Elijah became a prophet here — but now it’s rubble
AN AUTHOR in southeastern Turkey has urged Jews around the world to help rebuild a synagogue that was destroyed in the conflict-ridden city of 3RāK[LKTÒ[ ]Q[NN āNK[\ KPX
1LMUK_R_ øK]TÒW %" K ÿ[R]N[ XO [NURPRX^\ LXXT\ \KRM UXûKU [NûX[M\ \QXÿNM there had been a synagogue in the district of Sur for centuries and that a wall of the old building was still standing as [NûNW]Uā K\ " !%
But it was demolished after street battles erupted that year between the Turkish government and Kurdish insurgents in a conflict that left eight neighbourhoods of 3RāK[LKTÒ[´\ QR\]X[Rû MR\tricts isolated for more ]QKW K Q^WM[NM MKā\
CY ]X "$ YNXple were displaced by the fighting and many former residents are struggling to return to the area because their homes have been bullMX_NM OX[ [NMNþNUXYVNW]
;[ øK]TÒW \KRM ]QN \R]N XO ]QN OX[VN[ Sur synagogue was also flattened and R\ WXÿ O^UU XO MNL[R\ 7O ]QN 8NÿR\Q ûXVmunity put pressure on the Turkish PXþN[WVNW] QN \KRM R] ûX^UM LN [NL^RU] KûûX[MRWP ]X R]\ X[RPRWKU OX[V
“Every Jewish person should understand the importance of the site and NĀYUKRW ]X ]QN K^]QX[R]RN\ RW 1WTK[K ² QN \KRM
“At a local level in Diyarbakir the councils are run by the appointed administra]X[\ ÿQX ûQKWPN XO]NW KWM MXW´] TWXÿ ]QN RVYX[]KWûN XO ]QN \āWKPXP^N ²
Diyarbakir is the biggest town in B^[TNā´\ \X^]QNK\] KWM RW\]KW]Uā [NûXPWR\KLUN OX[ R]\ ]KUU LUKûT LK\KU] ûR]ā ÿKUU\ ÿQRûQ MK]N LKûT ]X ]QN @XVKW era and are listed as a UNESCO World 6N[R]KPN AR]N
7] ÿK\ ]QR\ MR\][Rû] ° ÿR]Q R]\ [KLLR] ÿK[[NW XO WK[[Xÿ ÿRWMRWP \][NN]\ ° that saw the worst of the fighting and MN\][^û]RXW RW " !%
CY ]X & L^RUMRWP\ ÿN[N MN\][XāNM Abdülaziz õK]TËW
Every Jew should realise the importance of this site”