“We heard a huge blast, everybody started running, there was panic,” said Rabbi Meir Kirsch, the FJC’s representative in Chelyabinsk, Russia. “Many glass windows in the Synagogue exploded; we ran outside and were told it’s a meteor from space.”
The blast that occurred early this morning happened while the Jewish community was gathered in the Synagogue for the morning services.
One of the members, who ran outside immediately, discovered when he came back that his seat had been hit and damaged by a very large shard of sharp glass. “I could have been there, it’s a true miracle” he said.
The Synagogue’s beautifully designed windows and some of the furniture were severely damaged and are in urgent need of repair in order to block the freezing wind and snow blowing in and disturbing the community’s ongoing activities.