Former Rishon Letzion’s Shul Targeted In Suspected Hate Crime

Early Sunday morning, a fire broke out at the Or Chaviv shul in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Yerushalayim, where former Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef regularly davens. The surrounding area was defaced with Christian crosses and symbols, and police have launched an investigation into the incident.

The blaze caused some damage to the synagogue, but baruch Hashem no one was harmed. Firefighters quickly responded and managed to extinguish the flames. Police were also dispatched and began collecting evidence and witness testimonies. According to authorities, they received the emergency call around 4:15 a.m., and firefighters traced the fire’s source to an acoustic ceiling inside the building.

A statement from the Fire and Rescue Services confirmed that all the sifrei Torah and other sefarim were saved and confirmed that there were no injuries. Lt. Col. Oren Avrahami, who led the response team, said: “We arrived at the scene within minutes and detected smoke coming from the roof. We acted decisively to contain the fire and prevent damage to the sifrei kodesh. The incident ended without casualties and with minimal damage to property.”

Security cameras inside the synagogue captured a suspect entering the building shortly before the fire began. Not far from the shul, police also discovered a cross painted on a nearby door and additional graffiti. Authorities are investigating whether the cases are connected.

Minister of Religious Affairs Michael Malchieli condemned the incident, saying: “Shocking scenes with anti-Semitic signs at the Or Chaviv synagogue where the Maran Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef Shlita, prays. It is the duty of all the various religious leaders to condemn and denounce such heinous acts. At the same time, I demand that the Israel Police take strong action and bring the perpetrators to justice.”