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Source: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-it-pays-to-restore-synagogues-in-the-arab-world-2/
Why It Pays to Restore Synagogues in the Arab World
(Times of Israel) Lyn Julius - The Christian Science Monitor treated us to a fairy tale the other day, with Nicholas Blanford gushing about the Maghen Avraham synagogue, now being restored in Beirut: "The first rabbi in nearly four decades is expected to arrive soon. 'Once the rabbi is here, we will be able to hold weddings again,' says a Jewish Council member in Lebanon." To what congregation would this rabbi minister, given that there are perhaps a dozen Jews in the country? What happy couples would he marry, given that there are few eligible young people? The report is typical of a trend hailing the restoration of Jewish buildings as somehow indicative of pluralism and tolerance in the Arab world. As one journalist put it, "Tolerance of Jewish cultural remains can be exchanged for Western goodwill and aid without necessitating any messy engagement with actual Israelis." How is it that these countries can get away with ethnically cleansing their Jewish communities yet reap the PR benefits of restoring Jewish buildings?