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.

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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