Mispallelim arrived at the Algriva shul in Old Ramle this morning to find fire fighters trying to put out a blaze that had erupted inside their shul.
By the time the fire was subdued, a Sefer Torah, a pair of tefillin, seforim, and seating inside had been ravaged by the flames.
Fire officials declared the shul sealed to the public and fire investigators began searching the building for clues as to what caused the fire to start.
Mispallelim now suspect arson since no Shabbos candles were lit inside and fire investigators did not discover an electrical fault.
Another mispalel who spoke to Arutz Sheva this evening after Shabbos said the situation in Old Ramle is complex due to the presence of Arab crime families in the neighborhood.
Speaking on condition of anonymity he said, “These families host the numerous criminal elements, there drugs and celebrations into the night with disorderly conduct. The police are working to end this phenomenon.”
This morning’s fire is the second at the Algriva shul in Old Ramle. A month ago, Arabs set fire to the second floor of the building where religious supplies are kept.
At the time Israeli police officials blamed the fire on an electrical short, but mispalelim pointed to bars on the windows of the room where the fire started being cut saying police did not want to admit it was arson.
Two weeks ago vandals broke into the shul in Emek Lod in Yehudah. Mispalelim were shocked to find the aron kodesh desecrated and the Sifrei Torah thrown in the mud and trampled upon.
In that incident, burglars removed the silver plate from the Sephardi case for the Sifrei Torah, stole the decorative pomegranates made of pure silver, and robbed the pushkas.
Read the full report at Arutz Sheva.
{Arutz Sheva/Matzav.com Israel}
