The government of Yemen is in the process of destroying an
ancient synagogue in the city of Aden, sources in Yemen
relate. Moslem residents of the city are astounded by this
act. This building is known in Aden as "the Jewish
sanctuary."
The source relates that Seville Street in the Machtesh
neighborhood has been closed to traffic in both directions
since last week, and bulldozers and cranes are tearing down
the synagogue.
Historians claim that the synagogue, which can accommodate up
to 1000 people, was built in 1856 on the site of an ancient
Jewish synagogue.
Jews have lived in Yemen since 586 BCE. Aden was under
British rule until 1963, and the Jews of Yemen made
aliya to Israel during Operation Magic Carpet which
departed from Aden's airport. Since then there have been no
Jews in Aden, although a few score or perhaps hundreds of
Jews still live in Yemen.
With the departure of the Jews, the structure was transformed
into an apartment building. It now contains walls and
dividers and, since 1972, in the wake of the nationalization
of the former Marxist government which controlled North
Yemen, it has been occupied by Arab families.
Residents in the Machtesh neighborhood expressed surprise at
the Government's decision. Many of them described the
devastation as the destruction of one of the most important
historical sites in Aden. One of the residents said: "It was
a reminder of an age-old era in which Yemen was the cradle of
civilization and a society in which religious tolerance
prevailed."
