Fire Destroys Shul in Mevo Choron, Including Sifrei Torah

A major fire burned down a shul in the town of Mevo Choron in the Binyamin region Sunday night. The shul was burned almost completely to the ground, and most of the sefarim – and three sifrei Torah, R”l, – went up in flames as well.

The fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. in the small shul, known in the community as the shtiebel. The fire was first seen by a resident who was learning in the community’s main shul next door. The man smelled a heavy stench of smoke and went outside, where he saw the flames and alerted authorities. Firefighters arrived within minutes, but the flames spread very quickly and most of the building was already burned by the time they came. B’chasdei Shamayim, no one was in the building at the time.

Residents gathered Monday morning to discuss rebuilding the shul. In addition, a levayah for the sifrei Torah is set to take place Wednesday afternoon.

Police and firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire, and have not ruled out any causes, but residents interviewed on Israel Radio said they did not believe it was set by Arabs.