The reform synagogue in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, was in the headlines recently when vandals defaced its walls with anti-Semitic graffiti.
The World Union of Progressive Judaism has now raised an alarm over the general state of the building and issued a call for donations for repairs.
We were happy to hear that students from the international Hillel organization held a “Good Deeds Week” and chose to paint over the graffiti as their good deed. However, we have now been informed that the Simferopol Synagogue building is in need of urgent repairs – the roof is leaking and may collapse at any moment.
The WUPJ statement includes pictures of the building, including the leaking ceiling.