Police in Edmonton, Alberta are still investigating a fire that destroyed the sanctuary of Beth Shalom Congregation, the Conservative synagogue in that western Canada city. A spokesperson told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency by telephone today that the police definitely believe the fire was arson caused by vandals.
The spokesperson said the fire, which occurred last Wednesday night, was confined to the sanctuary which is on the second floor of the two-story building. An auditorium which is also on the second floor and the other parts of the building were not damaged, she said.
Although a swastika was found “crudely drawn” with chalk on the wall of a basement classroom at the same time as the fire, the spokesperson stressed that Rabbi Soul Z. Hyman, the congregation’s spiritual leader, does not believe it was an act of anti-Semitism but rather one of vandalism. She said there had not been any previous incidents.
The 300-family congregation has not yet decided what to do about replacing the four Torah scrolls lost in the fire as well as the rest of the room, the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Beth Shalom members held services in a nearby Orthodox synagogue and plan to continue to do so until their sanctuary is restored.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
