The famous synagogue of the Sadigora hasidic community in the city of Chernivtsi, Ukraine, known as the "Kloiz Kaddisha," was set on fire Thursday evening by a mentally unstable individual.
The event shocked the Jewish community in Ukraine.
According to initial information, the individual entered the synagogue, located in the settlement of Sadhora, while the guard was away, and set it on fire. The police, who were quickly alerted, succeeded in apprehending the arsonist.
An initial investigation revealed that about a month ago, the same individual attempted to set fire to a local church.
The rabbi of Chernivtsi, Rabbi Menachem Glitzstein, responded: "This is a very sad and painful incident. The synagogue is one of the most important buildings in the world of hasidism."
Rabbi Glitzstein, who serves as a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to the city, noted: "In Chernivtsi, we do not feel antisemitism. There is comprehensive security at Jewish institutions, and efforts are made to neutralize any signs of antisemitism. All residents here live in brotherhood and peace."
About ten years ago, the ancient synagogue was inaugurated after extensive renovations, around 180 years after it was built by Rabbi Israel of Ruzhin, the founder of the Sadigora hasidic dynasty, and about 100 years after it was abandoned during World War I.
Four generations of the Sadigora dynasty's leaders managed their court from the "Kloiz," described in hasidic biographies as the largest and most magnificent building in the hasidic world. In 1914, due to World War I, the Kloiz was abandoned.