RECONSTRUCTED DUBROVNIK SYNAGOGUE RE-OPENED

DUBROVNIK, 2 Oct (Hina) - The reconstructed synagogue in Dubrovnik was opened on Thursday. The building, which is the second oldest synagogue in Europe, was seriously damaged during the Serb-Montenegrin shelling of Dubrovnik in 1991. The reconstruction of the synagogue was financed by Rebuild Dubrovnik Fund. The opening ceremony was attended by President Tudjman's representative Slobodan Lang, U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, the president of the Co-ordination of Jewish Communities in Croatia, Ognjen Kraus, and the executive vice president of Rebuild Dubrovnik Fund, Nazli Weiss. The president of the Jewish community in Dubrovnik, Bruno Horovic, recalled that the Jewish community had lived in Dubrovnik since 1324 and was one among the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. He thanked Otto Ruesch of Rebuild Dubrovnik Fund, who works in the United States and who with the help of 25 U.S. families, managed to raise US $35,000 for the reconstruction of Dubrovnik synagogue. (hina) rm 021744 MET oct 97