THE RAGING fire that killed seven children ages five to 16 in a heavily Orthodox Jewish section of Brooklyn last Shabbat has rendered even the greatest rabbis too silent for words.
According to news reports, the fire broke out shortly after midnight on Saturday, March 21, in a single-family home in Midwood.
Investigators believe the blaze may have been caused by a malfunctioning hot plate left on for the Jewish Sabbath.
During Shabbat, Orthodox Jews refrain from turning electrical devices on or off for 25 hours.
Fire department officials said they found a smoke detector in the basement but none on either the first or second floors.
Siblings Eliane, 16; David, 12; Rivka, 11; Yehoshua, 10, Moshe, 8; Sarah, 6; and Yaakov, 5, perished.
Mother Gayle Sassoon and her 15-year-old daughter Tziporah broke through the second-floor windows and jumped to the grass.
Father and husband Gabriel Sassoon was at a religious retreat. He did not hear about the fire until Saturday morning, when New York Police located him at a Manhattan shul.
Sundays emotional funeral, attended by thousands of sobbing family members, friends, and tear-stained rabbis, took place at Shomrei Hadas Chapel in Burough Park.
The children were buried Monday, March 23, in Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem, also the site of uncontrolled wailing and grief.
NO ONE can predict death what form it assumes or the final date engraved on our headstone but there are ways to substantially reduce the risk of dying in a fire.
Smoke detectors are essential, Technician Mark Watson, an arson investigator with the Denver Fire Department, told the Intermountain Jewish News this week.
Its been documented that these small devices save thousands of lives and property damage annually if properly maintained, he says.
Aware that no smoke detectors were found in the upper floors of the Sassoon home, Watson suggests that alarms may have given the family sufficient warning to escape the smoke and flames.
You have to make sure you have functioning smoke detectors that will alert you prior to a dangerous situation, he says.
Neglecting to install and maintain smoke alarms is by no means an Orthodox Jewish issue.
Id like to think that everyone is compliant regarding smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, Watson says. However its easier to ignore them than change the batteries.
But you do so at your own risk. It only helps when its working.
THE GENERAL fire safety rule for heating appliances, coffee pots, irons, space heaters and hair styling tools is to unplug them when the house is empty. Some people habitually check that all appliances are switched off before going to work.
We recommend that you never leave an appliance plugged in if its unattended, Watson says, directing his comments to the general public.
Anything that produces heat can be potentially dangerous.
For Orthodox Jews on Shabbat, this rule is untenable. Once the gas or electric stovetop is lit, it stays lit until Shabbat is over.
Still, precautionary measures are possible and advisable.
What one places in the vicinity of a heating appliance is extremely important, particularly if its a flammable object, Watson says. Keep the counter areas free of combustible material.
Stoves are typically safe when the heat is contained, Watson says.
Orthodox Jews place a metal sheet (blech) over the heat source on their stoves during Shabbat.
Dangerous situations can occur if a paper towel or similarly flammable materials or objects are placed too close to that heat source, he says.
This applies to everyone, whether they intentionally or accidentally do not disconnect an electrical appliance when the house is unoccupied.
Crock pots, often used to prepare cholent before Shabbat and are left on low heat, contain many built-in fail-safe mechanisms, Watson says.
But again, make sure to keep the counter relatively clear of combustible materials.
Sometimes a potential fire hides behind the walls in electrical circuits that havent been inspected for a while.
New buildings are inspected to see if they are up to code, but otherwise electrical systems dont undergo yearly inspections, Watson says.
Were talking about the inside of a wall. Out of sight, out of mind. So be aware of unusual occurrences in the home.
Watson understands that observing ones religion in the modern world can be difficult, especially in an electrified environment.
You definitely want to be able to practice your religion, and stay safe in the process.
Copyright © 2015 by the Intermountain Jewish News
