Dushanbe synagogue

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Dushanbe synagogue

Photo: BukharianJews.com
Basic information
Location Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Religious affiliation Orthodox Judaism
Rite Bukharian
Ecclesiastical status Destroyed Synagogue
Architectural description
Specifications

The Dushanbe synagogue, also known as the Bukharian Synagogue, located in Dushanbe, Tajikistan was constructed in the early 1900s in one of the two Jewish Quarters in Dushanbe at the time[1]. It was used by the Jewish community there until January 2006. On 22 February 2006 the government of Tajikistan began demolition of the synagogue to make way for a new presidential residence, the "Palace of Nations".

Contents

[edit] The former synagogue building

Built by the Bukharian Jews community in the early 1900s, the synagogue was seized by the Soviet Union in 1920 and nationalized in 1952. (Two other synagogues in Tajikistan were also closed during the Soviet period[2].) The Jewish community was again allowed access to the building in 1958, although the land remained in government hands. The synagogue functioned after Tajikistan's independence in 1991 and throughout its civil war from 1992 to 1997. It was vandalized in 1995 in an incident which also included the ransacking of Jewish homes.

In May 2003, the Jewish community received an official letter ordering them to vacate the building by July of that year. Demolition, originally scheduled for 2004, began in early February 2006 with the destruction of the community's mikvah, or ritual bath, kosher butcher, and classrooms. On 22 February 2006, demolition of the main synagogue began.

[edit] Controversy over demolition of synagogue

At the time demolition began, the synagogue was a functioning house of worship serving the city's 150 Jews, and the last remaining synagogue in Tajikistan. Under Tajikistan law, 10 or more members оf a religious community cannot legally gather to worship if they do not have an official registered prayer site[3]. Under Jewish law (Halakah), many acts integral to the Jewish prayer service, including reading from the Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah), require 10 or more Jews (a Minyan) to be present. Some of the acts requiring 10 or more Jews, such as reciting the prayer for the dead, or Mourner's Kaddish are considered religious obligations by observant Jews. As of the demolition Jews in Tajikistan were no longer able to perform these acts required by their religion without breaking the laws of their country.

The destruction of the synagogue was surrounded by controversy. The government argued that the building was of no historical significance. The Jewish community (led by Rabbi Mikhail Abdurakhmanov) stated that as the last remaining Jewish house of prayer in a country which has been a home to Jews for at least two thousand years, the building was of considerable historical significance.

The ownership of the building has been disputed as well. The Jewish community has reported that it holds documentation of its original ownership of the building and the purchase of the land on which the synagogue was constructed. The Head of Religious Affairs at Dushanbe's Department of City Administration has countered with two arguments 1) "it is a lie to say that the Dushanbe Jews paid for construction of the synagogue," and 2) the state owns the land and the building since it underwent nationalisation in 1952 by Soviet authorities[4].

The government's motivations for the demolition have been questioned. The government has suggested that the synagogue was in 'lamentable condition'[5] and that its location was incompatible with a planned city centre regeneration scheme. The Chief Rabbi of Central Asia, Rabbi Abraham Dovid Gurevich, raised the issue of antisemitism, hinting that there was a feeling that "many people in Dushanbe simply find it unpleasant that a synagogue should stand alongside the palace of nations"[6]. In 2004, the US State Department, framed the issue as 'bureaucratic, rather than ideological[7].' The BBC has reported that, "those opposed to the demolition had been threatened by officials and most of the congregation are afraid to speak out[8]." A community member filming the demolition was asked to stop doing so and threatened with breakage of his camera.

