Bnei Brak – A fire broke out on Yom Tov, Thursday evening in the Vizhnitz Synagogoue on Torat Yisrael Street in Bnei Brak, during Sukkot services. Fire crews evacuated the congregants safely but several Torah scrolls were consumed in the fire.
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Moshe Veitzman, a rescue volunteer, told Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew service that three people were lightly hurt and evacuated to hospitals. The congregants tried to save burning Torah scrolls from the Torah Ark but were only able to save three of the scrolls that were housed there.
The current assessment is that the fire was caused by a malfunction in the electric fan inside the Aron Kodesh.
How exactly did the fire start? Could any body give more details what exactly happened?
I hope this was not caused by internal fighting.
Tate In Himmel. 11 Sifrei Torahs burned on Succos! A Yom Tov of joy and happiness. The pain is too great. Please show us what we are doing wrong?
This is terrible. Somebody obviously is being sent a message.
Why is there a fan in a aron kodesh? And whatever reason it’s there, since there is electricity flowing in -there should be an automatic sprinkler.
I must ask my husband about this, he’s in vishnitz for Yom Tov – watch this space.
Poster # 2 (Anonymous); You are asking the Tatte in Himmel what we are doing wrong. I don’t think we have to scratch too deep to find things to improve on. Among the first and most fundamental problems is, that we always find others’ shortcomings. The place to start looking is, into ourselves…! נחפשה דרכינו ונחקורה The emphasis is on ourselves. But, no one is qualified to point fingers and say that this tragedy happened for anyone’s fault. It’s a “Gezeirah”. to be .מקבל באהבה But from a technical point of view, the lesson to be learned from this tragic event is, that, if a circulating fan is necessary, probably to prevent humidity inside the ארון הקודש to damage the Sifrei Torah, there should also be a fire suppression system along with a means to cut the power in case of a malfunction.
Number 3! Very not nice comment on such a heart breaking story. This is the only reaction u first have on this story!!!!!?????
Number 4! Even for 1 second u didn’t think that maybe you are the 1!!!!! Ha?????
Reply to #2 and #4
Why is it every time there is an accident everyone immediately starts crying “gevalt, do teshuvah, the ebeshter is sending us a message etc”. First of all, it unfortunate that 11 sifrei torah were burned but no one was hurt and thats more important. You can always replace the seforim. Second, the fire was caused by an “electrical malfunction” which happens every day. It was an accident not c’v arson or somthing deliberate.
From what I heard:
It’s toras chaim street. The main shul. The aron hakodesh has an upper shelf where the posil seforim are held. There was a short in the exhaust fan that caused the fire. More than this would be speculation.
Its only because of machloikes!!
What “machlokes”. My husband was there for Rosh Hashana. He said both brothers daven in the same shul, both daven for the amud, both together with their followers without a single disruption….. In how many other Chasidusis can you find that?
The exhaust fan is there to take the smoke out of the aron hakodesh.
The Oren Hakodesh has two shelves. The lower shelve are the kosher Tores. The upper shelve were the posele sifrey Tores. The fire broke out in the upper shelve from a old malfunctioned fan that was working from time to time to bring air for the posele sifrey Tores. It took about ten minutes to bring the keys to open the oren hakodesh after they realized the fire.Therefore one kosher Sefer and ten posele Sifrey Tores were burned. Hashem Yerachem Ulenu.
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reply to #1 : What kind of busybody re you that you hear tragic news like this and are just curious how it started? Why do you need to know? Did you ask how you can help? no. what you can do? no. please explain how an answer to your question helps ANYTHING.
reply to #9 :
after your comment that nobody was hurt, and you can always replace seforim, this is not such a big deal, it is obvious that you are too ignorant to even criticize. If you do not understand the magnitude of tragedy by even one Sefer Torah being burned, I have no idea why you are reading VIN, you have absolutely no Jewish education or Jewish heart at all.
My husband, who is there now, heard the foillowing from the yungerman who was first at the fire: The main Beis Medrash had just been filled with all the boys so that they could watch the simchas beis hashoieva via video link, they saw a flame shoot out of the oron koidesh, called a yungerman who because he was from London had to call another yungerman to call the fire brigade. The keys were with the Gabbai in the Rebbe’s house so it took time for them to arrive. When the keys did arrive they rushed to take out what they could with the firemen trying to keep them away all the time. 13 sifrei torah were burned, 3 were rescued and 3 were water damaged, 2 slightly and one by 5 yeriois. another few were in the Rebbe’s house so were also saved. The fan was disabled over two years ago with the wires cut so no one is sure how the fire started. Simchos Beis Hashoieva will still take place with tehillim at the beginning and songs that describe the holiness and love that we have for the torah for the first half hour.