On Purim night after the Megillah reading, the Beis Chabad of Noisy-Le-Grand (France) was entirely destroyed by flames after a fire broke out. Among the damage were seforim and two Sefer Torahs, one of them specifically donated by the Rebbe thirty-five years ago (5748-1988).
Forty years ago, a young medical student got the revelation of his life when he met the Rebbe in Yechidus. This meeting not only changed his life but also thousands of people’s. This man became Chabad and founded in his own house one of the first Beis Chabad in France, in a city where only a few Jews lived, assimilated.
That city, Noisy-Le-Grand.
Dr./Rabbi David Benchetrit created a Talmud Torah with his younger sister Rebbetzin Atarah Guez a”h, who in turn devoted her house and life to the creation of the Beis Chabad of Romainville with the Rebbe’s Bracha for more than thirty years.
The Shaliach and his wife, Rebbetzin Delia worked endlessly in the establishment of their community and the construction of a Mikve (5748-1988) in their garden, while facing many opponents. They sacrificed and devoted their life to the Jewish community and brought countless lost Jews back to Teshuva with so much fervent love and dedication in completing the mission the Rebbe bequeathed the Shluchim of Noisy-Le-Grand. Let’s imagine and realize the faith and strength of character it demands to create and maintain such a Holy place of spirituality, care, based on true Ahavas Israel, and pride of the Jewish people.
Today, the Beis Chabad of Noisy-le-Grand is left out with nothing but ashes. No one can interpret Hashem’s will, but an appeal for donations haws been launched to the entire Jewish community to mobilize and financially help the rapid rebuild of the heart of the Jewish community of Noisy-Le-Grand.
We wish the Shluchim of Noisy-Le-Grand the powerful blessing that the Rebbe gave following the fire outbreak in California in 1990. During the distribution of the ‘Kos Chel Bracha’ that year after the holiday of Shavuot, the Rebbe blessed Rav Shlomo Cunin, Chaliach of California in these terms:
‘שיקויים אצלך מאמר קדושי עליון’ (=שלאחר שריפה מתעשרים).
‘After a fire, we get rich!’
Let’s gather and unite to support the Shluchim of Noisy-Le-Grand and accomplish the sayings of the Rebbe:
https://www.allodons.fr/incendie-beth-habad-Noisy
Let us hope the Rebbe’s blessing to be fulfilled for Rabbi David Benchetrit and his son Tsema’h, to overcome this terrible tragedy, quickly rebuild their Beis Chabad and amplify the spread of Chassidus, their work being essential for the entire community.
Sad to read of this tragedy and hopefully things will be rebuilt and even stronger than before. Interesting that sometimes destruction includes the sparing of holy things, (Oooh a fire, but this sefer was unscathed, or the rebbe’s X remained undamaged) and yet, here not only a sefer torah, but one related to the rebbe, was not spared. Yes. Sometimes there are interesting surprises, and sometimes not. We don’t know or control everything, even with things we think are impervious to harm.