New Jersey mourns: synagogue burned down with Sifrei Torah

Shock in the Orthodox community in New Brunswick, New Jersey: the only Orthodox synagogue in the city burned to the ground, just before Shabbos. The fire also burned down all the Torah scrolls except for one, and in addition, sifrei kodesh, sidurim and chumashim, talleisim and tefilliin, were burned.

Poalei Tzedek was the only Orthodox Ashkenazi synagogue in the town, located at 145 Neilson Street, and considered one of the oldest synagogues in the US, which has been operating since 1920.

Danny Tzinkin, a member of the synagogue for 15 years who lives nearby, says the fire started on Friday afternoon about four o'clock, in the basement floor of the ancient synagogue. "Smoke rose from the ground floor and firefighters were called to the scene, when the fire brigade arrived, the fire had already spread. I saw the rabbi of the shull, Rabbi Avraham Maykof, looking for the fireman who went into the building, and suddenly I saw the Rabbi run after him into the smoky shull, a few minutes later I saw the Rabbi come out with a Torah scroll in his hands, the Rabbi gave me the Sefer Torah and told me to run home and put it in my house.

"I asked the Rabbi if he needed help to save the rest of the scrolls, but he told me sadly that he was just in time to remove the only Sefer Torah when he noticed that the ceiling was starting to collapse. I rushed home and while trying to find a suitable place to rest my Sefer Torah, firefighters officials ordered all the houses near the synagogue to be evacuated for fear of fire spreading. I left the place and hurried to my parents' home, who deposited the Sefer Torah into the Aron Kodesh of their shull," says Tzinkin.

Fire chief Robert Rawls, said that an initial investigation revealed that during the time the fire broke out there was one Jew in the synagogue who told that he sat in the synagogue and read, when suddenly he heard strong thuds, saw smoke coming from the first floor and fled the building.

The police chief went on to tell that the team did all they could to prevent the spread of fire to the rest of the buildings but all that was left of the beautiful ancient synagogue was only a skeleton, and there is no chance to renovate the place again. A city council member says that this is a great loss to the community, since this is the only Orthodox synagogue in the town, and about a hundred families davened in the synagogue. Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!