Edgware United synagogue forced to close on Rosh Hashanah due to flooding
Members were able to hear the shofar outside the shul, as the building was shut due to a leak caused by a burst pipe on the second day
Edgware United Synagogue was forced to shut its doors on the second day of Rosh Hashanah due to flooding, and will remain closed until further notice.
The building was closed down as morning services began after a leak caused by a burst pipe meant the shul’s water had to be shut off, making the toilets unusable.
Services were cut short after the flooding, with those who arrived at the synagogue after it had closed able to hear the shofar in an area outside the shul.
Chairman David Landau said: “Stringent plans had been put in place to ensure smooth-running services due to covid. Unfortunately, this was something that could not have been foreseen and we were left with no option but to close the shul at short notice.
“Members were able to hear the shofar in an area outside the shul. We arranged for shofar blowing to take place at several times throughout the day. We anticipate that the leak will be fixed quickly and that the services for Yom Kippur will be able to proceed as planned.”
The shul aims to have the leak fixed in time for Shabbat. Radlett United Synagogue has opened its doors to any Edgware members who wish to daven with them before Shabbat, said Jo Grose, the Communities Director of the United Synagogue.
“When welcoming hundreds of people to shul for Rosh Hashanah, the last thing any of our communities want to walk into is a flooded synagogue,” she said.
“Despite finding their plans ruined, the team at Edgware United Synagogue handled the situation in an exemplary fashion, not only ensuring that members left the building safely and promptly, but also organising shofar blowing throughout the day so that everyone could fulfil the mitzvah.”
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