Hundreds of sacred Jewish books that were damaged and burned in a fire at the historic Sadigora Hasidic synagogue in Ukraine were laid to rest this week in a special burial ceremony held in the city.
The blaze erupted last week at the synagogue known as the “Kloiz Kadisha,” a 200-year-old structure that served for generations as a central spiritual hub of Hasidic life. Initial findings raised suspicions that the fire was the result of an antisemitic arson attack.
An emergency delegation led by the Rebbe of Sedigora, Rabbi Mordechai Shalom Yosef Friedman, arrived at the site following the fire. Together with members of the local Hasidic community, the remains of burned Torah scrolls and other holy books were gathered and buried near the synagogue, in a solemn ceremony accompanied by prayers and supplications.
“These scenes are reminiscent of the Holocaust,” participants in the ceremony said.
Moshe Kreiz, a Jewish resident who lives nearby, described the devastation. “The arsonist did not steal the charity box, which was full of money. His only goal was to harm us,” he said. “He came to carry out a pogrom. Everything is completely burned. The synagogue will have to be rebuilt from scratch.”
The synagogue, designed by the founder of the dynasty, Rabbi Israel of Ruzhin, survived both world wars and became a powerful symbol of Jewish continuity in Ukraine. Following the fire, the Rebbe announced that the historic building would be fully rebuilt.
