A fire broke out in the Apta Bais Medrash (Rav Reuvein Yaakov Freed Shlita, Morah D’asra) located in Welbeck Grove, Salford, Manchester, England on Sunday evening, causing extensive damage to the Shul, YWN has learned.
Sources tell YWN that the fire department was called at 11:50PM, after a neighbor smelled smoke. A brave firefighter carried the three Sifrei Torah – which were still smoldering – outside to safety. They were then brought to a nearby home of a Hatzolah member, where the Sofer, Rav Benzion Danzky (himself a member of Hatzolah) arrived to be check them.
The Shul reportedly has extensive damage, with the Aron Kodesh totally being destroyed.
Boruch Hashem, there were no injuries, and the Sifrei Torah were removed in the nick-of-time by this heroic & brave firefighter.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but sources tell YWN that matches and a foil container were found by investigators on a Shul table.
Sadly, the worst of the damaged Sifrei Torah was donated just a few months ago – in a lively Hachnosas Sefer Torah…
Click HERE to see photos of the smoldering Sifrei Torah.
(Yehuda Drudgestein – YWN)
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2 Responses
OY! this is a tragedy. Thankfully, Hashem is ever so merciful and is sending some type of message to the “etzim and avanim” instead of people. I hope we all realize that this is not only a localized event, rather something we all need to pay attention to. This especially means NO TALKING IN SHUL!
what devastating news. hashem yerachem on the whole community and on all of us as a whole. I have one question. Why is it, that when there are ‘silly’ posts about concerts and the like, there are 60+ comments within minutes, and when there is a story about smoldering sifrei torah, whether in your community or not, noone, bar one, has anything to say? Is that a sad reflection of our times?!?!