A Torah buried underground for 20 years to protect it from Nazi occupiers was again saved from a fire that destroyed the Chabad of Greater Orlando headquarters Sunday.
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Firefighters said the flames erupted from the building’s roof around 11:30 in the morning. While the initial response team attacked the inferno, a secondary team of first responders entered and – following the directions of the rabbis – grabbed all the Torahs, including the historic one.
“You see this miracle come out of the smoke,” Jeff Berger, who raced over to the synagogue and witnessed the rescue, said. “You can’t describe the emotion that that that is, and it’s everything all at once. It’s joy and despair and gratitude.”
As with any religious building fire, the ATF and the Fire Marshal are investigating, but the fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical issue.
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The synagogue had just been used for a morning program and was empty at the time of the fire, rabbis said. A children’s group was occupying the building next door. Another group was expected to hold an event in the building a few hours after the fire began.