Yeshiva Worker Nearly Crushed By 2,500-Pound Torah Safe
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
(JTA) — A haredi Orthodox worker at a yeshiva in Borough Park was nearly crushed by a 2,500-pound steel safe installed to protect Torah scrolls.
The worker at the Rabbinical College Yeshiva of Machzikai Hadas in Borough Park had just finished installing and cleaning the 8-foot-long, 3-foot-deep safe on Monday morning when it toppled over, the New York Post reported.
He curled himself up to the size of the safe’s opening, and avoided being crushed. He was trapped inside the safe, along with a large Torah scroll, for 45 minutes, until the New York Fire Department arrived to get him out, according to the newspaper.
He emerged bruised but smiling, in a rescue that was captured on video camera.
The safe was being installed to protect the Torah scrolls from being stolen, after a rash of robberies of Torah scrolls from area synagogues, including four stolen from the Yeshiva during the High Holidays.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
