Israel Government Faces Gaza Synagogue Problem

Synagogue-state relationships have always been complex in Israel. A new problem faced by the government is what to do with synagogues and cemeteries in the Gaza Strip and the four northern West Bank Settlements to be evacuated this summer. Originally it planned to move them. This is still the case for cemeteries. But Haaretz reports this morning that the Ministry of Defense now plans to take only parts of the synagogues to incorporate into new ones that will be built for the evacuees in their new homes. Said a Defense Ministry official, "Israel will have no choice but to destroy most of the synagogues and ritual baths in the settlements slated to be evacuated, to avoid the possibility of Palestinians desecrating them." (See earlier related post .)