Justice Minister unaware of three-year street closure around Larnaca synagogue

Larnaca, Cyprus. Justice Minister Costas Fitiris admitted to the House finance committee on Monday that he had not been briefed on the closure of a whole city block around the Larnaca synagogue, where access has been limited for three years for security reasons.

Questions from the committee

Akel MP Andreas Pasiourtides wanted to know how long the measures would stay in force and why members of the public could not pass through the area. He also asked how local businesses had been affected and how much the arrangement costs taxpayers.

Pasiourtides said shops in the area had “declined financially” and argued that the blocked passage placed a burden on daily life and traffic.

The minister’s response

Fitiris said he had no information on the matter and promised to respond in writing as soon as possible. Pasiourtides reacted sharply, asking how measures covering an entire area and funded from the public purse could be in place while the minister responsible said he knew nothing about them.

The session was devoted to the ministry’s budget, but the committee was not given any figure for the cost of guarding the synagogue. Reports of the meeting indicate that police officers have been stationed at the site around the clock during the past three years.

About the synagogue

The Larnaca synagogue serves a Hasidic congregation associated with the Chabad movement and began operating in 2005. It was the first synagogue on the island, and until then Cyprus had been the only EU member state without an active temple.

The building forms part of a Jewish community centre established by Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin, who leads Chabad in Larnaca.