The Day After 'Sandy': Darkness, looting and destruction in the Shuls

New York and New Jersey, including ultra orthodox communities, are trying to recover from the ravages of the storm 'Sandy', which claimed the lives of 50 people (plus one in Canada), and generated billions of dollars in property damage - and moved on to Canada with less force.

Lakewood and other cities are still in deep twilight and people live by candlelight.

Subways are partially active and two major airports that serve the city, John F. Kennedy and Newark Airport have been returned to their regular program.

The first aircrafts are also expected to be approved landing at the La - Guardia airport.

Even private cars have returned to jammed roads and a huge queue is exceeding outside the gas station. Drivers have complained against governor, Andrew Cuomo, who has decided cars must be shared and should not travel alone.

U.S. media reported looting in various parts of the city where robbers and thieves raided the shops which were damaged from floods.

Hanging on a balance

The Sea Gate neighborhood in Brooklyn, situated near the sea, was most severely damaged: houses torn from their places, roofs flew in the wind; cars began to swim with the strong tide which came from the sea. The sea and the bay flooded the neighborhood and removed almost everything in their path.

Rabbi Herschel Greenbaum, a resident of Seagate, recalls the destruction which he had never seen before. "Residents were asked to evacuate, my wife and I decided to send the children out of the neighborhood, but we stayed because we've been through Hurricane Irene and nothing happened. We are prepared for flooding here, and we overcome it."

"At night we watched the sea and watched the water rise and flood the land, so at some point we decided to leave our home, but when I went to get my car from the garage, I realized it was already too late. We went up to the third floor and went to sleep."

"In the morning I got up early as usual, I went to the window to see what was happening outside, and suddenly I see that my house is in the air, hanging on a balance. Some foundations of the house are gone and the house was in the air. I looked out at the street; I see the destruction, cars floating in the streets."
"Today, in the aftermath of the storm when the water level dropped, I went looking for my car which I found a few blocks away."

"What was very difficult, was the sight of our Shul, water was up to the roof. The Aron Hakodesh was destroyed, Sifrei Torah were in a swirl of Chumashim, Sidurim, Tefillin. It was like a nightmare. There is no more water in the streets but the city looks like a ruined city, many people come to see the destruction, the half broken houses."

Sifrei Torah got wet

Today it became clear that the Shul in Seagate is not the only Shul which was damaged hard. Agudath Yisrael Shul in Basswater which was severely damaged by the hurricane Irene, and opened just last week for prayer after a series of renovations, was badly damaged again.

The tremendous surge which broke into the Shul due to the storm flooded the building and reached a height of six meters.

All the Sefarim in the Shul, the new furniture and the Aron Hakodesh got wet and completely ruined.

The great miracle is - the Sifrei Torah in the Aron Hakodesh did not become wet. The Shul is also used as a study hall for students of Yeshivas Zichron Aryeh, and the Rosh Yeshiva has already started looking for a different place, and a hundred members of the Shul will again have to move to a different Shul.

The 'Rodef Shalom' Shul in Atlantic City was also flooded due to hurricane Sandy and the Sifrei Torah became wet.

The Shul is located on a street parallel to the coast, and just 150 meters from the shoreline.

Shul members spread the Sifrei Torah along the Shul to dry at maximum speed.

They will later be checked by a Sofer.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!