Natalie Demaree
Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)
(TNS)
Intense flames quickly spread through a Florida synagogue, rendering the building unusable just 11 days before the Jewish High Holidays, leaders said.
More than 30 units responded to a fire at the Chabad of Greater Orlando’s headquarters in Maitland around 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, the Seminole County Fire Department told McClatchy News. Upon arrival, firefighters saw a “column of smoke” coming from the roof, officials said.
Rabbi Sholom Dubov of the Chabad of Greater Orlando told McClatchy News that the synagogue’s security guard was the first to see the smoke and call for help.
“The entire roof had smoke coming out of different parts,” Dubov said. “It really went through the building really quickly.”
According to the fire department, no one was injured.
Dubov said the synagogue usually hosts a morning service that ends at 10 a.m. and a kids’ program that starts in the early afternoon on Sundays. The fire broke out between services, so no one was in the building, he said.
Torah scrolls saved. ‘A miracle’
Despite the severe damage to the building, six sacred Torah scrolls were spared — including one that’s nearly 200 years old and was preserved throughout the Holocaust, the Rabbi said.
Dubov said the Chabad recently received the Holocaust Torah as a donation, but it was being stored in his office because it was too large to fit in the ark where it would normally be stored.
When firefighters got inside the building, they found the other five Torahs in the main sanctuary unharmed as well, he said.
Dubov said the fire chief told him: “I’m not a believing man. I’m not Jewish. I’m not a believer. But I saw a miracle.”
Several people commented on a Sept. 22 Seminole County Fire Department Facebook post thanking them for saving the scrolls.
“Thank you all for respecting the importance of this place to our Jewish community, and the Torah scrolls were saved,” one person said.
Cause of fire
Dubov said the fire started from an electrical malfunction in the Yahrzeit board, a place where members of the congregation remember and honor their loved ones that have died.
He said the board at their synagogue has a light bulb next to each name that’s lit in commemoration around the time that they died. Currently, about 200 out of 300 names on the board are filled, Dubov said.
“They said it wasn’t faulty, so it wasn’t like something you could have prevented,” he said.
The Seminole County Fire Department said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Jewish High Holidays plans
With Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish High Holidays, on Oct. 2 this year, Dubov said he is working alongside other leaders to come up with a plan for celebrating the holidays.
“That’s the biggest challenge right now,” he said. “We don’t have access to the building, we don’t have access to the books, we don’t have access to a location.”
The Rabbi said the fire destroyed ingredients that were meant to serve over 300 people during the holiday meals.
“We are still processing everything and hope to update everyone on our immediate plans for services, classes, programs and our Hebrew school very soon,” Chabad leaders said in a Sept. 22 Facebook post.
A fundraiser has also been started by Chabad leaders, according to the post.
“We’re really grateful for the outpouring of support from the community. Jewish and non-Jewish people have rallied around and really encouraged us to continue,” Dubov said.
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