Maizières-lès-Vic – A historic building that once housed a
synagogue burned down in northeastern France.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire last
week in the town of Maizières-lès-Vic inside the 19th-century building, which
was consumed by flames.
The building was used by a local poultry farmer and has not functioned
as a synagogue in decades.
Police are not ruling out arson, as the building had no electrical wires
that could have started a fire accidentally, according to Mayor Alain Guise.
“The synagogue had no electrical
feed and it didn’t burn itself down,” he said.
France’s main union of Jewish students, the UEJF, published a statement
condemning any individuals who may have started the fire.
“UEJF deplores the destruction of
a synagogue that, even though it no longer welcomes worshipers, was a symbol of
Jewish presence of almost a thousand years” in the region, the statement read.
An unnamed police source who spoke to the French news agency AFP on
Monday warned against jumping to conclusions with regard to the fire.
