A historic synagogue in Gadyach was destroyed in a fire

A major emergency occurred in the city of Gadyach: a large fire almost completely destroyed the main building of the pilgrimage center and the synagogue located near the grave of Rabbi Shneor Zalman. The incident resulted in millions in damages, but there were no casualties. This was reported by the publication COLlive.

The fire broke out late on Friday evening, July 24. The flames quickly engulfed the main synagogue, the mikveh facilities, as well as the guest rooms and dining halls. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of staff and visitors, the most important religious artifacts—the Torah scrolls—were successfully rescued from the fire.

Rabbi Shneur Deich described the incident as a “huge tragedy,” emphasizing that, despite the unimaginable scale of the destruction, the community intends to make every effort to restore the center. For their part, rescue workers have preliminarily classified the incident as an accident, citing a short circuit in the electrical system as the most likely cause. The Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine has already announced that it has begun work to replace the lost sacred books and ritual objects.

As a reminder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a recent interview with American blogger Laura Lumer, outlined the country’s position on Russia’s accusations of alleged Nazism. The head of state emphasized that the construction of synagogues, the creation of memorials to Holocaust victims, and a strict legislative framework constitute a direct and well-reasoned response to such rhetoric.