Nobody was harmed, the Torah scrolls were saved
In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Dec. 22, in San Jose’s Almaden Valley, what appears to be an intentionally lit fire ripped through the distinct purple building of Chabad-Lubavitch of Almaden Valley. The fire devastated the building, tearing through the very foundation. Rabbi Mendel Weinfeld, co-director of the center with his wife, Mussi, is resolute in his response. “The light of Judaism will outlast the flames of this fire,” he told Chabad.org. “We just celebrated Chanukah with 1500 community members and the mayor; the message of the holiday is freedom of religion and light overcoming darkness. This is how we will go forward.” The community is shocked and devastated, but optimistic, Weinfeld notes. “We’ll rebuild stronger than before.”
The City of San Jose Fire Department’s arson investigation team and local law enforcement are investigating the suspected arson. Chabad’s security camera captured a male with a white hat, blue jacket and khaki pants at the site at 1:16 a.m. The footage, which Weinfeld handed to the authorities, appears to show the individual walking to the corner of the building’s carport and then shows a smoke and a fire beginning. At 2:12 a.m., smoke is still coming from the area and the individual leaves the area. At 2:23 a.m., another person passes by and attempts to extinguish the flames using a water bottle. After the flames seem to die down, by 2:45 a.m. the flames are raging again. “Several bypassers saw the fire, but nobody called 911 until hours later, when a sanitation worker driving by reported the fire.”
Even before the fire trucks arrived, a community member, Jacob Cohen, rushed to the scene. “A work colleague who knew I attend Chabad called me in the early morning. ‘Is your synagogue the purple building? It’s in flames.’ ” Cohen frantically tried reaching the rabbi and jumped in his car, heading toward the scene. “The fire trucks were already there. I asked them if we can rescue the Torah scrolls.” After Cohen explained to the firefighters the value and holiness of the scrolls, the firemen went in to salvage them. “They’re true heroes. They rescued the Torahs and some prayer books.” Many other holy books were destroyed.
Weinfeld first got the news from a community member and firefighter, Mitch Matlow. By the time he arrived on scene, the building was a scorched wreck. “Rabbi Weinfeld put so much effort into that building,” laments Cohen. “We just inaugurated it on Rosh Hashanah.” But like the rabbi, Cohen is optimistic and looks toward the future: “I have no doubt that we will get our community back together, we’re strong. As a people, we survive and we continue when we believe in G‑d.”
Maryann Barsky, a community member, created a fundraiser to help Chabad move forward. In the hours since she launched it, it’s raised more than $40,000, from 430 donors. “In the shadow of the fire and amongst the ashes, a light of unity will shine brighter and much longer than the fire of destruction,” she wrote. “We ask the community to come together with love, support and togetherness to help rebuild Chabad.”
Weinfeld is touched by the response of the community and the fire department. “I’m beyond grateful to these men and women. They are the heroes of the day.” The rabbi encourages community members to affix mezuzahsto their homes and have existing mezuzahs inspected for integrity by a certified scribe. “The mezuzah is G‑d’s protection system for our homes,” he explains. “G‑d watches over us and thankfully nobody was hurt and our precious Torah scrolls are safe.”
Readers can donate to the rebuilding campaign here
