Arson caused the fire that severely damaged Geneva’s largest synagogue. “The cause of the fire was criminal,” Prosecutor Michel Graber said in a written statement. A source involved in the investigation told JTA Sunday that the May 24 fire at the Hekhal Haness Synagogue was set from outside the building. Police originally suspected arson had caused the blaze, but later said an electrical fault might be to blame. No one was hurt. Alfred Donath, the head of the Federation of Jewish Communities, said after the announcement that the anti-Semitic nature of the attack was “undeniable,” underlining that whoever carried it out “did not target the skating rink or the station.” Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey issued a statement expressing sadness and concern after the announcement that the fire was an act of arson. She conveyed solidarity with the Jewish community, and said anti-Semitic acts are unacceptable and an insult to Switzerland’s tradition of dialogue. Jews in Geneva have been on edge since the fire at the synagogue, which caters mostly to the city’s Sephardic community, worrying that it could be a sign of a new and virulent strain of anti-Semitism. Violent acts against Jews or Jewish sites are rare in Switzerland, although an Israeli rabbi was shot dead in Zurich in 2001.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
