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.
