After spending the last days of Sukkos in a neighboring town, Chabad Shliach Rabbi Menachem Mendel Teichman and his wife returned to their Uzhgorod, Ukraine, home only to find it gutted by fire.

Following the recovery of key pieces of evidence, authorities in Ukraine’s furthest western region are investigating the destruction as an apparent act of arson. Anti-Semitism has not been ruled out.

The Taichmans had spent the Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah in the town of Mukachevo, (birthplace of Munkatch Chassidus). They returned on Motzei Shabbos to the charred remains of their home, Jewish kindergarten and a recently-finished mikvah.

It was a near total-loss of the second-floor of the property, location of their home, and their belongings.

Still, the family rebounded quickly to ensure that the Jewish community didn’t suffer. On Monday morning, the Taichmans opened the mikvah and kindergarten on schedule.

According to the city’s fire department, the arsonist tried to cause more damage, igniting the blaze next to a gas tank in the home. Unknown to the perpetrator, the line was shut off by the Taichmans when they left earlier in the week.

Both the fire department and the Uzhgorod police department are working closely with the Chabad House in the investigation.

(Uzghorod is also known as Ungvar – the city where such notables as the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, Maharam Ash, Reb Duvid Feigels, and talmidei HAchsam Sofer served as rabbonim and are buried.)