One day after an Ashdod synagogue was vandalized, Rabbi Yaakov Gagola, the synagogue's rabbi, spoke about his pain at the horrific incident, saying it is similar to the destruction of the Holy Temple.
"In this, we see the destruction," Rabbi Gagola told Israel National News - Arutz Sheva. "It's not a tragedy just of our community. It's a national tragedy, for the nation of Israel."
"The People of Israel left Jerusalem after the destruction of the Holy Temple, after they had been stripped of everything they had. They did not take anything with them. The only thing the exiles took with them were their Torah scrolls."
Rabbi Gagola also spoke about the Georgian community's past: "The Communists did not manage to break the Georgian community in Georgia. In '62 people were lying in front of the tractors so that they would not evacuate the synagogue. And not just the Jews. Local Christians also came out of the yards of their homes, so that the Communists would not run over the Jews. And here, in the heart of a Jewish neighborhood in the Jewish State - this is what happens?!"
It is not yet clear who is behind the vandalism and devastation, he added.
"They are checking with those responsible. There are still not clear answers. A forensic investigator was here, and took samples. We have not yet received answers," he said.
"Torah Torah, don sackcloth. The harm is enormous, the entire community is crying. Even the municipality will help. We will strengthen the morale of the members of the community. We will stand by them and become stronger."