The Masorti synagogue in Concepcion was destroyed in the earthquake that rocked Chile, the Masorti Olami said.
The head of the international Masorti organization, Rabbi Tzvi Graetz, has been circulating an e-mail saying that the walls were cracked and the roof caved in as a result of last weekend's massive earthquake in the South American country.
“’In Concepcion, close to the epicenter of the earthquake, Rabbi Angel Kreiman told us that he went to the Synagogue, and ‘it was like the 'hurban habayit' [destruction of the Temple], the walls were all cracked and the roof had fallen down. I couldn't stay there, so I got the sifrei Torah and left,’” Graetz wrote.
Initial reports from international Jewish organizations including the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and World ORT indicated that little damage was done to the Jewish infrastructure in Chile. News of the synagogue’s destruction started to emerge late Tuesday and was confirmed Wednesday.