Authorities in Algeria have recently demolished the historic “Shalom Lebahar” synagogue in the Bab al-Wadi neighborhood of the capital, Algiers.
Local media reported that the demolition was carried out due to the structure posing a risk of collapse.
According to Roi Kais of Kan News, the building was constructed in 1894 on land donated by Shlomo Lebahar, a member of the Jewish community.
The synagogue served Algeria’s Jewish community until 1962, when most Algerian Jews left the country following its independence. Since then, the building had been used as an event hall.
Local reports stated that for years the structure had posed a danger to passersby and nearby schoolchildren. The Algerian newspaper El Khabar reported that in recent years, descendants of Algerian Jews, with the help of a foreign embassy whose identity was not disclosed, worked to prevent the demolition.
Those efforts delayed the demolition for some time, but ultimately failed to stop it.