(JTA) — The oldest synagogue in Wales will be converted into apartments.
The renovation of the synagogue in Merthyr Tydfil, a town with a population of 30,000, is pending permission by the city council, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
Built in the 1870s, the synagogue is now empty and the target of vandals. It had been used as a Christian community center and a gym after the synagogue closed in 1983, according to the British newspaper.
A renovation and leasing company plans to turn the building into eight apartments while leaving the outside of the building intact, as a historic landmark, according to the Chronicle. The synagogue’s stained glass windows, sporting Magen Davids, will be preserved as a condition of the planning permission, the report said.
Some 2,000 Jews live in Wales, with about a dozen in Merthyr Tydfil.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
