By Mike Cohen
Tribune Correspondent
MONTREAL – Worshippers jumped for their lives last Friday night as a terrible fire ravaged a small Montreal synagogue.
PHOTO: ELLIOT ALBERT
Montreal firemen save Torahs from burning synagogue last Friday night.
While arson squad investigators are indicating that the blaze at the Centre Sépharade Merkaz on Van Horne Avenue was of an electrical origin, some worshippers are not so convinced. One man who fled the building safely said that the synagogue had been vandalized three times in the last month.
Two worshippers had to jump to safety from the second floor of what is essentially a small house. In all, 20 people were inside at the time the fire started.
Rick Leckner, a prominent Jewish investors relations/communications guru, was among those on the scene Friday. He is presently serving as a consultant to the Montreal Fire Department.
“Upon arrival, fire fighters immediately requested additional units and manpower and made a very aggressive interior attack,” he told the Jewish Tribune. “There were about 15 people inside as it was Erev Shabbat.”
Despite a very intense and growing body of fire on the ground floor and the age of the structure, the fire was contained primarily to the floor of origin, although firefighters opened walls on the second floor to ensure the fire was not spreading.
“Contrary to some published reports, the building was not gutted,” Leckner said.
“Initially, no one knew or realized this was a synagogue,” Leckner continued. “However a couple of people mentioned it to me and I advised the chief. After a hasty conference with the Rabbi who described the Torahs and their location, a crew was sent in and successfully retrieved them. Fortunately they were not damaged. Firefighters took them across the street to a home.”
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