Richmond Hill Gurdwara Destroyed by Fire

March 11, 2002

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/newyork/ny-nysikh112619768mar11.story

On March 11, 2002, Newsday reported, "Worshippers Gather Near Burned Temple." It noted, "Sikh men and women gathered solemnly for fellowship and muted conversation in a 118th Street house across from the ruins of their temple yesterday. Some prayed while others gathered outside under a tent and ate food prepared by congregants of the Sikh Cultural Society at 95-30 118th St. in Richmond Hill, a temple devastated by a fire early Thursday." Members of the temple have also gather for worship at the St. Benedict Joseph Labre Parish gymnasium, a Catholic church located one block from the temple. The article noted that Sikhs from the New York area, Philadelphia, and D.C. came to show support: "congregants were encouraged by the words of Amarjit Singh, a retired professor from Washington, D.C., who likened the tragedy the community faced to the mythical phoenix, a bird that burned but was resurrected."