By COLlive reporter
The Torah scrolls that were burned in the devastating fire that engulfed the Chabad Center in Tallahassee, Florida recently were buried in an emotional ceremony in Florida on Sunday.
A full crowd gathered to pay tribute to the Torahs at Lubavitch Aventura South, where they heard words of strength in dealing with the tragic loss, and joined in the writing of a new Sefer Torah as a symbol of rebuilding from the ashes.
Rabbi Shneur Oirechman, Director of the Chabad Center in Tallahassee which has been destroyed in the fire, spoke emotionally and with tears about the loss and devastation, with hope for the rebuilding of the Chabad Center even greater than before.
Other speakers included Rabbi Shalom Ber Lipskar, Rabbi of The Shul of Bal Harbour, Rabbi Yosef Biston, Director of Chabad of Parkland, FL, Rabbi Benzion Korf, Director of Chabad in Florida and Dean of Lubavitch Educational Center, and others.
Cantor Aryeh Hurwitz sang heartfelt songs accompanied by musician Mendy Felberman, as dignitaries and community members paid tribute to the holy Torahs and rallied in support of the rebuilding of Chabad of Tallahassee (FlJewishCapitolRebuild.com).
The Torah was then led in a funeral procession to Mount Sinai Cemetery in Miami, where the burial took place with the help of the Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapels and the ritual director Rabbi Leibel Miller.
The Moris and Lillian Tabacinic Chabad Center, which serves as a center for Jewish life for hundreds of students and locals for the past decade, was completely destroyed in the recent fire. The loss includes the center’s kitchen, a Judaic library, and decades of Rabbi Oirechman’s handwritten notes of Torah classes, which he has been using for teaching for many years.
Seeing the damage, which has been assessed at nearly $2 million, was devastating, however the most tragic of all is the 2 precious Sifrei Torah, said the Shliach Rabbi Schneur Oirechman.
To support the rebuilding campaign visit www.FlJewishCapitolRebuild.com
VIDEO: Full Replay
I’ve never seen kevura of Sifrei Kodesh before, although R”L I’ve attended many levayos. This is just as heartbreaking, but it’s inspiring that immediately, a new Sefer Torah is started. My heart breaks for the Rebbetzin, you can see how tzubruchen she is.
Wishing Chabad of Tallahassee menuchas hanefesh and success in rebuilding.