An electrical fire in the Berlin Chapel on the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 5 sent smoke through the building and prompted a swift response from students who rushed to rescue seven Torah scrolls from the historic prayer space. The damage from the incident was limited to the basement level women's bathroom but forced the temporary closure of the chapel and relocation of Friday evening and Saturday morning Shabbat services.

The smoke was discovered by Sammy Cohen '27 when he arrived at the chapel to pray as he does during his daily prayer.  “I opened the door, not paying much attention to what I was looking at,” he recalled in a Dec. 8 interview with The Justice, “I smelled something and I looked up, there’s smoke coming out …  I thought it was a fire. I ran in quickly to see if there was anything.” Finding no visible flames but the smell of smoke lingering in the hall, Cohen immediately called Brandeis Police who arrived within minutes. The fire department soon followed, locating a small electrical fire in the women’s bathroom in the basement. 

Cohen’s thoughts quickly turned to the chapel’s contents, mainly the seven  Torahs that the religious building houses. He messaged the community, calling for help to evacuate the sacred items. “I just wanted to be safe with the Torahs and not to take them out just in case it could have been worse,” Cohen said. “The police said ‘oh you need to go in quick and come out directly,’ which is what we did.” Within minutes, a group of students assembled outside the smoke-filled building. Akiva Greenberg '28, who had just finished a midterm saw the message and rushed over from Gerstenzang Hall. Yishai Ellenbogen '27 and Noa Yolkut '27 also responded to the scene. “It was very, very smoky,” said Ellenbogen in a Dec. 8 interview with The Justice, “The sun was shining through the big windows of the chapel, and it just really made it very clear how smoky it was in there.” 

With the Brandeis Police’s approval, the students moved quickly. The five main Torahs were located upstairs in the chapel’s sanctuary, while two smaller ones were kept elsewhere in the building. Each scroll is “quite heavy,” noted Cohen and thus they required careful handling. The students worked in pairs or alone, each carrying at least one Torah. Each scroll was removed within minutes. “I was in there for 45 seconds total, probably even my eyes were watering, my chest was starting to hurt,” Ellenbogen said. The Brandeis Police officers who supervised the rescue urged speed: “You guys have to get in and get out pretty quickly, just for obvious reasons that there’s smoke filling up the entire building.” Greenberg had to cover his face with his shirt to breathe during the rescue. Despite the challenging conditions, all the Torahs were safely removed and transported to the Hillel Lounge. 

Many individuals found it surprising that there were no fire alarms sounding  off. Cohen said, “I don’t know if it’s just because it’s an electrical fire and it’s a different type of smoke. Or if there were [alarms] and they were malfunctioning.” This has raised concerns about the chapel’s safety systems. 

The fire created immediate logistical challenges for Brandeis’ Jewish community. The Berlin Chapel serves three different prayer groups throughout the week: the Brandeis Orthodox Minyan, which holds services three times daily during weekdays; Masorti, the conservative minyan, which uses the space for Shabbat services, and other Jewish communities on campus. The timing was particularly critical because Masorti’s Friday night Shabbat service was scheduled to begin at 4:45pm, just hours after the fire. Yolkut, president of Masorti, found out about the fire while preparing food. She immediately coordinated with fellow student leaders and Dr. Samantha Pickette, Hillel’s Assistant Director to relocate services to Lurias Conference Room in the back of Hassenfeld Conference Center. “We eventually settled on having everything in Lurias for the weekend,” Yolkut explained. On Saturday morning, a service leader retrieved one of the Torahs from the Hillel Lounge and brought it to Lurias for use during services. Dr. Pickette quickly communicated the changes to the community via WhatsApp informing the students that the chapel would be closed while the smoke dissipated. 

Rabbi Seth Winberg, Executive Director of Hillel at Brandeis, praised the student response in a Dec. 8 email exchange with The Justice. “What has most impressed me is the student response — their quick action to protect our Torah scroll, their resilience in adapting plans, and their care for one another,” he said. Winberg confirmed that no ritual items were damaged and thanked the Waltham Fire Department, The Department of Public Safety, University Facilities and Vice President of Student Affairs Andrea Dine for their immediate response. The University is working to complete an assessment and determine a reopening timeline. The Berlin Chapel, which has served Brandeis’ Jewish community for approximately 60 years, holds deep significance for the students. “The Berlin Chapel is beloved by our community,” Winberg said. “Students pray there daily, on Shabbat, and on Jewish holy days. We’ve gathered there to commemorate tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. Couples have married there.” 

For students, the incident highlighted both the fragility and resilience of their community. Cohen expressed concern about the chapel’s future, noting that it had previously flooded during winter storms in his first year. “I hope it gets fixed, if it needs to be fixed, and I hope it could be used again in the near future,” he stated. Yolkut emphasized that because no one was hurt and the damage was minimal, the community felt “more of a sigh of relief.” As the semester's final week approaches, students hope to return to the Berlin Chapel for one last Shabbat service before winter break. “Everyone was kind of shocked by the whole thing,” Yolkut said.

Despite the challenges and uncertainties, the Jewish community at Brandeis demonstrated remarkable adaptability and commitment to their religious practices. Within hours of discovering the fire, students had safely evacuated sacred items, Hillel staff had coordinated alternative worship spaces and community members had adjusted their plans to ensure that Shabbat services could continue uninterrupted.