A massive fire tore through the complex adjacent to the tzion of the Baal HaTanya, Harav Shneur Zalman of Liadi, in Haditch, Ukraine, late Friday night, destroying the shul and causing extensive damage to one of the country’s most significant Jewish pilgrimage sites.
According to initial reports, the fire broke out around midnight and quickly spread through the main building. The shul was completely destroyed, while the kitchen and hachnasas orchim facilities also sustained heavy damage. The central structure was almost entirely consumed by the blaze, with losses estimated in the millions of dollars.
Despite the intensity of the fire, no injuries were reported.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Authorities are examining several possible causes, including the possibility that an electrical short circuit sparked the fire.
The Haditch kever complex, built around the resting place of the Baal HaTanya, is considered the second-largest Jewish tefillah site in Ukraine and attracts thousands of visitors from around the world each year.
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