About 50 students of the Chaya Mushka - Or Chaya Seminar in Jerusalem gathered for a particularly moving bar mitzvah meal and thanksgiving event, held by the seminary's management, in thanksgiving to God for the great miracles that occurred in the fire at the Beit Moshe boarding school, which broke out a month ago, apparently due to an electrical failure in the electrical panel, which could not have been predicted in advance.
Girls studying at the institution suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation, were evacuated to hospitals in the city and released after several hours.
Rabbi Israel Goldberg, Chabad emissary in Rehavia, who led the moving evening, opened the event with words of encouragement and thanksgiving for the great miracles that occurred that morning and the teaching from this in the service of God in the Mishnah of Chassidism. Great excitement was registered in the audience when Rabbi Naftali Roth, chairman of the Chabad Youth in Jerusalem, rabbi of the Chabad community in Mattersdorf and rabbis of the seminary, greeted the students with an emotional priestly blessing and spoke in his fascinating language about the importance of giving thanks, in light of the words of the Maimonides, whose day of celebration fell on that day.
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Not a single eye was left dry as Rivka Sheinberger, the student representative, recounted the miracle of the rescue - from the moment she woke up at 6 a.m. and discovered her room was engulfed in smoke until she was rescued from the scene by the counselors and staff. After recounting her personal experience from that morning, all the students and staff read together "Mizmor LeToda" along with passages of Tehillim by the Rebbe and Rebbetzin.
After a moving speech by the influential Rabbi Baruch Kaplan, on the blessing of the redeemer in the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the CEO of 'Or Chaya', Rabbi Yehuda Golan, handed out certificates of appreciation and recognition to the people and organizations that took part in rescuing the girls that morning - including: police officers from the Lev HaBira station, fire and rescue from the Ha'uma station, Magen David Adom drivers and Ihud Hatzalah.
A burst of joy was evident among the students, as certificates of appreciation were awarded to the neighbor who came to their aid, to the maintenance worker, to the Arab construction workers who assisted in the rescue, and to the dedicated female instructors who have helped the girls since the incident to this day.
A rare spectacle was recorded at the event when, for long minutes, about fifty female students blessed the "Redeemer" by name and royalties in front of the seminary rabbis' court, responding with an "Amen" after each blessing.
The seminary's director general, Rabbi Yehuda Golan, shared with the students the difficult moments that morning: "It brought me back to the tragic passing of my brother Moishe, may God have mercy on him, who was killed on the way to Operation Hanukkah exactly 18 years ago." Rabbi Golan emphasized that the seminary's administration is available at all times for the students and places the best professionals at their service, in order to overcome the trauma they experienced.
Chairwoman and founder of 'Or Chaya', Daniela Golan, who closed the evening, personally thanked the entire management team and informed the students that an alternative location has been found to which the seminar will temporarily move this week, until the renovation and expansion of the damaged building is completed, where work is currently underway for the welfare of the students, to the highest standards.
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