Taliban approved the renovation of the Yu Aw shul in Herat, a town in western Afghanistan once home to tens of thousands of Jews.
Built at the turn of the 20th century and restored in 2009, the 120-year-old shul is in danger of collapse due to a leaking drainage channel.
Once home to the largest Jewish community in modern Afghanistan, Herat dwindled to 280 Jews by 1948 and had none by the 1970s.
{Matzav.com Israel}
So why are they renovating? Or are they reappropriating it for their own purposes, just not tearing it down?
Here’s where the Taliban is more progressive than Jackson Township
When members of the Yu Aw shul asked a senior Taliban official whether they would be permitted to carry concealed weapon with them to shul to help protect themselves, the senior official replied: “Im sorry, but the law only permits terrorists to carry concealed, and non-concealed weapons. But if you keep the shul doors locked, purchase some bullet proof windows, bullet proof vests and helmets, 5 out of 10 times, you’ll probably be just fine, and most likely, you’ll leave your prayer services unscathed, depending on which Taliban member is planning out the attack.”
When members of the Yu Aw shul asked a senior Taliban official whether they would be permitted to carry concealed weapon with them to shul to help protect themselves, the senior official replied: “Im sorry, but the law only permits terrorists to carry concealed, and non-concealed weapons. But if you keep the shul doors locked, purchase some bullet proof windows, bullet proof vests and helmets, 5 out of 10 times, you’ll probably be just fine, and most likely, you’ll leave your prayer services unscathed, depending on which Taliban member is planning out the attack.”
They found a donor who wants to put his name on the building for 1M