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Wake-Up Call
Tragic Brooklyn blaze teaches families
to guard against Shabbat fire hazards.
Shari S. Cohen | Contributing Writer
2064240
66 January 28 • 2016
New York Jewish Week
A
faulty hot plate caused a
nighttime fire at the home
of the Shabbos-observant
Sassoon family in Brooklyn last spring.
Seven of the family’s eight sleeping
children were unable to get out of the
house and died in the fire. The only
working smoke detector was in the
basement; the family slept on the sec-
ond floor.
Siporah Sassoon, 15, the only surviv-
ing child, was critically injured and
hospitalized for more than a month.
Her mother, Gayle Sassoon, who was
in critical condition and initially in a
coma, was discharged in June. Gabriel
Sassoon, Gayle’s husband, was at a reli-
gious conference in Manhattan when
the fire occurred.
“The event that took place was a real
wake-up call. People took it seriously,”
said Rabbi Schneur Silberberg, out-
reach director of the Sarah & Morris
Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center in
West Bloomfield. After the Brooklyn
tragedy, Silberberg, who has five young
children, tested the smoke detectors in
his West Bloomfield home and found
one that didn’t work.
For those who strictly observe the
prohibition against lighting a fire on
the Sabbath, active cooking, includ-
ing turning burners, ovens and other
appliances on or off, is not permitted.
However, Silberberg said it is “the
tradition that one is supposed to have
hot food on Shabbos.” He said that a
majority of Shabbos-observant fami-
lies have some food that is kept warm
overnight.
Many families use a slow cooker
or hot plate that is turned on before
sundown on Friday and kept on until
Sabbath is over. Other individuals
keep a stove burner on low but cover
it with a sheet of aluminum, referred
to as a blech, which is Yiddish for tin.
An electric urn with hot water may be
plugged in before Sabbath and kept
on until it is over. Some ovens have an
automatic on/off Sabbath feature, but
not all Orthodox families will use an
oven during the Sabbath.
Southfield Fire Marshall Jim Dunitz
is familiar with the tragic fire at the
Sassoon home. “The most important
thing that jumps out at me is the abso-
lute need for smoke detectors. There
A faulty hot plate used for Shabbos
started a fire that killed seven of eight
children in a Brooklyn family.
are things in everyone’s home that can
start a fire. The smoke detector gives
you a chance to get out,” he explains.
Dunitz points out that a basement
smoke detector may not be as effective
because smoke rises.
Leaving kitchen appliances on while
unattended is potentially risky, Dunitz
says. However, he says that a slow
cooker is somewhat safer than a hot
plate as it is designed to be kept on for
a long time period.
He offers these tips for safer appli-
ance use:
• Make sure the appliance cord is in
good condition — not frayed or cut.
• Don’t put anything heavy on top of
the cord.
• Don’t use an extension cord with
hot plates and other kitchen appli-
ances.
Candles for holiday observances
also require careful use. Silberberg
remembers a “terrible tragedy around
Chanukah from a burning flame.” Lit
candles should be placed at a distance
from flammable items.
Dunitz urges everyone to install
smoke detectors. Several munici-
palities, including Southfield and
Farmington Hills, provide free smoke
detectors to local residents. Dunitz says
that Southfield fire personnel will also
help with installation, if needed.
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