A Chabad House in New Zealand completely escaped any trace of damage, unlike other buildings in the area affected by a major earthquake that struck the city of Christchurch earlier this month.

Chabad-Lubavitch emissary Rabbi Mendy Goldstein said the building, which opened 18 months earlier, had not even sustained cosmetic damage in the 7.1 magnitude temblor which hit the city on September 4.

"Not a single book fell off the shelf at the Chabad House," he told Lubavitch.com following the quake.

Even the New York-style skylight in the main hall of the new Chabad House, comprised of 1,500 pieces of glass, was undamaged.

"It's truly a miracle, the window is completely intact," Goldstein remarked.

He added that the center's previous premises, located just a 30-second walk away, had sustained structural damage.

Israel's Ambassador to New Zealand, Shemi Tzur, visited the Chabad House this week to inspect the building. He presented the rabbi with a mezuzah from the Jewish State, "for Chabad's continued success and contribution to the strengthening and growth of Judaism in New Zealand."

Goldstein said the Chabad House will host a pre-fast festive dinner for New Zealand Jews and Jewish visitors passing through the area, prior to the Yom Kippur fast on Friday. Some 20,000 Israeli backpackers travel to the South Island each year.

via jta.org