Firefighters put out massive blaze at historic New York synagogue
Inspectors open probe into fire at landmark shul in Lower East Side, once home of oldest Russian Jewish Orthodox congregation in US
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New York City firefighters put out a massive blaze at an historic, vacant synagogue in New York City’s Lower East Side on Sunday night, as inspectors opened an investigation into the cause of the fire.
The blaze broke out at the Beth Hamedrash Hagodol synagogue at around 7 p.m. local time, according to local reports. Smoke bellowing from the 167-year-old building could be seen from blocks away and appeared to blanket part of the skyline.
The synagogue was vacant and it was not immediately clear what caused the fire.
No injuries were reported in the incident but the building sustained significant damage.
https://twitter.com/NYCityAlerts/status/863901831587672068
https://twitter.com/MichelJFaulkner/status/863913288802983936
Founded in 1852, it is considered the oldest Russian Jewish Orthodox congregation in the United States. It was operational for over 120 years before shutting its doors in 2007 amid dwindling membership and the need for repairs, estimated at $3-4 million, after a fire in 2001 destroyed the building’s roof and ceiling.
The building was given landmark status in 1967 and designated an endangered historic site in 2003.
Smoke from fire at synagogue on lower east side of manhattan. From our plane that was landing pic.twitter.com/J0xyehGQ2k
— Bill Ritter (@billritter7) May 15, 2017
The Times of Israel Community.