Photo: BukharianJews.com
Photo: BukharianJews.com

The state refused to compensate the synagogue community for the loss of the building, but instead offered 1,500 square metres of land at the edge of the city and rental of a building in which to hold religious services temporarily. The community argues that it cannot afford costs of rental or construction. Even if they could afford these expenses, one source stated that "most of those attending the synagogue are elderly and very poor, and it is hard for them, both physically and morally, to get to a temporary building provided by the city authorities."[9]

UNESCO wrote a letter to the government of Tajikistan in 2004 that destruction of the synagogue would be in, "contradiction with international standards for the protection of cultural heritage," but by report did not follow up when they did not receive a reply. UNESCO spokesman Gadi Mgomezulu was quoted as saying in early March, 2006 that they "would be following up very closely," on the destruction of the synagogue"[10]

On 20 March 2006 the Government of Tajikistan reversed their decision and announced the community will be allowed to rebuild their synagogue on the current site at Nazyina Khikmeta Street 26, Dushanbe, Tajikistan at their own expense.

The Government's reversal of its decision has been credited to the interventions of Rabbi Gurevich, who met with foreign ambassadors, state officials and the city’s Mayor, Mahmadsaid Ubaidulоyev; and Lev Leviev, the President of the Ohr Avner Foundation and of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, who forwarded letters to Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmonov. Rabbi Gurevich has assured local authorities that he will find the means to fit the building into the appearance of the ‘Palace of Nations’[11].

[edit] Background: religion in Tajikistan

Tajikistan is today a secular state with a Constitution providing for freedom of religion. The Government has declared two Islamic holidays, Id Al‑Fitr and Idi Qurbon, as state holidays. 85–90% of the population of Tajikistan is Muslim (Mostly Sunni), roughly 4% are Christian (Mostly Russian Orthodox), and less than 1% are Jews. Other small religious minorities include Bahá'ís, Zoroastrians, and Hare Krishna. Muslim and Christian missionary groups have some activity in Tajikistan. The great majority of Muslims fast during Ramadan, although only about one third in the countryside and 10% in the cities observe daily prayer and dietary restrictions.

Relationships between religious groups are generally amicable, although there is some concern among mainstream Muslim leaders that minority religious groups undermine national unity. In 1991, two Bahá'í residents of Dushanbe were shot and killed in 2001 in what was determined to be a religiously-motivated crime[12].

There is a concern for religious institutions becoming active in the political sphere. The Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), a major combatant in the 1992–1997 Civil War and then-proponent of the creation of an Islamic state in Tajikistan, constitutes no more than 30% of the government by statute. Membership in Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Emancipation), a party which today aims for a nonviolent overthrow of secular governments and the unification of Tajiks under one Islamic state, is illegal and members are subject to arrest and imprisonment. Numbers of large mosques appropriate for Friday prayers are limited and some feel this is discriminatory.

By law, religious communities must register by the State Committee on Religious Affairs (SCRA) and with local authorities. Registration with the SCRA requires a charter, a list 10 or more members, and evidence of local government approval prayer site location. As noted above, religious groups who do not have a physical structure are not allowed to gather publicly for prayer. Failure to register can result in large fines and closure of place of worship. There are reports that registration on the local level is sometimes difficult to obtain[13].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^  - Last Tajik synagogue to be razed - BBC News Web site 5 March 2006
  2. ^  - Tajikistan, International Religious Freedom Report 2004 - US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 14 September 2004
  3. ^  - Last Tajik synagogue to be razed - BBC News Web site 5 March 2006
  4. ^  - Dushanbe Jews ordered to vacate synagogue by July, Forum 18 News Service, 21 May 2004
  5. ^  - Will Jews get compensation when synagogue is demolished? - Forum 18, 18 August 2003
  6. ^  - Dushanbe Jews ordered to vacate synagogue by July -Forum 18 News Service, 21 May 2004
  7. ^  - Tajikistan, International Religious Freedom Report 2004 - US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 14 September 2004
  8. ^  - Last Tajik synagogue to be razed - BBC News Web site 5 March 2006
  9. ^  - Save Dushanbe's synagogue - Jerusalem Post Web site 2 March 2006
  10. ^  - Tajikistan’s Only Synagogue Saved in Nick of Time - Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS News Web site 20 March 2006
  11. ^  - Demolition of country's only synagogue begins 22 February 2006
  12. ^  - Tajikistan, International Religious Freedom Report 2004 - US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 14 September 2004
  13. ^  - TAJIKISTAN: Religious freedom survey, November 2003 -Forum 18 News Service, 20 November 2003

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