The Gabbai shouted, crying: "I'm starting to sit Shiva"

Moshe Leon, the old-time Gabbai of the Etz Chaim shull in Kiryat Uno, finds it hard to recover. After the fire which broke out in the shull and burned down eight Sifrei Torah, he announced that he intends to sit Shiva.

The Etz Chaim shull, in which the Sifrei Torah were burned down in the afternoon hours of Shabbos, was founded 40 years ago. Jews who made aliya from Turkey established it as their place of prayer. Throughout the years, they collected every Shekel in order to renovate and foster the place. With time, the shull developed, and during weekdays a kollel was set up there, besides the prayers which were held regularly.
Most of the veterans who davened in the shull are over 70 years old. The gabbai and Ba'al Tefilla, Moshe Leon, was the first who discovered the burned shull, when he arrived, at about 18:00 pm in order to prepare the place for Mincha. Already from far off, he noticed the thick smoke which emerged from the building, and the fire engines which parked in the area.

His son-in-law, Mordechai Rosenblat, describes in a talk with Behadrei Hareidim the harsh moments which came over his father-in-law: "He smelled smoke already when he left his home, and when he approached the area, he understood something was happening. They explained to him that his treasure is burning down. He stood and watched the fire crying bitterly.

"The only words he said were: "I'm starting to sit Shiva". But it was impossible to do anything, the fire engines and police removed everyone from the area, we also didn't want him to come close, so that he won't be able to see the harsh scene, but he wanted to stand and watch the fire. He took it very hard".

To his words, it has not yet been established what had caused the fire, but most probably it broke out as a result of an electric shortcut from an old air-conditioner.
During yesterday afternoon (Mon.) the Tel Aviv Zaka volunteers arrived in order to collect the Sifrei Kodesh and Sifrei Torah which went up in flames. Harav Yaakov Rozhe will check the parchment and will decide which will be buried and which can be fixed.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!