On Tuesday morning police announced the arrest of a 30 year
old resident of a Tel Aviv suburb suspected of setting a
string of fires in Bnei Brak over the past month. According
to early reports, he was a resident of Bnei Brak and a father
of three. He did not resist when he was caught.
Police had mounted an intense effort to catch those
responsible for the recent series of fires and vandalism. The
suspect was arrested as he tried to set fire to the door of a
sheitel store on Jerusalem Street.
On Monday there was an attempt at arson in the beis
medrash of the Admor of Zanz-Zamigrad. Flames broke out
at 3 am in the morning, but boruch Hashem they were
extinguished before doing extensive damage. Gas canisters in
the courtyard of an apartment building on Chazon Ish street
were also set ablaze later in the morning at 7, but
firefighters kept the situation under control. Vandalism was
discovered later in the day at the Chabad shul on Rashi
Street.
Just three weeks after tens of thousands of people attended
the levaya of five Sifrei Torah that were
destroyed by a fire at a local beis haknesses in the
Ramat Aharon neighborhood, another heartbreaking tragedy
struck Bnei Brak last motzei Shabbos. That target was the
first floor, original beis hamedrash of the Kollel
Chazon Ish, which for the last 25 years has been the home of
Yeshivas Marbeh Torah.
Although the Aaron Hakodesh was gutted and the covers
of the Sifrei Torah were totally destroyed, the
Sifrei Torah themselves were, besiyata deShmaya,
miraculously saved. Immediate steps were taken to
initiate the repairs and necessary renovations costing tens
of thousands dollars, in an attempt to restore the location
to what it has been up until now: a thriving and vibrant
beis hamedrash.
Urgent assistance and support is being sought to effect
necessary repairs and restoration to the beis hamedrash
and to what has been the home and nurturing ground to
literally hundreds of bochurim from the four corners
of the earth, over two-and-a-half decades.
Additionally, the beis hamedrash is a landmark, having
been established and built by Maran the Chazon Ish zt"l,
who also davened and learned on the premises. The
Steipler zt"l and many of the gedolim of Bnei
Brak also learned and davened in this historic beis
hamedrash.
