TNAG-1812-FCO40-2573-Preservation-of-Ohel-Leah-Synagogue-in-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 21

Of the 600-odd Jews in Hongkong, very few cared about the fate of the old Synagogue. Most of them cared about the new recreational facilities and, ‘So, what else is

new, Moishe?'

The Synagogue was supposed to be the centre of Jewish thought in Hongkong. That was why Mr Jacob Sassoon, more than 86 years ago, donated that present site and the old Synagogue to the Jews of Hongkong.

To watch over this little bit of Hongkong Judaic heri- tage, a Board of Trustees was established.

This Board is present under the direction of the Lord Kadooric, the munificent, the generous, reputed to be the fourth richest man in the world or is that the fifth?

There has always been a member of the Kadoorie Family on the Board of Trustees, and now there are 2 members, Horace and the Lord.

It is right and proper that there is this Divine Right of Succession, because the Kadoorie Family has always been very wealthy.

It is a well-known fact that Jewish people respect more, it appears, than their heritage, or an old

money

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Synagogue.

Swire Properties Ltd succeeds The Hongkong Land Company Ltd, because this company broke its word when the property market in Hongkong turned in the early 1980s. The Land Company gave as compensation $HK10 million to the Trustees.

The Jewish members of the community were delighted with the $HK10 million, at least they would have been if they had known at the time. Anyway, they know now, so all is forgiven, Mr Hongkong Land,

The Whimsical Fellow

The Lord Kadoorie, though he runs one of the biggest companies in Hongkong, China Light and Power Com- pany Ltd, is known to be more than slightly whimsical in many of his dealings.

When he took possession, on behalf of the Jewish Community of Hongkong, of The Hongkong Land Company's $HK10 million compensation package offered as a gesture of contrition for breaking its word to the Trustees of the Jewish Community, the Lord Kadoorie could have applied the money to stabilizing the ground on which the various Jewish-owned facilities are standing, but he didn't.

For some reason, known to him only, he put the

money on deposit.

Now SHK10 million to the Lord Kadoorie could be likened to a grain of sand on the beach.

And one must not forget that in the early 1980s, the Lord Kadoorie, then only 'Mr Lawrence Kadooric', de- manded that one of his companies, Franki Piling Ltd, do a survey of the site following a heavy rainstorm which resulted in part of the tennis court subsiding, and the Government, eventually, slapped a 'D' Notice on the property (A 'D' Notice is a warning that a slope or wall is in a dangerous situation).

TARGET spoke to one of the foremen on the site at the time and he explained that the company was not drill- ing for oil but was trying to ascertain the extent of the damage to the property and 'I find the work very boring.' But the $HK10 million would have gone a long way toward executing all of the necessary repairs envisaged at the time.

Some people claim that it would have more than paid for the necessary repairs on the Synagogue and the Jewish Club Premises.

The Secretary of Lands and Works, Mr Graham Bar- nes, in a letter to Mr A.K.Chui (Gus), Secretary for Municipal Services, on May 27, 1987 said the following:

Dear Gus,

Ohel Leah Synagogue

A little while ago you rang to ask me what kind of a view the Town Planning Board would take to a revised proposal on the lines of past proposal [sic] to resite the facade of the Synagogue to the utmost corner of the site.

I attach correspondence between myself and Dr. Brand, the Principal Government Geotechnical Engi- neer, which shows that it would be possible to retain the synagogue and comply with the D Notice. The works referred to as costing about $3.5 million cover the whole site so that simply to reinforce the part occupied by the synagogue would be considerably less.

I think I can confidently say that the Town Plan- ning Board would consider very favorably any re- vised plan which would retain the synagogue either on its present site or moved slightly, as it is clear that geotechnical works can be looked after in either

eventuality.

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