NEW JERSEY – A pre-dawn four-alarm fire Friday destroyed Temple Beth El in Rutherford, New Jersey, forcing Rabbi Yitzchok Lerman and his family of six to flee as flames consumed the historic synagogue.
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The blaze broke out around 2:45 a.m. at the Montross Avenue building, which also housed Chabad of South Bergen County and The Meadowlands. Firefighters arrived to find the three-story structure fully engulfed, hampered by downed live wires. Within an hour, the building collapsed, sending embers raining over nearby homes.
Officials warned residents to watch for falling embers and call 911 if any spot fires ignited. Two other buildings were damaged, but no serious injuries were reported.
Founded in 1919 and moved to its current site in 1953, the synagogue has faced tragedy before — in 2012, it was firebombed in an anti-Semitic attack that also targeted a Paramus temple. A Lodi man was later arrested in that case.
Authorities say Friday’s fire appears unrelated to the 2012 incident. “It’s a very old home. It’s wood,” Mayor Frank Nunziato said. “This is just a very old home that may just have burned down.” The cause remains under investigation.
By morning rush hour, smoke was still rising from the ruins, while emergency crews remained on scene and nearby roads were closed.
What I find completely illogical, which may be a sign of a coverup, is that even though there was an arson attempt in 2012 and currently the Jews are a target of imported islamonazi terrorists and their brainwashed college enablers, the authorities are somehow disregarding any possibility of foul play, without bothering with completing the investigation first. If the City of Rutherford authorities want to play games, perhaps a federal iFBI investigation is warranted.
Read the story before on-line in the New York Post. There is no shortage of pure Anti-Semitic comments on full display 🙁 . Ym’s all if them. Unbelievable!!!
BDE. How were the sifrei torah?
Everyone loves chabad