[VIDEO & PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

A Hachnasas Sefer Torah was held in the Chazon Yechezkel Shul in Mevasseret Tzion on Sunday night 5 Cheshvan in the present of Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita. Also taking part was the Mevasseret Fire Chief Moshe Elian, Mevasseret Mayor Yoram Shimon and numerous public officials and may mispallalim of the shul and local residents.

About a year ago, on Simchas Torah morning, the fire department was summoned to a large blaze in the shul, which was destroyed. The entire structure was engulfed in flames and firefighters feared it would spread to adjacent structures including a school and another shul.

It took several hours to bring the blaze under control and sadly, most of the contents of the shul were destroyed, but B”H the tenacious efforts of firemen prevent the fire from spreading to the adjacent shul and there was no loss of life.

While the fire was active fire officials were devising a plan to get the Sifrei Torah out as quickly as possible, before the entire structure collapsed. Placing themselves are personnel risk, they entered and saved the Sifrei Torah with only light damage to some of the exterior cases, nothing more.

Therefore, the Hachnasas Sefer Torah included the firemen who battled the blaze over a year ago, and they were honored with returning the Sifrei Torah to the Aron Kodesh after it was they who rescued them during the blaze.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Media Resource Group)