Storm Doris forces 90 children to be evacuated from shul building
High winds loosened metal strips on the rood as police close off roads leading to the shul to ensure the youngsters' safety
Storm Doris almost tore the roof off Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue on Thursday, with gale force winds causing havoc and causing the evacuation of 90 children from the building.
As high winds loosened metal strips on the roof, police closed the roads leading to the shul, as youngsters temporarily using the Croxdale Road synagogue as a nursery were led to safety by staff, as firefighters assessed the damage.
A spokesman for the United Synagogue said: “Our first concern is for the health and safety of all those who were present and we are thankful that nobody has been injured at BES following the damage caused by the storm.”
He added: “We are extremely grateful to the emergency services for their support. Over the next couple of days, we will do everything we can to ensure community activity can continue, whilst ensuring the safety of the community and its neighbours.”
The shul is home to one of the country’s biggest congregations, and the synagogue’s lay leaders quickly made provision to move this evening’s Ma’ariv service to Ohr Yisrael Federation Synagogue on Theobald Street.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
