Insteadd of a synagogue renovation, let's fly and resettle the entire Lebanese Jewish community in Israel. It's far more cost effective than renovating a synagogue that will be obsolete in a couple of decades.

I wonder how many destroyed mosques Israel will allow Palestinians to rebuild on their stolen villages and towns of 1948 in return of the Lebanese good gesture..

It looks like it's a pretty building. It's nice to see it being reconstructed. It's also good to hear about jewish communities outside of Israel. It's very easy for zealots to hope that someday all people of an ethnicity live in one place. Why should they want to?

Arabs aren't paying for it. The congregation is.. Its a Jewish paid, large company built, project for the needs of the community there. The only good gesture is that it hasn't been blocked by someone yet, which we'll see soon enough

The current Basilica of the Annunciation, the largest church in the Middle East, was built in Nazareth by the Israeli state building firm Solel Boneh, employing Jewish, Christian, and Moslem laborers. Israel has allowed for the reburbishment and reconstruction of a number of old mosques, including the Jazzar Pasha mosque in Acco and Hassan Bey mosque on the beach front of Tel Aviv. Bear in mind they continue to serve the needs of the local Arabs . I ask you, why did Lebanon wait until there were virtually no Jews left in Lebanon before merely allowing the synagogue to be refurbished?

Read the article again. During the bloody civil war, instigated by (who else??) Muslims, the Jews became caught in the middle and were equally kidnapped and tortured just for being Jewish. Unlike the Arabs in pre-1948 Israel which DID take part in hostilities, did harbor irregular forces from surrounding countries, and did target civilians. Makes a big difference when deciding who goes where after the dusts settles.

All Israel has to do is allow the Palestinians there to rebuild their destroyed mosques and churches. They have already collected enough money for that purpose (I know that because I've been there and discussed it with them). But the problem they face is Israel's stalling tactics and its refusal to authorize the rebuilding of these sites the way the Lebanese government did.

Jake, you forgot to mention an important point to the construction of the church in Nazareth by Israel...though claimed by Christians for centuries, the Muslims of the city and nearby were trying to claim it as their own, in order to turn the demographic tide in their favor. Under the cover of night, Muslim leaders ordered heavy equipment in to create facts on the ground at the plaza Christians laid claim to. It was none other than Bibi Netanyahu who step in, pushed the usurping Muslims out, handed the land back over to the Christians and provided security until construction was completed.

There's a big difference in the answer you'd get. One, if Pals, they have no claim to the land and 1947 is long gone. Two, if Israeli Arabs....if the cities in which they want to build a mosque is Arab, then it will be there to serve the population. If it's part of a moshav or Jewish city, then there is NO purpose to re-building it. While you claim that any rebuilding of a mosque or church is for the community, the Arabs leaders claim otherwise....it's an attempt to create facts on the ground and to revise history. In other words....there were synagogues in Lebanon, but Jews never claimed to own the country exclusively.

Mr. Ahab.... if you were ever to go to Israel, you would see more mosques and churches than synagogues. None of these villages and towns were stolen, yet the mosques remain.. What happened to the synagogues in Mecca and Medina? Any sign of them?

why is it that the Arabs always call it STOLEN land, when they tried to annihilate the Jews and LOST? Always the same dumb people who think that after they lose a war that they started that the victor just hands them everything back? BESIDES, this was Jewish land LONG before Arabs ever lived there... so Arabs in fact stole the land... Get it right Ahab.

Where do we send the money? If each of us complaining on here would send just $1 maybe it will be enough to at least start the job/get others to take notice and also send a little money. I have admired this building for years. There was also a large Ecole Israelite Universelle building adjacent to the synagogue and other temple property that has already been taken by the Lebanese authorities, it wasn't just the synagogue - but it is quite a miracle that it even exists and no one in the article nor the talkbacks have acknowledged that.

and physically and come home. The only reason they let you rebuild is so you'll spend money and help the economy. It's only a matter of time until they destroy it again. Lebanon gets more Islamisized every year, just like those who started and funded the civil war planned. Look at how many Christians have allied themselves politically with muslims, even muslim terrorists. Non-muslims have been steadily leaving the country and soon there will be a muslim majority. Sharia law and Judenrein won't be far behind. 99% of Jews have left Lebanon. The remaining 1% need to understand that it's time to go. They are most welcome to retain their culture and customs here in Eretz Yisrael just as Jews from other communities around world do.

