not seek to wipe every element of Jewish existence like the Tajikistan government. "It is an ominous message for a Jewish community, that while living under a government that is attempting to rebuild its economic, political and social image -- it starts by wiping out the only synagogue in its country. "The international Jewish community has a responsibility to do everything it can to help the remaining elderly and poverty-stricken Jews in Tajikistan. I call upon the worldwide directors of Jewish organizations, to speak out on this issue. Write articles, tell your communities about this, telephone, and email your government officials. Have them condemn this aggressive assault against a peaceful community. Communicate, act, help make 'Never Again' a reality~." ¶3. Both accounts emphasize the allegedly insensitive and intemperate comments by several Tajik officials. ¶4. February 28, Embassy Dushanbe received an e-mail from a concerned AmCit in Herndon, Virginia. Begin text: Dear Ambassador Hoagland, I'm a concerned citizen writing to protest the demolition of Jewish religious sites in Dushanbe between 7 and 22 February ¶2006. Among the destroyed buildings was the one and only Tajik synagogue, which was a century old and in active use by a juridically recognized religious community. According to Forum 18, an NGO based in Oslo, Norway, the demolition was marked by dispute and irregularity (). The Jewish community's claim of ownership was summarily dismissed by the municipal Religious Affairs Department. Demolition began DUSHANBE 00000394 002.2 OF 003 without an official assessment or opportunity for comment. The temporary facilities offered by the Government to Rabbi Abdurakhmanov are remote from congregants and therefore inadequate. Since the community is small, poor and partly elderly, it is unlikely to have the means to build a new synagogue. I'm most troubled by the state's attitude toward its Jewish citizens. Dushanbe Religious Affairs Department head Nuriddinov branded them liars. Tahir Rashidov, deputy head of the national Religious Affairs Committee, countered questions about the demolition with threats to revoke the Jewish community's juridical status. When a congregant taped the demolitions, officials warned they would break his camera. I urge the Department of State, which is committed to the protection of global religious freedoms, to request an investigation of the incident and a reconsideration of the demolition. If Tajikistan is a modern, tolerant and secular state, it would better serve these values by protecting its religious sites and respecting its faith communities. A good start would be made by rebuilding the synagogue. I would appreciate a response. Thank you. Sincerely, End text. ¶5. The Ambassador sent the following response: Begin text: Dear [name withheld]: I fully share your concern for the Jewish community in Tajikistan and for the Dushanbe synagogue. I would like to assure you for three years, ever since the synagogue was given notice of the impending demolition because of an urban renewal project, I have followed these developments closely. I have been in touch with several Jewish communities abroad and with other diplomatic missions, including the Israeli Embassy. The synagogue and Tajik government have been engaged in a dialogue over this issue for years. Unfortunately, no one has been able to produce a solution. Overall, Tajikistan is a religiously tolerant country, and I do not believe anti-Semitism is involved. Several Tajik homes and a mosque in the immediate vicinity of the synagogue were demolished months ago. The statements from Tajik officials you refer to were likely due to political insensitivity and frustration over the lengthy issue rather than anti-Semitism. I feel deeply for the community and regret that it is the poor and disenfranchised who will suffer. I understand the synagogue, built in the 1940s, is an important structure for the community. Unfortunately, the destruction is irreversible. I agree with you that to move on, the synagogue should be rebuilt. I will continue to help as I can; however, my intervention alone cannot be decisive. I encourage you to work with others to assist the synagogue and its community financially or otherwise. Sincerely, End text. DUSHANBE 00000394 003.2 OF 003 ¶6. The Ambassador and Mark Levin of the National Council for Soviet Jewry have been in frequent touch on the synagogue issue. February 27, the Ambassador recommended that Levin and an appropriate delegation come to Dushanbe soonest to mediate the problem and, equally important, raise funds for a new synagogue and community center. ¶7. If the issue is raised at the Department's Daily Press Briefing, we suggest the following press guidance: -- The U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan and his staff have followed this story closely for several years. They have advocated to various groups in the United States, Israel, and elsewhere to work closely with the Dushanbe synagogue and its community. -- Despite reports of intemperate and insensitive remarks by several Tajik officials about this issue, we believe that anti-Semitism is not involved. It is primarily a property dispute. -- Although the Dushanbe synagogue is widely reported to be about 100 years old, city records show that it was built in the 1940s. The city of Dushanbe, the new capital of the then-Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, was founded in 1924. The oldest existing buildings date from the end of the 1920s. -- We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and will be helpful where we can. HOAGLAND