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Boro Park Shul Unwired By Manhole Explosion

By Yochonon Donn/Hamodia
Date: January 31, 2011

Brooklyn - A manhole erupted yesterday morning on the 16th Avenue in Boro Park, leaving Beis Medrash Emunas Yisroel without electricity on their busiest day of the week.

Yanky Meyer, founder of Misaskim, a disaster and relief organization, donated a generator that put the lights back on until the electricity is repaired. He estimated the underground fire as due to the accumulated salt that was sprayed on the roads during the recent spate of snowstorms.

As of yesterday evening, Con Edison crews were draining water from the manhole. They expect to fix the electricity outage shortly afterward.

The manhole began smoking as approximately 7:00 a.m. Yehudah, who davens in Emunas Yisroel, told Hamodia that he came to davening at 7:30 a.m. and saw smoke coming out of the manhole directly across the street, with little bursts of periodic explosions.

He called 911 and the Fire Department came shortly afterward; they cleared the area and monitored the manhole. Then the real fireworks started.

"At around 8 o'clock," said Yehudah, who declined to identify himself further, "the whole thing really exploded and fire came out. And then the electricity from beis medrash went out."

Yehudah said he wasn't there when it exploded but heard from others present that huge black smoke billowed out for about a minute or two along with bursts of flames. The Fire Department extinguished the flames and nobody was injured.

As of yesterday evening the power was not yet back up on the entire block, which also houses Matamim take takeout restaurant, and Khal Avrohom Tzvi Hirsh, a small shul abutting Emunas Yisroel.

Shmuel Kutten, a gabbai in the shul said, "The beis medrash is back in full swing," crediting Mr. Meyer for it. Rabbi Kutten added the street and traffic lights were also not working.

Mr. Meyer told Hamodia that he was called at 8:30 and arranged to send over a generator.

"All I know is," Mr. Meyer said, "that there was some sort of manhole fire, that Emunas Yisroel had no electricity, we supplied them with a generator and everyone is sitting and learning because our generator is there."

Hershel Indig, manager of the beis medrash, arranged for Yehudah Zirkind to concentrate on the generators available voltage on the parts most needed: lights, steam, etc. Mr. Zirkind, from Dr. Cool, also davens in Emunas Yisroel.

Emunas Yisroel, under the leadership of Harav Moshe Wolfson, mashgiach of Yeshivah Torah Vodaath, is a popular shul for businessmen learning on their Sunday off. Approximately 300 people - including a daily kollel - would have been learning there yesterday.

Additionally, the shul runs their Avos Ubanim program, which they call " Vishanantim Livanacha," every Sunday afternoon.