Ahead of Yom Kippur, floods close Colorado shul

University students help move torahs and other sacred items at Chabad synagogue in Boulder

A man clears a drains in front of a house in Boulder, Colorado, on Thursday (photo credit: AP/Ed Andrieski)
A man clears a drains in front of a house in Boulder, Colorado, on Thursday (photo credit: AP/Ed Andrieski)

Flooding in Colorado submerged a synagogue and a rabbi’s home.

The flooding, which has killed three people and displaced hundreds, hit Boulder County hardest, including the Chabad synagogue near the University of Colorado.

“Thank G‑d, the students have been immensely helpful moving the Torahs and other sacred items to higher ground, and we still have 24 hours to work out where we will pray,” Rabbi Yisroel Wilhelm said in an article published Thursday on Chabad.org.

Because of the flooding, Yom Kippur services will not be held at the synagogue. “When we will gather, wherever it may be, you can be sure that we will be remembering those who have lost their lives and praying for a quick end to the rainfall,” the rabbi said.

After a rainy week, up to eight more inches fell in an area spanning the Wyoming border to the foothills west of Denver, Fox News reported. Flooding extended all along the Front Range mountains and into some cities, including Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley, Aurora and Boulder.

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