On Sunday, JewishPress.com reported on the firebomb attack on the Nikolayev synagogue in the Ukraine.
Chabad.org interviewed Nikolayev’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Shalom Gotlieb about the attack, also on Sunday.
Here is an excerpt from their report:
“We came to synagogue on Shabbat morning, and it was quite scary,” said Rabbi Sholom Gotlieb, the chief rabbi of Nikolayev and the city’s Chabad representative since 1996. “We saw the front door and window of the synagogue were blackened.”
Synagogue surveillance footage showed a young man pacing in front of the synagogue shortly after 2 a.m. He then bent down and ignited a Molotov cocktail, lobbing it at the doors. Fifteen seconds later, he threw a second one at the window.
“He tried to light the synagogue on fire, but thank G-d, there are gates on the windows, so it did not go inside, but the window did get burnt, obviously,” added Gotlieb.
The resulting fire was put out by a stranger who happened to be driving by the synagogue and noticed the blaze, said Gotlieb. The man pulled a fire extinguisher out of his car, dousing the flames.
You can read their full report on Chabad.org.
As an aside, in response to some of the commenters calling the video a hoax, you should note that grass, when viewed though an infrared camera, looks like snow.
You can watch the entire attack on the video below.
