Jewish community reacts to fire that ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Members of the Jewish community reacted with sadness to the massive fire that burst through the roof of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday and toppled its spire.

“Terrible images of the Cathedral of Paris in flames. Solidarity and fraternal thoughts to the Catholics of France. Immense sadness in the face of this tragedy that is burying our country,” tweeted Francis Kalifat, president of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France, the umbrella organization for Jewish organizations in France.

The roof was undergoing construction. As of Tuesday, the fire was being called an accident, though an investigation is underway.

The American Jewish Committee said it is “heartbroken.”

“This is a tragedy for Catholics, the people of France, and all who revere that majestic edifice. We are hopeful that it will be swiftly restored to its prior splendor,” tweeted AJC.

“Notre Dame Cathedral is an icon of the Parisian skyline and a testament to human ingenuity. Let us all hope for a speedy resolution to this tragedy before more priceless history is lost,” tweeted the World Jewish Congress.

“From Berlin, the heart struck in front of the flames, the ravage and the ashes. A treasure of civilization, for the one who believed in heaven and for the one who did not believe in it. The Europe of civilization, of holy hopes, of greatness and of sweetness. Struck in the heart,” tweeted French Jewish intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy.

A memorial to those deported from Vichy France to Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust, Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation, is located underground behind the cathedral.