| Synagogue in Indonesia demolished |
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What was supposed to have been an intended heritage sight, the Beith Shalom Synagogue located in the island of Java, Indonesia has officially been demolished. Reports from various local news sources in Indonesia and a Dutch news website sighted their findings a few monthsago.
Jewish Times Asia has also now confirmed with a local source in the country for verification. The current explanation is that the synagogue was demolished by the family who took care of it because they did not feel safe to live there anymore.
Sources indicated previously unidentified persons demolished the synagogue to its foundations sometime earlier this year. The synagogue has seen a number of anti-Israel protests staged in front of it earlier this year which was reported in the Jakarta Globe.
The Dutch website Indoweb.nl, also quoted the director of the Surabaya Heritage Society, Freddy Instantoas saying that he intended to protest the demolition in talks with government officials.“It is not clear by whom and when exactly the building was demolished,” he told Indoweb.nl.
The City Council of Surabaya was in the process of registering the building as a heritage site. Instanto said that for that reason, the building “should have been protected.”
The Dutch news site also quoted Sachiroel Alim, the head of the Surabaya regional legislative council, as saying that it was unknown whether Muslim extremists had anything to do with the demolition.
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