Jerusalem – Three synagogues in Jerusalem were set on fire over the course of a week, prompting fears that a pyromaniac may be operating the capital.
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Police are working with Fire and Rescue Service officials in order to track down the arsonist or arsonists.
The latest fire took place on Sunday. At around 2 am firefighters were called to the “Torat Moshe” synagogue on Shmuel Hanavi Street. The fire was extinguished, and members of the congregation said there was no doubt it was deliberate.
A deputy commander of a local fire station told Ynet that evidence gathered at the scene of a fire which broke out a day earlier at the “Mosdot Hatam Sofer” synagogue on Panim Meirot Street indicated that it was also the work of an arsonist, (as was reported here on VIN News). He said that in both cases flammable material was found at the scene.
Last week, three Torah scrolls were burned in a fire that erupted in the “Or Chaim” synagogue, located in the city’s Buchari neighborhood. An initial investigation found that the fire was the result of a short circuit, but now members of the congregation are asking that police reassess the case.
Some ultra-Orthodox residents of Jerusalem believe the fires are linked to the power struggles between the various hasidic sects in the city, but a prominent rabbi said torching synagogues “is a red line that no Jew would cross.”
“This is obviously the work of a mentally-ill individual,” said the rabbi, “That’s the only explanation.”
Rachmuna litslon
The “prominent rabbi” in yerushalaim who is quoted as saying that arson of a shul or sifre torah “is a red line that no Jew would cross” perhaps is naive when it comes to how bad things have gotten in these petty feuds among different chassidus. If they will interrupt lavayahs, steal sifrei torah, create terrible chilul hashems during davening, what makes him think this is simply not the latest form of escalation. He seems to acknowledge that is must be the work of mentally unstable persons but thats the point. Some of the younger and more impressionable members of these chassidus have become so blind that they take the words of their rebbe literally and create justifiable reasons in their own minds as to why such actions are warranted in the name of their rebbe or to protect their warped notion of yiddeskeit. If its ok to physically attack the police, a woman who is not dressed tziniusdik, etc. why is burning a structure not somehow “OK” in the minds of these misguided individuals.
meturnisht retten biem davenin
Nobody knows who did it, but YNET seems to know it’s a chassid caught up in a power struggle. Brilliant!
aha! so why did he burn sifrei torah in a sefardi shul as well? part of the power struggle of chassidim?!! get a life ynet! and find out a bit about charedim b/4 u make such rediculous comments. it doesn’t sound professional, if u know what i mean. and vin can use a bit of creativity and initiative and change such silly sounding articles.
Maybe the Times Square bomber was looking for a Shul to burn down.
If a Rabbi can shoot a Talmud, why cant a Rabbi burn a shul? ANswer, he’s no Rabbi, he just dresses like one. R’Akivas talmididm died because they werent respectful to one another. SOund familiar?
Hey you fools commenting on ynet’s rubbish.Look up on the follow up story on the girl who was caught.