North Miami Beach, Fla.'s, Skylake Synagogue sustained heavy fire and smoke damage last week when its kitchen went up in flames. Children were learning upstairs in the Hebrew School at the time, but according to synagogue Rabbi Rafi Rosenberg, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Skylake, everyone made it out of the building in time.
Florida Synagogue Vows to Rebuild Following Devastating Fire
North Miami Beach, Fla.’s, Skylake Synagogue sustained heavy fire and smoke damage last week when its kitchen went up in flames. Children were learning upstairs in the Hebrew School at the time, but according to synagogue Rabbi Rafi Rosenberg, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Skylake, everyone made it out of the building in time.
Local news reports showed firefighters assisting Rosenberg in rescuing the shul’s four priceless Torah scrolls. But the rabbi said on Tuesday that the sacred items had absorbed a lot of smoke, and are now being assessed by a scribe.
A new library was a total loss, he detailed, including the synagogue’s new chairs and prayer books, as well as all of the center’s office equipment. What wasn’t destroyed, he elaborated, was covered in a thick film of soot.
The shul’s prized stained-glass windows had to be destroyed by firefighters ventilating the building.
Rosenberg said that services will now be held at his home for the time being. He vowed that the congregation would rebuild.
