While most schools are getting ready for the first day of classes, one small religious school in Albany is instead cleaning up after a suspicious fire. The Maimonides Hebrew Day School says it lost more than just books and school supplies. It lost its history and a piece of its identity.
Some meaningful books on the Jewish faith are burnt to a crisp, says Rabbi Israel Rubin.

For Rubin it’s tough to swallow. The school’s been storing supplies and 20 oak pews in a tractor trailer while it builds an addition. But it all went up in flames. Since the trailer was locked it’s being considered suspicious.

The rabbi doesn’t think the school was targeted for its Jewish faith. He feels it was probably just young kids up to no good.

But that doesn’t make it any easier. He says the benches were more than 50 years old, but he says life will go on and so will his school.

Rubin says they were set to move the pews on Friday into the addition the school is building.

(Source: WNYT)