The walls of many synagogues here were defaced with swastika emblems by the Nazis during the intervals between Rosh Hashonah services.
The Hagana, a Jewish self-defense organization of Jewish soldiers, guarded the synagogues and helped maintain order throughout the High Holidays. During the hours between services, however, when the Hagana was not on duty, the opportunity was seized by the Nazis to do their defacing.
The continuous impoverishment of the Jewish population makes maintenance of communal budgets most difficult. Although synagogues are overcrowded, many seats in the synagogues have not been paid for on account of financial hardships.
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.