This is (was) our temple, Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester MA. As I entered Gloucester yesterday to take my son to services, a pungent odor filled the otherwise salty morning air. As I looked around for the source of the smell, it occurred to me that there must have been a fire somewhere. As I turned the corner to the temple, I was astonished to see our beloved 170 year old temple building razed to the ground from a raging fire. As the story began to unfold, I learned that the fire originated in the old apartment complex next door and claimed the life of one man. The fire consume everything, even our sacred Torah scrolls.
In the words of our Rabbi Emeritus Geller, "My heart was broken when I learned this morning of the loss of our beloved, beautiful and historic synagogue building. Almost two centuries of human experience, devotion to God and the marking of life's passages of birth, marriage and death were celebrated there. How many emotions of joy and sadness were expressed within those walls, how many holy days marked! How vital to generations of our own congregation who with such pride, transformed the historic First Parish Church building into Temple Ahavat Achim's remarkable home! We sorrow for the loss of a single human life in the fire. We grieve for the displaced and their struggles. We are grateful for the support we receive from neighbors and friends who share our pain.
1 comment:
Thank you for your link, which I am placing into the body of my blog post.
I grew up largely with Jewish folks on the east side of Cleveland and so perhaps I am more sensitized to your loss.
At the same time we can all be thankful that the loss of life was not greater and I am certain that y'all we be able to resurrect the Phoenix right there in a few months.
As for S.S. she has had quite the year, none of it of her own hand. I just gave her a hug and said "Wow."
She did not have renter's insurance.
Post a Comment