Help Chabad of S. Colorado Rebuild
Donation protected
On Rosh Hashana morning, October 3rd 2016, A fire broke out in a shopping center which houses the Chabad Center of Colorado Springs in Colorado.
The fire began on Monday morning at 9:40 am, shortly before the prayers was set to begin. Several people were in the synagogue, including the family of Rabbi Moshe and Zelda Liberow, who direct Chabad of Southern Colorado, when a large explosion was heard from the attic of the group of stores, their son Zalman Liberow told media.
"We were in the synagogue and suddenly we heard a big bang, and the walls shook," Zalman Liberow said. "A few minutes later it started to smell very strongly of smoke, and when we looked outside, we saw smoke pouring from the store next to ours.
Yossi Segal, a Rabbinical student from Crown Heights, who came for the Holidays, said he smelled the fire, and moments later the Shul filled up with smoke so quickly, they barely had time to save the Torah scrolls. "We ran through the smoke, but we could barely see where we were going," he said. "I grabbed a Torah and my Tefillin, and took them outside. We tried to run in to save more holy books, but the smoke was too thick, we just couldn't get back in," he said.
"Just as we got out of the shopping center, you couldn't see a thing anymore because the entire place was engulfed in smoke with flames high into the sky," Zalman Liberow said.
The Rabbi and Rabbinical student walked 15 minutes with the Torah Scrolls to the Liberow home, where they relocated the Rosh Hashana prayers. Even though the Shul has sustained a lot of damage, Rabbi Moshe Liberow is grateful to G‑d that no one was hurt.
"Thank the Good Lord this happened before prayers so that the crowd wasn't there yet, this could've been a lot more chaotic and a lot more dangerous," Rabbi Liberow said. "Nevertheless, the damage is quite extensive and a big setback for us," Rabbi Liberow said. "During this month of Holidays when we have so many programs and people coming from all over the area, locals, tourists and residents from the entire region," he said.
"All the events have to be relocated, as the Shul has to be repaired: classes, Yom Kippur services, Simchas Torah and a myriad of other events. We are hoping people around community around the world can lend a hand and help us recover during this time," he added.
Donations are urgently needed, as the fire department has informed that the Chabad Center, the only Shul in the area, will be closed for at least the next 6 months.
The fire began on Monday morning at 9:40 am, shortly before the prayers was set to begin. Several people were in the synagogue, including the family of Rabbi Moshe and Zelda Liberow, who direct Chabad of Southern Colorado, when a large explosion was heard from the attic of the group of stores, their son Zalman Liberow told media.
"We were in the synagogue and suddenly we heard a big bang, and the walls shook," Zalman Liberow said. "A few minutes later it started to smell very strongly of smoke, and when we looked outside, we saw smoke pouring from the store next to ours.
Yossi Segal, a Rabbinical student from Crown Heights, who came for the Holidays, said he smelled the fire, and moments later the Shul filled up with smoke so quickly, they barely had time to save the Torah scrolls. "We ran through the smoke, but we could barely see where we were going," he said. "I grabbed a Torah and my Tefillin, and took them outside. We tried to run in to save more holy books, but the smoke was too thick, we just couldn't get back in," he said.
"Just as we got out of the shopping center, you couldn't see a thing anymore because the entire place was engulfed in smoke with flames high into the sky," Zalman Liberow said.
The Rabbi and Rabbinical student walked 15 minutes with the Torah Scrolls to the Liberow home, where they relocated the Rosh Hashana prayers. Even though the Shul has sustained a lot of damage, Rabbi Moshe Liberow is grateful to G‑d that no one was hurt.
"Thank the Good Lord this happened before prayers so that the crowd wasn't there yet, this could've been a lot more chaotic and a lot more dangerous," Rabbi Liberow said. "Nevertheless, the damage is quite extensive and a big setback for us," Rabbi Liberow said. "During this month of Holidays when we have so many programs and people coming from all over the area, locals, tourists and residents from the entire region," he said.
"All the events have to be relocated, as the Shul has to be repaired: classes, Yom Kippur services, Simchas Torah and a myriad of other events. We are hoping people around community around the world can lend a hand and help us recover during this time," he added.
Donations are urgently needed, as the fire department has informed that the Chabad Center, the only Shul in the area, will be closed for at least the next 6 months.
Organizer and beneficiary
Yosef Shidler
Organizer
Colorado Springs, CO
Moshe Liberow
Beneficiary
