Within a week after a fire devastated a Saddle Rock Torah study center, more than $80,000 has been fundraised to help rebuild the synagogue.
Shortly after midnight on Oct. 11, Yom Kippur, the Saddle Rock Minyan located in a house on Greenleaf Hill caught fire.
The fire was fueled by unattended candles left out for the religious holiday near the front windowsill.
A GoFundMe campaign was created to help the synagogue after the devastating fire.
As of Monday morning, 10 days after the fire and six days after the GoFundMe was created, $82,532 was raised. This was split over 329 donations in total.
The largest donation amounted to $5,000 from an anonymous individual.
The synagogue’s GoFundMe effort has set a goal of $200,000.
Saddle Rock Minyan was the meeting spot for more than 100 families in the community. The fire left them without their synagogue during the Jewish High Holidays.
Rabbi Ben Kaniel described the synagogue as a “cornerstone” of the community on the GoFundMe page.
“This synagogue has been a gathering place for all our families, where we’ve celebrated many happy occasions, offered support during tough times, and built deep, lasting connections,” Kaniel wrote in the GoFundMe page. “It’s a place where people of all ages come to find comfort, community, and spirituality.”
Great Neck Alert Fire Chief John Purcell said one man was sleeping in the home at the time of the fire but was able to escape once fire alarms woke him up before the Great Neck Alert arrived. No injuries were reported.
“The situation was very bad on a holy day, but thank God there was nobody in there,” Purcell said.
Purcell said the fire caused the building to experience “extensive damage.” The GoFundMe page also includes a video showing the building after it was destroyed by the fire, with many congregants calling to help them rebuild “their home.”
Purcell said all religious items, including seven Torahs, were removed from the home.
Efforts to reach the Saddle Rock Minyan for comment were unavailing.
