25 May 2007
A fire has almost completely destroyed the main synagogue in Switzerland's second largest city Geneva. Firefighters were called to the scene shortly after 5 a.m. on Thursday morning. The cause of the fire at the building is not yet known, but a Geneva police spokesman said initially that arson was the probable hypothesis. "Due to the extent of the fire that the firemen encountered when they arrived to intervene, we tend to think that it was a deliberate act," the spokesman told Swiss radio on Thursday morning, adding: "When the firefighters arrived early the blaze was widespread. We can assume that several fires were started at the same time." Later in the day, police said electric malfunction had probably caused the blaze. "A big circuit-breaker box was found in the area where the fire originated," said one of the investigators.
No-one was injured in the blaze, and all Torah scrolls and religious objects were salvaged by dozens of rescue workers and firefighters. The Sephardi Hekhal Haness synagogue is located in a residential quarter located in the eastern part of the city. The fire took place during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. On the evening before, worshippers had gathered for the celebration of the holiday. Alfred Donath, president of the Swiss Community Federation, said that the fire was "a sad incident" but he expressed confidence that the investigations of the police would establish the cause of the fire. Donath, who lives in Geneva, pledged the federation's support to the local Jewish community.
