American Synagogue in Palm Springs, California Donates Torah to Austrian Congregation

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Palm Springs, CA (PRWEB) May 6, 2007 -- Today, Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs, California held a very unique and remarkable ceremony to send off one of their old and beloved Torahs on a journey to Vienna, Austria.
    
Torah scrolls are the five books of Moses, written by hand on parchment. It takes a trained scribe hundreds of hours to create one. If a mistake is made, that section of parchment has to be discarded and redone. Therefore, they are very expensive and congregations often take years to acquire scrolls, which are read three times a week during Monday, Thursday and Saturday morning services. Congregations strive to own at least two scrolls, as several services during the year require readings from different sections, and re-rolling one scroll during services is a time-consuming and complicated task.

Sometimes congregations are able to obtain a torah from synagogues that are closing or merging with other congregations. These acquisitions traditionally come from a community in the "Old World" to congregations in the newer Jewish communities around the globe, such as America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. These acquisitions have included Torahs from Jewish communities which were destroyed during the Holocaust, whose Torahs were discovered warehoused by the Nazi regime, who had intended to display them as "relics of a lost culture."

On May 4, 2007, this "tradition" will occur in reverse. Leonard Sherman, a member of Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs, was in Austria several months ago and learned of a synagogue in a Vienna Jewish Day School which owned just one scroll and was desperately trying to find a second scroll for their facility. Knowing that Temple Isaiah possessed several torahs, he approached the Temple about the possibility of donating one of their scrolls to the Viennese school. Temple Isaiah's Board of Trustees became excited about this unusual opportunity and voted to part with one of their scrolls.

When asked about the significance of the event, Rabbi Sally Olins said, "It is our prayer that this sacred Torah scroll will bring enlightenment and knowledge to those who receive it. We at Temple Isaiah are privileged to be able to fulfill the words 'And Thou Shalt Teach Them Diligently.' Through the love of Torah, our congregation is giving the gift that is the most important of all Jewish values, that of learning."

Today, Temple Isaiah held a very unique and remarkable ceremony, to send off one of their old and beloved Torahs on a journey in the opposite direction - to Vienna, Austria. Rabbi Sally and the Temple Isaiah congregation will say goodbye to this precious Torah at a special service at 7:00 pm. Later in May, Temple Isaiah Board President Edie Keller, who will be traveling in Europe, shall go to Vienna and present the Torah to the school at a special dedication ceremony.

Temple Isaiah Executive Director Lenny Pepper had researched to determine if such an event had taken place previously, and reported "while this is not the first time a Temple in the U.S. has sent a Torah to Europe, it is rare. It may be the first time a conservative congregation has done so. In the spirit of the moment, the companies involved in the transportation and shipping of the Torah, Orly Klugman of Rancho Mirage AIM Mail Center and Steve Fleischman - Desert Freight Services are donating their services so that there was no cost getting the Torah from us to Vienna."

Temple Isaiah of Palm Springs is a welcoming and inclusive congregation embracing Judaism that is relevant for today while remaining committed to Jewish traditions, values, and ethics.

With the help of Frank Sinatra and other community leaders, Temple Isaiah and its Jewish Community Center, founded in the late 1940s, were expanded in the late 1980s to meet the needs of the increasing Jewish population.

It continues today as a vibrant spiritual and cultural home for all Jews in the Palm Springs desert communities.

For more information please contact Temple Isaiah at 760/325-2281 or visit
Temple Isaiah, Palm Springs

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