Second fire destroys sacred scrolls damaged in Duluth synagogue fire
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Handwritten sacred scrolls that had been badly damaged in a fire that destroyed the 120-year-old Adas Israel Congregation’s synagogue in Duluth in September were destroyed by another fire this week.
The torah scrolls were being stored in the garage of a congregation member when the structure was leveled by fire Sunday evening.
The scrolls and prayer books were among eight scrolls of the congregation’s 14 that were saved from the synagogue fire in September. The congregation continues to use several other salvaged torahs, which were not in the garage, said City of Duluth spokesperson Kate Van Daele.
It’s unclear how many were destroyed in the garage fire, and how many remain.
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The Duluth Fire Marshal is still conducting an investigation into the cause of the garage fire. But “we strongly believe it was circumstantial,” Van Daele said. “We don’t expect any foul play.”
A member of the small Orthodox Jewish congregation was storing the damaged scrolls in the garage until they could be buried, in keeping with Jewish tradition.
“When Jewish prayer books are worn out and can’t be used anymore, because they have sacred teachings in them, they’re never burned, they’re always buried,” explained Jack Seiler, one of about 40 congregation members. “Almost like a person would be buried.”
The early morning fire that destroyed the Duluth synagogue in September made national headlines. A 36-year-old homeless man, Matthew Amiot, was charged with a felony and misdemeanor for starting a negligent fire.
Amiot said he’d lit a pile of clothes on fire to stay warm, but the fire grew out of control and quickly enveloped the synagogue, destroying the building along with many artifacts, and injuring a firefighter.
Amiot has since pleaded guilty and chose a jail term of one year and a day over undergoing chemical dependency treatment.
Meanwhile, congregation members are dealing with the second destructive blaze, less than three months after the first.
“I don’t know if we’re dealing with a strange coincidence or what,” said Seiler. “If it is, it’s mind-blowing.”
