A fire ripped through the Chabad-Lubavitch of the Panhandle in Tallahassee, Florida, gutting the newly renovated building and consuming the Torah scrolls in flames.
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The Tallahassee Fire Department confirmed firefighters were dispatched to the Chabad center at 3:21 a.m. on Sunday, saying:" Crews found fire showing and heavy smoke coming from the eaves," the fire department wrote in a statement. The cause of the fire, which ravaged the 11,000-square-foot building, is under investigation. No injuries were reported."
Chabad-Lubavitch of the Panhandle was established in 2000 and serves the Jewish student population at Florida State University as well as the general Jewish community in Tallahassee, according to Chabad.Org. Rabbi Schneur Zalman Oirechman, who serves as co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of the Panhandle along with his wife, Chanie, called the devastating.
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Jimmy Patronis, Florida's chief financial officer and state fire marshal, tweeted on Sunday: "Rabbi Oirechman is a fixture in Tallahassee's Jewish community, and we offer up our thoughts and prayers."
Oirechman told Chabad.Org, "Chanie and I are shocked and overwhelmed by this terrible fire," adding that it would not move them from their goal of providing a safe Jewish space for thousands of students and community members. "With God's help, we will yet build a stronger and brighter future out of the ashes," he said.
JNS.org contributed to this report.
