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On Feb. 3, 1979, something happened in Redwood City that will forever remain in the memory of the local Jewish community.
For Cantor Hans Cohen, memories of what happened at his synagogue in Germany came flushing forward. It was destroyed by fire. He vividly recalled the Berlin Fire Department arriving on the scene and doing absolutely nothing. Their only concern was ensuring the fire did not spread to other buildings. As for the synagogue, they couldn’t care less.
Cohen thought in America, Jews would be free from such hatred. How wrong he was.
Cohen was among the first to arrive on the scene of what he thought would never happen. Temple Beth Jacob on Alameda in Redwood City, the largest Jewish synagogue on the Peninsula, was on fire. While the official cause of the fire was undetermined, given Beth Jacob had experienced previous fires of suspicious origin, one cannot definitively rule out the possibility of arson.
Most of the sanctuary, including the holy ark where the sacred Torahs were kept, was pretty much destroyed. Damage was estimated at roughly $1.5 million, equal to over $6 million in today’s dollars.
The following day, Rabbi David Teitelbaum spoke to a tearful crowd in the parking lot, which included my family. Among other things, Teitelbaum said, “It is permitted to cry.” Tears flowed uncontrollably down the cheeks of all who heard his words.
The nearby First Congregational Church generously offered to allow Beth Jacob to use their sanctuary to hold services until the temple was rebuilt. It was a loving act of brotherhood.
However, Beth Jacob’s destruction was a stain on the quiet bedroom community of Redwood City and devastating to the Jewish community in particular.
It was very personal to my family as we were active members for decades. I had a Bar Mitzvah there and went to Hebrew school there. Most importantly, my late father had the honor of sounding Shofar for 35 years. Beth Jacob was an integral part of our family. Its destruction was heart-wrenching.
The relationship between the Jewish synagogue and the nearby Christian church was symbolic of the type of brotherhood sorely lacking in the world, especially in light of current events between Israel and Hamas and how so many have reacted. Countless Jews in America and worldwide don’t feel safe.
Hatred and bigotry have no place in what is supposed to be an enlightened world.
Everything else is just history
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