Montreal, Canada - Worshippers Jump For Their Lives As Synagogue Burns

Montreal, Canada - Flames erupted last night on the first floor of a synagogue at the Centre sepharade Merkaz on Van Horne Avenue in Cote des Neiges, during Shabbas service and forced two worshippers that were trapped on the 2nd floor to jump to safety from rear of the century-old stone building.

Both people are in critical condition in a hospital, one with a head injury, the other with a fractured leg.

The 20 worshippers upstairs who were attending Shabbos service barely had time to escape.

"It was all over the first floor," said one of those attending the Shabbas service. "It happened so fast, there was no time to go down."

Arson squad investigators were on the scene last night, but preliminary indications were that the fire was of electrical origin, a police official said. But some worshippers suspect foul play, "There were no candles, no electrical heating, nothing," some of those attending said.
They said the synagogue had been vandalized three times in the last month."It was probably someone who doesn't like us."