Historic Synagogue Badly Damaged by Fire

By JTA October 15, 2012

A historic synagogue in Connecticut was seriously damaged by a fire.

The two Torah scrolls housed at the Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont in Milford, Conn., were saved, though they were damaged. Rabbi Schneur Wilhelm, spiritual leader of the congregation, told the Hartford Courant that he believes the Torah scrolls are salvageable.

The cause of the fire is unknown, according to reports, but it is not believed to be arson. Fire officials believe it was an electrical problem.

Some 30 worshipers attend weekly Shabbat services at the Hebrew Congregation, and about 100 attended its High Holidays services.

The synagogue, which was established in 1926, was popular with the Jewish vacationers who flocked to the Connecticut beachside town because anti-Semitism prevented them from heading to more popular sites.

The building appears on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 as one of the Historic Synagogues of Connecticut.

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