WOODCLIFF LAKE (VINnews) — Hundreds of orthodox Jewish guests attending a special Chanukah program had to be evacuated from a hotel in New Jersey after Shabbos.
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All 800 people staying at the Hilton at Woodcliff Lake were forced to leave on Motzei Shabbos following a pipe burst, likely from the frigid temperature.
Many of the guests were attending an annual Chanukah celebration.
“We were planning on having a fun night tonight and then right towards the end of Shabbos we heard the sirens go off,” guest Shlomo Garfinkle said.
“The fire alarm went off and everyone was evacuated safely, everything was orderly, everyone was calm,” partygoer Aaron Weinberger said.
“Everyone was safe, thank G-d for that and we’re all good,” he added.
“There was a leak on the fourth floor from the ceiling, water from the domestic water line and cascaded all the way down,” said fire official John Whelan.
Authorities said that the sprinkler system is broken so the hotel had to be evacuated for safety reasons.
There was a concert planned after Shabbos, and the event was scheduled to last through Sunday, but people apparently left early, many returning home.
“It happened at, not a terrible time, because at least we were able to finish Shabbos, it happened towards the end of the Shabbos, so we lost out the concert tonight, but we still got the Shabbos in,” Mr. Garfinkle said.
This should be our worst tzarah
My heart hoes out to all these rich people who needed to be in a hotel for chanukah rather than be at home like all of us. What a terrible tragedy.
Oh boo hoo. Let me pull out the world’s tiniest violin and play a sad song for these entitled snowflakes
My heart goes out to the rich and famous. The challenges they have are difficult enough.
Just wondering how many private homes had pipes frozen or broken over Shabbos
And from the news report they all looked like a chareidi event
While there’s no indication or proof, I’m going to call this like everything else,
“Horrific Anti-Semitism”
A pipe in a hotel doesn’t just burst out of nowhere. They’re using the cold as an excuse because they hate us.
The comments here are absurd. Let people live their lives. Both Frum men interviewed here presented well. They don’t sound entitled or whiny – sounds like a bunch of frum people trying to make the best out of a situation out of their control. Why knock people who can afford to get out for a nice shabbos away? Not to mention, you don’t know who here is paying what. We have enough judgement from the outside world – let’s start caring for our own a little bit more.
Have nothing to worry,all money will be given back because we did not get the full weekend!! Great Chanukah GELT!!
The news reporter mentioned it as a chasidic event but there were no chasidim to be found, It was a weekend of gashmius.
Does this guy being interviewed not realize that most viewers watching this broadcast probably don’t know what the heck Shabbos or as he says “shabbis” is?? Must be that when you live in a bubble and never interact with anyone outside the shtetel in the rest of the universe, you don’t know how to say “Sabbath”.
A sign from above to stay home and not waste $ on latzonus, remember ALL concerts are against halacha. Reb avigdor Miller frowned on vacation in general