On June 18, a synagogue in London suffered heavy damage in a fire that was eventually determined to be a anti-Semitic act of arson. Now, a group of Brandeis students are embarking on a fundraising drive to contribute toward the extensive rebuilding effort.The synagogue, in the Hendon neighborhood in the northern part of the city, is the British headquarters for Aish Hatorah, a Jewish educational charity with branches around the world.

The London edition of The Guardian reported on June 22 that the fire caused u250,000 of physical damage, including the desecration of two handwritten Torah scrolls.

Seniors Lena Katsnelson, Erica Lemansky and Rachel Suberi had traveled to the London synagogue with a group of students from Aish's office in Boston. Lemansky and Suberi said they were saddened by the arson but resolved to contribute to the rebuilding effort.

"My first reaction was shock that a place I felt so secure in only a year ago was attacked," Lemansky said.

In raising funds for the cost of rebuilding, Katsnelson, Lemansky and Suberi are using a two-pronged approach. They have started soliciting donations both at Brandeis and their hometown synagogues. Lemansky, who lives in New Jersey, recently placed an advertisement in her synagogue's newsletter.

The other method of collecting money will be the sale of pins, which according to Suberi, will be emblazoned with the Aish logo, a group of Hebrew letters arranged to look like a flame. Since all three students were orientation leaders, they are expecting to publicize their effort more, now that orientation has ended.

Both students also recalled the community in the synagogue. Suberi said the local congregants view the synagogue as more than a house of worship. She called it a place where people can hang out and make new acquaintances. She also told said that Aish travelers went to congregants' houses for Shabbat dinners.

"It's a shame that it had to happen to such a great community," Suberi said. "To have [the synagogue] taken away, it's not fair."

Lemansky said this fundraising is an opportunity to repay the hospitality she encountered on her trip.

"They were so welcoming," she said. "And in their time of need we didn't think twice about doing what we could to help them."

Suberi described Aish as an organization that works to enhance its participants' Jewish identities. According to its Web site, the mission is to answer the question: "Why be Jewish?"

"I've seen people become more observant," Suberi said. "Some will only eat kosher meat now. I've seen guys start praying once a day."

And Lemansky said: "I think when you take Jewish students who may not be clear about how Judaism fits into their lives and introduce them to other Jewish students in the same situation, it makes them feel more comfortable and possibly motivate[s] them to make Judaism a bigger part of their lives."

Aish also has ports of call more distant than London. In addition to 16 centers in the United States and the site in London, Aish operates in Canada, Chil, Brazil, Israel, South Africa, Russia and Australia. Lemansky has traveled to Chil, while Suberi has gone on a trip through Southern California and Tijuana, Mexico.

The organization is not just aimed at students, nor is it isolated to any particular branch of Judaism. Lemansky said that on her trip to London, the group, which was composed of students from Brandeis and Boston University, included people who had never been to a synagogue to more devout Orthodox Jews.

Lemansky believes this allowed for "good discussion" from many different perspectives.

The day before the Aish center was desecrated, the South Tottenham United Synagogue was set on fire, causing the destruction of prayer books smuggled out of Germany and Poland during World War II. Greville Janner, a Labor peer and a leading voice against anti-Semitism in Britain told The Guardian the two attacks had a "nasty, dangerous smell."

Anti-Semitic acts of violence have not been isolated to Britain. France, home to the world's third-largest Jewish population, saw a wave of attacks on Jewish sites in April of 2002. Speaking about this, Lemansky said that while anti-Semitic vandalism is a larger issue that goes beyond the Aish center in London, that incident is a more sensitive example.

"By showing support, you're not only assisting in this project, but taking a stance against other hate crimes," she said.