More than $50K raised after fire destroys Rabbi’s Thornhill home on Yom Kippur

Goal surpassed after GoFundMe campaign aimed to raise $50,000

Yorkregion.com
October 21, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

About $50,282 has been raised as of Oct. 18 after Rabbi Yitzhak Hakak, father of eight children, found his house on fire Oct. 8, the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jewish people.

The money raised surpassed the $50,000 goal set by the Jewish Community of Toronto, which organized the fundraiser.

“This family is in desperate need of help from our community,” the Jewish Community of Toronto said on the GoFundMe page. “Anyone who can help with a financial donation will be blessed.”

It said that Hakak’s family lost their home due to the “tragic house fire following an electrical shortage.”

Chief Deryn Rizzi at the Vaughan Fire and Rescue Services said on Oct. 12 that the Ontario Fire Marshall is automatically investigating since the damages were over $500,000.

“The homeowners returned home to see smoke and flames coming from their living room window,” said Rizzi.

She added that because it was Yom Kippur, during which many Orthodox Jews do not use cellphones, a family member ran to a neighbouring house and asked occupants to call 911.

The Chief said crews employed an offensive attack and contained the bulk of the damage to the main floor of the two-storey structure.

“They did a good job but the flames spread quickly,” she said. “There was significant damage on the inside” and “there was significant damage on the inside.”