Inferno destroys Rutherford synagogue, claims Torah scrolls

🔥Seven Torah scrolls were lost to a fast-moving fire early Friday morning

🔥Investigators could not determine a cause

🔥The temple is holding a fundraiser in order to rebuild

RUTHERFORD — An investigation into Friday morning’s early morning fire at could not determine the cause of a fire at a Bergen County Jewish center.

Fire broke out at the 106-year-old Congregation Beth El Chabad around 2:45 a.m. and quickly engulfed the entire south side of the building.

The fire also destroyed the home of Rabbi Yitzchok Lerman, his wife, and four of his six children. They escaped the fire as the walls began to collapse, Lerman told The New York Times. His other two children were away at camp.

Video shows the fire was so intense that it bent and twisted support beams

ALSO READ:  California couple arrested in armed Ocean County home invasion

Torah scrolls lost

Rutherford police Chief John Russo said that due to the "severe and extensive damage," a cause and origin could not be determined. No criminality is suspected, according to the chief.

What was left of the temple was torn down on Saturday morning following a service, according to The New York Times.

Lerman told the Times that the building housing the temple's seven Torah scrolls went up quickly and he could not reach them.  He will search the rubble with firefighters for what is left of the Torah and will bury it per Jewish tradition.

A fundraiser is underway to rebuild the temple and housing for Lerman and his family. The rabbi has vowed to rebuild the temple's buildings.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom