Has the West Truly Gone Wild?

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Where once stood a quaint, island-style building, holding a bit of history as the first Cable Beach Police Station, now stands a pile of dusty rubble. Just like a thief in the night, tractors moved in and demolished this building which was erected in the late 1800s.

The building was first built to receive Overseas Cables into The Bahamas and was later turned into the police station. Residents of western New Providence are up in arms about the quiet and mysterious plan to demolish this historic building and what it might mean for the future of that portion of the Cable Beach strip. 

Well once again, I had to do some digging. I went into the area, kicked a can or two down the street, attracted some attention and residents started talking. Intel gathered says a Jewish synagogue is expected to be erected and behind it a stretch of condominiums which go right down to the beach. 

Now this is a weird mix for me – a Jewish synagogue and a stretch of condominiums that go to the sea. If this is really what the residents suspect, then what is the connection between them? Something is rotten in the area of Cable Beach and it ain’t the conch or the fish. 

Firstly, I’m thinking that the Antiquities Monuments and Museums Corporation is way too quiet in all of this. I thought the AMMC was the protector of all things historic. Many entrepreneurs have tried to lease that little building and were told by government officials that it was historic, public property and ultimately denied them. And, then mysteriously an ice cream parlor moved in for a bit. 

Besides being very disappointed with Simon & Garfunkel’s, “Sound of Silence” coming from the AMMC, I am concerned about a synagogue being erected on a corner opposite a former Prime Minister’s house on a touristic strip. And, most importantly this is CROWN LAND. If this is all really taking place, who granted Crown Land for a synagogue on the beach with condos as its backdrop. 

There are lots of implications here. If these developments happen, will Bahamians have access to that beach? Also if all of this is true, are the synagogue and condos a package in order to get the Crown Land? Who approved this?

I contacted members of the Jewish community to get to the bottom of it. Several of them said they heard about it and they do not like the location. Others, like the Hoffer brothers, said flat out they will not support any synagogue erected there. We should note here that for many years, the Hoffers hosted a Jewish worship center in a space in their shopping center, gratis. Quite commendable. Their father tried to purchase land to build a synagogue for his community, but was denied. 

Who is guarding the gate? If a “mystery” synagogue and condo building are set to be built on Crown Land, first destroying a building with historical value, then that is just “hella” wrong. Well that’s how I see it, anyway. 

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