Aleppo synagogue sustains minor damage in war

The Central Synagogue of Aleppo sustains minor damage in fighting between Syrian militants, according to photos provided by locals to an Israeli-American activist for peace in the war-torn country.

The damage affected a corner of the building and was probably caused by shelling, according to Moti Kahana, the founder of the Amaliah not-for-profit group, which aims to relieve the suffering of refugees from Syria and empower women there. The corner area is covered by debris, making it difficult to ascertain the extent of the damage caused to the building, which is believed to have been built in the ninth century A.D.

“It took a hit, but it’s still standing,” says Kahana, a businessman who says he has spent more than $2 million on rescue efforts in Syria. His contacts on the ground sent him pictures of the building from a sniper’s post overlooking it, he says.

“The synagogue lies between the sniper post of moderate rebels and forces fighting for [Syrian President Bashar] Assad,” Kahana says. Assad lost control over much of the country after the civil war in began 2011. Since then, at least one synagogue was almost completely destroyed in 2014, in the city of Jobar, near Damascus.

— JTA

The Central Synagogue of Aleppo in January 2016. (Courtesy/Moti Kahana)