As UCSJ reported last summer, Tajikistan’s only synagogue faces possible demolition under an urban renewal scheme currently being implemented in the capital city of Dushanbe. The century-old building is in poor condition and has not been officially returned to the Jewish community—which is made up of around 150 people who chose not to evacuate the country during the recently concluded civil war there.

On May 5, 2004 ITAR-TASS reported a small sign of hope—the chief rabbi of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, Rabbi Abe Dovid Gurevich, has held a meeting with the head of the central government’s committee on religious affairs, Golib Golibov. As a result of the meeting, Rabbi Gurevich and Mr. Golibov sent a joint letter to the mayor of Dushanbe asking that the synagogue not be demolished, since it is an architectural monument. If the mayor agrees, the Jewish community in return promises to pay all the costs of reconstruction. There is no indication in the report of the mayor’s response. However, according to a May 3 AEN report, Rabbi Gurevich also met with a deputy mayor of Dushanbe and the US ambassador to discuss the issue.

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