A quaint little stucco synagogue in the small French town of Maizières-lès-Vic burned to the ground last week. Jews have lived in the remote area for nearly a thousand years.
It is not clear the flames started, since there were no electrical wires in the building, which had not been used as a synagogue in decades.
In fact, the building was being used by a local poultry farmer, according to the French news website republicain-lorrain.fr .
The structure was utterly consumed by the flames, said police, who have launched an investigation into the fire.
Arson is not being ruled out. “The synagogue had no electrical feed and it didn’t burn itself down,” Mayor Alain Guise was quoted as saying.
The central French union of Jewish students, UEJF, also published a statement condemning the anonymous arsonist, if he or she exists.
“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,” the group said.
