IDF
03-06-2004, 05:03
Are there any good stories about your congregation or people you will remember for life?
Let me tell one story, about our temple and a few good brothers who became heroes. I don't know every detail as it occurred in the late Summer of 1986, 1 year before I was born, but it has been retold time and time again. I've also seen the news stories in the old newspaper clippings at our temple (unfortunately online archives for our local papers go only as far back as 1990.
The story begins on a hot day in late summer. The Jewish Community in Valparaiso, Indiana is a rather small one with a small temple. The temple is known as Temple Israel. Today it is on Evans Street it wasn't always there.
Temple Israel use to be in Downtown next to the pet and hobby store. It was in an aging 2 story building. The temple was cramped, seriously outdated, and more seriously a fire trap. On that hot summer day (I believe in late August) a ballast in a GE lightbulb failed. I don't know the science of how a lightbulb works but simply put, it short circuited, heated up, and caught fire. The fire in the old temple grew quickly.
Within a few minutes smoke started pouring out of the windows. It was first noticed by two brothers, Ben and Abe Linkimer. They were members of the temple. They owned a shoe store across the street. Abe called the fire department when he saw the smoke. Ben was pre-occupied by one question, what would happen to the Torahs (there were two). Ben was not thinking about himself. He did the bravest thing any man I've known has ever done.
Ben rushed into the temple. The building was covered with smoke and flames. He rushed up the flight of stares into the 2nd story sanctuary. He was able to find his way through the smoke and find the Ark. Ben took one of the Torahs and came out of the building. Abe came in and helped him out once finished with calling the fire department. One of the Torahs was saved, but unfortunately the other was destroyed. 10-15 minutes after leaving the temple, the fire caused the roof to cave in.
Ben suffered from severe smoke inhalation and burns; he was hospitalized for a couple of weeks. He fully recovered and lived to the ripe old age of 97. He lived a long and healthy life enjoying great health until he died on January 28, 2004.
The story seems amazing alone, but becomes more so when you know Ben was 80 at the time of the fire and his brother Abe was 75 (he lived to be 80).
I only met Abe a few times in my life as we only came to the new rebuild temple on Evans Ave. during high holidays since we were either living in Wheaton, IL or Ann Arbor, Mi.
I knew Ben better, much more since I saw him every other week at services since moving to Valpo in 1999 to be with family.
Ben was a brave man who knew no fear, he had fought alongside General George S. Patton as a member of his 3rd Army.
Ben got to see the Torah he saved used many years afterwards. (it is still used today along with our new one). I was never prouder than when I read Genesis 22 from that same Torah on November, 25, 2000 at my Bar Mitzvah. Ben was there in attendance and made me almost cry when he said to my parents, “that boy your rasing is a genius.”
Ben's legacy will live on forever in my storytelling, our Torah, temple, and your memories after reading it.
Now please post your stories and tell us about your Ben and Abe Linkimers.
Let me tell one story, about our temple and a few good brothers who became heroes. I don't know every detail as it occurred in the late Summer of 1986, 1 year before I was born, but it has been retold time and time again. I've also seen the news stories in the old newspaper clippings at our temple (unfortunately online archives for our local papers go only as far back as 1990.
The story begins on a hot day in late summer. The Jewish Community in Valparaiso, Indiana is a rather small one with a small temple. The temple is known as Temple Israel. Today it is on Evans Street it wasn't always there.
Temple Israel use to be in Downtown next to the pet and hobby store. It was in an aging 2 story building. The temple was cramped, seriously outdated, and more seriously a fire trap. On that hot summer day (I believe in late August) a ballast in a GE lightbulb failed. I don't know the science of how a lightbulb works but simply put, it short circuited, heated up, and caught fire. The fire in the old temple grew quickly.
Within a few minutes smoke started pouring out of the windows. It was first noticed by two brothers, Ben and Abe Linkimer. They were members of the temple. They owned a shoe store across the street. Abe called the fire department when he saw the smoke. Ben was pre-occupied by one question, what would happen to the Torahs (there were two). Ben was not thinking about himself. He did the bravest thing any man I've known has ever done.
Ben rushed into the temple. The building was covered with smoke and flames. He rushed up the flight of stares into the 2nd story sanctuary. He was able to find his way through the smoke and find the Ark. Ben took one of the Torahs and came out of the building. Abe came in and helped him out once finished with calling the fire department. One of the Torahs was saved, but unfortunately the other was destroyed. 10-15 minutes after leaving the temple, the fire caused the roof to cave in.
Ben suffered from severe smoke inhalation and burns; he was hospitalized for a couple of weeks. He fully recovered and lived to the ripe old age of 97. He lived a long and healthy life enjoying great health until he died on January 28, 2004.
The story seems amazing alone, but becomes more so when you know Ben was 80 at the time of the fire and his brother Abe was 75 (he lived to be 80).
I only met Abe a few times in my life as we only came to the new rebuild temple on Evans Ave. during high holidays since we were either living in Wheaton, IL or Ann Arbor, Mi.
I knew Ben better, much more since I saw him every other week at services since moving to Valpo in 1999 to be with family.
Ben was a brave man who knew no fear, he had fought alongside General George S. Patton as a member of his 3rd Army.
Ben got to see the Torah he saved used many years afterwards. (it is still used today along with our new one). I was never prouder than when I read Genesis 22 from that same Torah on November, 25, 2000 at my Bar Mitzvah. Ben was there in attendance and made me almost cry when he said to my parents, “that boy your rasing is a genius.”
Ben's legacy will live on forever in my storytelling, our Torah, temple, and your memories after reading it.
Now please post your stories and tell us about your Ben and Abe Linkimers.