Rabbi and family safely escape fire at historic New Jersey synagogue
An early investigation of the fire found no evidence of criminal intent.
Rabbi Yitzchok Lerman, who survived with his family in the fire that completely destroyed Congregation Beth El synagogue, stands in front of the synagogue’s ruins in Rutherford, New Jersey on August 8. Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
(JTA) — A fire early Friday morning destroyed a historic synagogue and Jewish community center in Rutherford, New Jersey, as the congregation’s rabbi and his family escaped unharmed.
The four-alarm fire broke out at approximately 2:45 a.m. at Congregation Beth El Chabad. Rabbi Yitzchok Lerman, his wife, and four of their children were sleeping in an apartment inside the synagogue.
Officers near the congregation responded to the scene, where they found that the entire south side of the building was engulfed in flames, according to Rutherford Police Department Chief John Russo.
Lerman and his family were able to escape the building unharmed, after which the fire spread throughout the rest of the building which was deemed a “complete loss,” according to Russo.
“We saw orange flames outside our window so we quickly grabbed our children and ran out,” Lerman told the New York Times. “I turned around to save our Torah scrolls, but the flames had already engulfed the entire building. It was that quick.”
Lerman told the Times that he hoped to work with firefighters to search for the Torahs’ remains, which will then be buried by the congregation. (Burial is the traditional way to dispose of Torahs that can no longer be used.) He has also launched a crowdfunding campaign to support rebuilding.
The synagogue was founded in 1919. It suffered a Molotov cocktail attack in January 2012 that injured the rabbi living in the building at the time.
“Congregation Beth El has been a pillar of the Rutherford Community for decades and our hearts go out to them,” said Russo in a statement.
Due to the extensive and severe damage to the synagogue, an initial investigation into the cause of the fire was found to be “undetermined and not criminal,” according to Russo.
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