Thursday, March 05, 2009

Blind Item: Israeli vs Jewish

The Official Website for the Lebanese elections of June 2009, lists some members as Israelis. You might think the people in charge made a mistake since Israeli is defined as a native or inhabitant of Israel (A country whose existence we don't even acknowledge). But you're wrong. Interior Minister Ziad Baroud answered the issue by saying that the Lebanese constitution, written in French in 1926, mentions the "18th sect" as Israeli. I have looked into it online but I can't find that specific word, it seems plausible however, and no I am not an expert on Lebanese Law.
There seems to be about 200 names on the voting lists with "Israeli" as their faith, I wonder how many will be voting and how many more Jewish Lebanese actually had to flee the country or change their religious affiliations on public records.

Here is a website keeping the Jewish Lebanese collective memory alive.

And here are some pictures of the Wadi Abu Jmil Synagogue I took a few months back:

--Beirut Synagogue, Nov. 2008.

--Beirut Synagogue, Nov. 2008.