Lebanese Jews are happy to live in Lebanon and they don't want to settle in Israel.

I'm sure that Lebanese Jews don't want to live in Israel. Me and my family live in The Netherlands and have no wish to ever move to Israel. We don't even visit the country any longer. I would rather go live in Dubai than in Israel. But, hey this is a chance for Israel to do something for the Jews in the diaspora ... give them money to rebuild. What has Israel done for the Jewish diaspora? Nothing at all except give us problems.

Hezbollah will burn it down again, for 'peace'.

1 million Jews were systematically driven from Arab lands and now they are rebuilding a synagogue for a Jewish community that no longer exists. How pathetic.

What's with the attitude? You can move to Dubai or Turkmenistan for all I care, but why insult Israel in the process... Kinda took it personally... As for donating money, that's a good idea, there should be a campaign or something...

either seduced of forced to; feel free to say the truth!

a true arab disguised by a jewish name talking here, sorry. you do not impress. by the way, ilan is never a given name to a lebanese jew. never. my family ran away from lebanon to israel. yes, to israel, who accepted us and rebuilt our lives with kindness and pride. you, sir, are not a jew with lebanese hisotry. you are a fake. 97% of lebanese jews came to israel after 1950's. those that remained were a bit too advanced in years or had businesses there and didn;t want to leave. most left, or better yet, ran away for their lives. aboutbul, former lebanese jew in israel.

The Moslem mob who burned down my house and the houses of all the Jews in Halab in 1947 didn't appear to me to be particularly Zionist.

It was a tactical blunder and a tragedy what happened to the Arab jews. When we expelled you, we lost part of our heritage. We are closer to us in traditions and culture than the blue eyed evil zionists who came from Europe and created Israel and caused our misery and your misery.

jews and levant arabs (syrians, lebanese, pals) have always been living together for hundreds of years...its unfortunate how the lst 60 years have divided us. i have met jews on my trips to europe and there are alot of similarities between our cultures, actually the same, especially the middle eastern jews. shame. all this hate between us has led us to misery. nothing else.

provided they adopt low profile dhimmi status. Otherwise: the 1840 Damascus blood label, who cost tens of jewish lives, the 1945 Aleppo pogrom, the 1967 kamishliye pogrom, etc...No wonder Hezb wants to keep a human zoo for Jews, to show its tolerance and moral superiority.

They don't want to go to Israel, if they did they would have been there since a long time, they are not Israeli but Lebanese and doesn't care about Israel.

Lebanese Jewish sect is recognized by Law as one of the fundamental sects of Lebanon. As such, Lebanese Jews have full access to all economical, social, and political privileges & levels. Lebanon prides itself by its cultural and religious diversity. The sufferings of the past, did not just happen to the Jews, but it happened to all religious sects indiscriminately. Now, thank God it is over...Lebanon has gained much of its sovereignty and Democracy back...and is calling for all its rightful citizens - Jews included, to reclaim their rightful place there.

it was israel actually. in 1978, israel had not yet invaded lebanon on foot. and yasser arafat had taken over the jewish quarter in beirut. at that time there was still differentiation between lebanese jews and israelis and even arafat did not have a problem with them. he put his men in the area. and the MAIN theory is that israel assumed that they were using the synagogue as a place to hide weapons which was why it was attacked with rockets unto its roof, which as you can see in the picture above, is being rebuilt

we need our jewish community to be here in Lebanon and this is where they will stay. It was Israel who attacked the synagogue in 1978. That is why the roof was destroyed.

There have been donations from arabs as well. The congregation is officially part of the government and although there hasnt been enough money given as should be, it doesnt mean that there were no donations.