On the smoldering ashes of his shul and home, Rabbi Yitzchok Lerman is rebuilding from the ground up

W

hen you escape an inferno by mere moments, you are filled with gratitude for the breath of life. You don’t realize how much has been lost. But as you turn to the business of living, the truth slowly dawns.

It’s gone. All of it. Everything. Decades of work, a life built. The basic human needs of food, clothing, shelter, and credit cards. Destroyed in a moment.

This is the reality that confronted Rabbi Yitzchok and Bina Lerman, rav and rebbetzin of Temple Beth El in Rutherford, New Jersey, as they stood on the street facing the blaze consuming their home and shul in the wee hours of Friday morning. Ever indomitable, the family escaped the building alive, with their children — but not much else. Not even the shirts on their backs. But 30 hours later, the minyan was alive and well — and a kiddush was being served.

“A neighbor lent me a shirt and pants,” Rabbi Lerman told Mishpacha. “We fled in our pajamas — without shoes or the most basic of clothing.”

At about 2:45 a.m. Friday morning, the couple were jarred awake by the sound of glass shattering and the blaring fire alarm. A menacing orange glow lit their bedroom windows. They quickly roused their four children who were home — aged eleven, eight, four, and 22 months — and dashed outside.

“We crossed the street to safety, and I turned around to try to save the sifrei Torah,” Rabbi Lerman said. “But 30 seconds later, the building was fully engulfed in flames. The total time from when we awoke till we would have been trapped inside was less than 90 seconds.”

Rutherford police and firefighters arrived within minutes, but there was nothing left to save. The blaze was at four alarms, and fire crews from neighboring towns rushed to assist.

“Rutherford is a small town, and we all know each other,” said Rabbi Lerman. “Police Chief Russo and the fire chiefs came looking for me first, gave me a hug. We all started bawling — and then they ran to fight the fire.”

It took hours to put out the flames. Mayor Frank Nunziato, a close ally of the community, and other local officials stayed until midafternoon.

To shield their children from the horrific scene, the Lermans took them to a neighbor’s house, until another neighbor drove them to Crown Heights, where Rabbi Lerman’s parents live.

“The community has been unbelievably supportive in every way,” he said. “They truly spared no effort.”

Straight from Kinnos

The building, a fabulous Queen Anne mansion, was a historic multipurpose structure. Built in 1891 on grounds covering an acre, it most recently housed the Temple Beth El shul, Chabad of the Meadowlands, a Hebrew School, summer camp, large gym, and the rabbi’s family living quarters. Designed by famed architect Herman Fritz, the mansion was converted into a synagogue in 1953 by Temple Beth El (founded as a Conservative congregation in East Rutherford in 1919, the shul became Orthodox in 1995).

During the week of parshas Eikev in 2014, Rabbi Lerman — who also directs Chabad of the Meadowlands, teaches at Morristown, and serves as a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves — was hired as the rabbi. The community has been growing for the past eleven years, with an ever-expanding list of activities and programs, and has recently merged with Chabad.

In 2012, Anthony Graziano and Aakash Dalal tossed Molotov cocktails through the rabbi’s bedroom window. The building survived that firebombing, but the attackers became the first in New Jersey to be classified as domestic terrorists and are serving 35-year prison sentences.

In an official statement, the Rutherford Police Department said that its investigation of the current blaze has turned up no evidence of arson — or of any other cause.

“Unfortunately, due to the severe and extensive damage, the cause of the fire will remain undetermined,” said the statement.

Nevertheless, the 2012 incident casts a dark shadow over the episode.

But Rabbi Lerman is undeterred. With the blackened remains of his shul and home still smoldering, he returned to Rutherford on Friday afternoon to start picking up the pieces — beginning with the search for the shul’s seven sifrei Torah. Several were historic, and he had just invested over $10,000 in repairs. Moshe Stareshefsky, a frum resident of Passaic and former chief and current member of the Rutherford Fire Department, dove into the smoking rubble to look for them.

“When he reached the spot in which the sifrei Torah were kept, there was nothing but empty sky,” Rabbi Lerman reports. “It was straight from the kinnah ‘Sha’ali serufah b’eish.’ He returned in tears.”

The true magnitude of the loss began to set in. Slowly, one item after another came to mind that was gone forever. The Lermans had no tallis and tefillin, and no food, cash, or credit cards. No hat or jacket, no sheitel; all of Mrs. Lerman’s jewelry was gone.

Four cars were destroyed in the shul driveway. One of the rabbi’s cars survived, but the key was destroyed. His extensive seforim collection was no more. The megillah, the succah, all the kids’ school supplies and uniforms that had just been purchased… the list keeps growing. Items that are taken for granted, until they are gone.

Indomitable Spirit

Nevertheless, Rabbi Lerman’s first priority was to rebuild the minyan, to strengthen the community, and to make it clear to all members that they would prevail.

“I told the police that we would have a minyan on Shabbos right in front of the churban,” he said.

The town set up a tent, a Passaic-based gemach sent tables and chairs, the Chevra Kaddisha lent siddurim, and Clifton loaned a sefer Torah. On Shabbos morning, 70 people turned out for the minyan. Surrounded by reporters from the New York Times and other outlets, Rabbi Lerman spoke, tearfully, to his still shell-shocked flock.

And then the herring showed up. Rugelach, cupcakes, and fruit platters followed, and soon a full was kiddush set up. During the festivities, firefighters stopped by with the somber news that the remains of two sifrei Torah —damaged beyond repair — had been found. The community would have to come together sometime soon for a levayah.

The rabbi plans to rebuild the shul, to replace it with a modern, utilitarian building. Plans are in the works for a temporary sanctuary at nearby Felician University, and he will need to find a long-term solution for his family. At this point, it is impossible to know how much of the extensive cost will have to be covered by donations; insurance claims will take months to process. Certainly, not all the supplies and equipment will be covered. A Charidy fundraising page has been set up for the Meadowlands fire.

For now, the community and family are in the spotlight. Rabbi Lerman’s phone is buzzing constantly with offers to help, and he is filled with gratitude — for life, for health, and for the wonderfully supportive community. But all too soon, the communal focus will shift to the next story (b’ezras Hashem, it will be a simchah).

And then the hard, painstaking labor of rebuilding will begin.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1074)