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Congregation Beth El synagogue in Rutherford, New Jersey, was destroyed in a fire on Friday, Aug. 8, officials confirmed
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The city’s Police Chief John R. Russo told WABC-TV, “Luckily the rabbi and his family, six members total, were the only members in the structure”
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“They were able to get out, but the structure is a complete loss,” he added
A family is lucky to be alive after escaping a fire that engulfed a historical synagogue in New Jersey.
Rutherford officials shared on X Friday, Aug. 8, that a “large structure fire” had been reported at the Congregation Beth El synagogue, located on the corner of Montross and Fairview Avenues, at around 3:50 a.m.
The Borough of Rutherford asked residents in the vicinity to “be on the lookout for embers falling in their property,” and for residents outside the area to avoid it as emergency services responded.
In an update on X, Rutherford Mayor Frank Nunziato shared in a statement that the synagogue was “lost in a devastating overnight fire,” noting that its “residents fled to safety” and there were no “injuries or loss of life.”
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Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty
Large fire completely destroys Congregation Beth El synagogue in Rutherford, New Jersey, on Aug. 8, 2025
Rutherford Police Chief John R. Russo also told WABC-TV, “Luckily the rabbi and his family, six members total, were the only members in the structure. They were able to get out, but the structure is a complete loss.”
People has reached out to the Rutherford Police Department for comment.
Neighbors of the synagogue told PIX11 that the rabbi and his family had been sleeping inside the synagogue when the fire broke out. They noted that the family was able to escape and seek shelter at a neighbor’s home.
“I heard all the noise and I came out to see what’s going on,” the family’s neighbor, Frank Wilson, told PIX11 News. “And I saw the rabbi came to my house … he came with the family … and they came out just with their lives.”
Mayor Nunziato said the fire was “absolutely devastating” for the entire community, according to WNYW-TV.
He also noted the importance of the synagogue to their community in a statement on X, saying it had been home to Congregation Beth El since “the early 1950s” and their Volunteer Fire Department has “participated in the Menorah lighting and gelt drop” at the synagogue during Hanukkah.
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty
A photo of the scene of the Congregation Beth El synagogue hours after the fire on Aug. 8, 2025
Congregation Beth El also shared a statement on their website, writing, “This is a devastating loss; all support is very much appreciated at this time. We’re going to rebuild bigger and stronger than we were before!”
The synagogue was previously the target of a firebombing incident in January 2012, and a 19-year-old man was arrested and charged with throwing incendiary devices into the building, according to WABC-TV and WNYW-TV.
However, authorities told the latter outlets that there was nothing that indicated the latest fire was suspicious.
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