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April 15, 2005
One year after the fire
Montreal United Talmud Torah school has new library.
KATHARINE HAMER
A year ago, students and staff at the Beutel (St. Laurent) campus
of Montreal's United Talmud Torah (UTT) school returned from their
Passover holidays to find their library burned to the ground –
the result of a firebombing attack. Fifteen-thousand books were
destroyed.
Today, the facility – named the Azrieli Library after a major
donor (and the relatives of a former school librarian) – has
been rebuilt with state-of-the-art equipment. It houses 8,000 new
books, donated from across Canada and around the world. Another
5,000 titles were purchased with cash donations.
"The kids love it," UTT spokesperson Shelley Paris told
the Bulletin this week. "We're very proud of it. It
was the culmination of effort and dedication and concern heard across
the country." A great deal of help came from British Columbia.
"The people of B.C. were phenomenal, especially since they're
so far west," said Paris. "The support was very touching."
More than $400,000 was raised in total. Additional funds went into
new computers and shelving for the library and extra security for
the school – allowing pupils to feel safer in their environment.
"Children are very resilient," noted Paris. "They
bounce right back. They've taken their cues from the people around
them. It's been very traumatic for everyone concerned, but the kids
have learned a lot about being a member of a world community."
Early this year, 19-year-old Sleiman Elmerhebi pleaded guilty to
the attack and was sentenced to two years in jail.
The school will mark the one-year anniversary of the new library's
dedication this
December.
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