Post by Paddy by Grace on May 23, 2009 10:18:08 GMT -7
Fire at Miami Beach synagogue inspires fears of anti-Semitism
www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/1060112.html
A Miami Beach synagogue was damaged after a man set fire to its garage in an incident Jewish leaders believe may have been an anti-Semitic attack.
Members of an Orthodox Miami Beach synagogue say they will take part in regular services Friday evening despite an apparent arson that significantly damaged a part of the building this week.
Late Wednesday night, a man walked into the parking garage of Temple Moses at 1200 Normandy Dr. and set wood pallets on fire, said Rabbi Iosef Benchimol, who learned of the fire shortly before midnight. The fire was contained to the garage as the fire department arrived, but it could have torn through to the main building within a few minutes, he said.
The fire occurred less than a week after feces were smeared and eggs were thrown at another Miami Beach rabbi's house. Police are investigating both incidents.
Security cameras had been installed at Temple Moses a day before and the fire was caught on video. It shows a man smoking a cigarette and then igniting wood in the garage in an apparent attempt to burn the temple above. It is unclear what the man used to start the fire.
''I don't know why anybody would do this,'' said Benchimol, who has led the largely Cuban congregation for four years. ``Thank God the inside of the synagogue is OK. There is only some smoke damage.''
Arson detectives are investigating and no arrests have been made, said Detective Jenny Velazquez, a Miami Beach spokeswoman.
On Thursday, a team from the Anti-Defamation League assessed the damage and spoke with community members.
''While the motive for this arson is still unknown, this cowardly criminal act not only impacts the congregation of Temple Moses, but the entire Jewish community,'' read a statement from Andrew L. Rosenkranz, Florida regional director for the ADL. ``It is truly disheartening to see a house of worship become the target of arson.''
Rosenkranz said his organization has become increasingly concerned about potentially anti-Semitic incidents in South Florida, including previous fires and vandalism at synagogues.
On May 14, Rabbi Aaron Rabin of the Jewish Learning Center, a synagogue on 41st Street in Miami Beach, came home to find that his house had been egged and that feces were smeared on his front door.
In July 2008, Pichardo Dearmas of Miami Beach was charged with assault with prejudice, a misdemeanor, for slapping his hand at Orthodox Rabbi Abraham S. Mann and blurting an obscene epithet at the rabbi while he walked on the Venetian Causeway.
In April 2008, vandals spray-painted a series of swastikas on Chabad of Parkland, a North Broward synagogue, including the phrase ''4 Hitler'' on a sign after the word Stop.
That same month, a blaze gutted Chabad Shul, an Orthodox synagogue at 2401 Pine Tree Dr. in Miami Beach. Members are currently meeting in a rented space at 309 23rd St. in Miami Beach, but the economic decline has hindered plans to open a permanent synagogue, said Rabbi Zev Katz. No arrests have been made in either case.
In October 2007, a fire ripped through the sanctuary of Community Kollel, an Orthodox synagogue in Miami Beach. Seven months later, investigators ruled the blaze at 3767 Chase Ave. incendiary but did not call it an arson and had made no arrests.
Members temporarily met at Temple Beth Israel, near the Kollel, but have since rebuilt their synagogue.
www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/1060112.html
A Miami Beach synagogue was damaged after a man set fire to its garage in an incident Jewish leaders believe may have been an anti-Semitic attack.
Members of an Orthodox Miami Beach synagogue say they will take part in regular services Friday evening despite an apparent arson that significantly damaged a part of the building this week.
Late Wednesday night, a man walked into the parking garage of Temple Moses at 1200 Normandy Dr. and set wood pallets on fire, said Rabbi Iosef Benchimol, who learned of the fire shortly before midnight. The fire was contained to the garage as the fire department arrived, but it could have torn through to the main building within a few minutes, he said.
The fire occurred less than a week after feces were smeared and eggs were thrown at another Miami Beach rabbi's house. Police are investigating both incidents.
Security cameras had been installed at Temple Moses a day before and the fire was caught on video. It shows a man smoking a cigarette and then igniting wood in the garage in an apparent attempt to burn the temple above. It is unclear what the man used to start the fire.
''I don't know why anybody would do this,'' said Benchimol, who has led the largely Cuban congregation for four years. ``Thank God the inside of the synagogue is OK. There is only some smoke damage.''
Arson detectives are investigating and no arrests have been made, said Detective Jenny Velazquez, a Miami Beach spokeswoman.
On Thursday, a team from the Anti-Defamation League assessed the damage and spoke with community members.
''While the motive for this arson is still unknown, this cowardly criminal act not only impacts the congregation of Temple Moses, but the entire Jewish community,'' read a statement from Andrew L. Rosenkranz, Florida regional director for the ADL. ``It is truly disheartening to see a house of worship become the target of arson.''
Rosenkranz said his organization has become increasingly concerned about potentially anti-Semitic incidents in South Florida, including previous fires and vandalism at synagogues.
On May 14, Rabbi Aaron Rabin of the Jewish Learning Center, a synagogue on 41st Street in Miami Beach, came home to find that his house had been egged and that feces were smeared on his front door.
In July 2008, Pichardo Dearmas of Miami Beach was charged with assault with prejudice, a misdemeanor, for slapping his hand at Orthodox Rabbi Abraham S. Mann and blurting an obscene epithet at the rabbi while he walked on the Venetian Causeway.
In April 2008, vandals spray-painted a series of swastikas on Chabad of Parkland, a North Broward synagogue, including the phrase ''4 Hitler'' on a sign after the word Stop.
That same month, a blaze gutted Chabad Shul, an Orthodox synagogue at 2401 Pine Tree Dr. in Miami Beach. Members are currently meeting in a rented space at 309 23rd St. in Miami Beach, but the economic decline has hindered plans to open a permanent synagogue, said Rabbi Zev Katz. No arrests have been made in either case.
In October 2007, a fire ripped through the sanctuary of Community Kollel, an Orthodox synagogue in Miami Beach. Seven months later, investigators ruled the blaze at 3767 Chase Ave. incendiary but did not call it an arson and had made no arrests.
Members temporarily met at Temple Beth Israel, near the Kollel, but have since rebuilt their synagogue.