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A Bomb in a Capetown Synagogue

by Yated Ne'eman Staff

A Chanukah miracle occurred in South Africa, when a bomb went off in an empty synagogue in the Wynberg suburb of Capetown.

The terrorist attack in Capetown, which did not cause severe damage or claim any victims, occurred at 12:30 a.m. local time, just hours after the air attacks of the United States and Britain on Iraqi cities were resumed.

Two hours beforehand, the synagogue was filled with congregations who celebrated Chanukah, but all of them returned home safely well before the explosion.

"It could have been much worse, and we are very grateful to Hashem. We had an important program two hours beforehand," Rabbi Rafi Wolf, who lives next door, said.

He noted that the synagogue received many messages of support after the attack, but that none of them came from Capetown's Moslem community. "It's easy to understand why they bomb synagogues," Rabbi Wolf added. The strict security was credited for the fact that the bomb exploded outside the building and was not detonated inside. The following morning the minyan was twice its usual size.

According to the police, the explosion shattered the ornate glass doors and many windows panes of the building. The damage was estimated at RSA 30,000.

No one assumed responsibility for the attack. South Africa's police announced that it is investigating the affair, which was caused by the detonation of a pipe filled with explosives. Police warned that further acts of revenge against American and British targets are possible. Nonetheless, no reports of tension between Jews and Moslems and in South Africa have been recorded.

A large number of Moslems live in the neighborhood of the shul.

The Jewish community in South Africa suffers in particular from a rising crime rate and from a steadily decreasing number of community members due to the growing departure from South Africa. This has resulted in the closing of synagogues and the moving of Jews to Jewish neighborhoods.

Yated's representative in South Africa reports that the frum community does not feel embattled, but is rather characterized by growth, and is not much disturbed by the rising crime.


 

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