Ancient Beis Haknesses Near Chevron Desecrated

Swastikas were found painted on the walls and PLO flags flying above the ruins of the ancient beis knesses at Samoa, near Chevron, on Sunday, Arutz Sheva reported.

Har Chevron Regional Council Head Yochai Dimri said it is “shocking to see a holy place desecrated in this way.”

“I expect the police to take care of this with at least the same severity in which such matters are taken care of in sites that are sacred to other religions,” he said, referring to the ongoing clamor in the media over so-called “price tag” vandalism of Muslim and Christian properties.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Kosel, also noted an asymmetry in the reaction to the incidents two weeks ago, following the desecration of the kever of the Tanna Rabi Chalafta in the Galil.

“When there is damage to the holy places of other religions, Jewish  leaders denounce the attacks. But we have unfortunately not heard the condemnation and protest from our Muslim counterparts against this heinous act.”

The Samoa ruins were first discovered in 1934. The synagogue dates back to about two centuries after the destruction of Bayis Rishon. The Jews apparently abandoned it in the eighth century, during the beginning of Muslim rule. Muslims have built a mosque adjacent to the ruins.

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the May 20th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.