The Missing Item in the Display Case

When you enter our TBS lobby in early February, you may notice a missing item from our TBS display case – our so-called “Holocaust” Scroll.  This Scroll, along with Rabbi Jay Perlman, Patty and Louis Grossman, and Jason and Judy Chudnofsky, will be returning the Scroll to its home congregation for a very special service marking a special anniversary.

Long-time members Patti and Louis Grossman pictured here in front of the rescued Holocaust Scroll which they were instrumental in bringing to TBS.  Photo taken Summer of 2013.

You may know that this Scroll is one of many recovered Scrolls which the Nazis planned on either destroying or displaying in museums to document their efforts in eradicating the Jewish people.  You may also know that the Scroll is on loan to our community as part of an effort to show the resilience and triumph of the Jewish spirit.  What you may not know is that over 1600 recovered Czech Torah Scrolls have been on loan from the Westminster Synagogue (and Memorial Scrolls Trust) to congregations throughout the world for 50 years.  On February 9, 2014, many of these Scrolls will be temporarily returned to the Westminster Synagogue for a beautiful ceremony marking these 50 years and the steely resolve to continue to celebrate our Judaism while marking and remembering the lessons of the Holocaust.

Every year, we read from our Holocaust Scroll on Yom Kippur during our Yizkor, or Memorial, service.  The memory of those who have passed on is in the front of our mind at this time as we mark and remember their impact in our lives.  How meaningful for us as a community that we also mark this moment with a visceral reminder of the power of memory; our Holocaust scroll becomes a visual reminder that the Jewish people lives on, that we are not an exhibit in a museum of a people whose time has passed.  This February, when you enter our lobby at TBS and note the temporary absence of our Holocaust scroll, please take the opportunity to reflect on its journey, from its original home in Czechoslovakia, through the hands of the Nazis, to its temporary home in London at the Westminster Synagogue, and to its (we pray) permanent home with us.  May the journey inspire you to remember and to commemorate.

--Daniel T. Barkowitz, Executive Director

Here are Rabbi Jay’s words from the Yom Kippur Afternoon Service last September:

Throughout the Middle Ages and beyond the Jewish communities of Europe knew well the experiences of ongoing persecution and anti-Semitic uprisings.  Yet throughout, these very same Jewish communities – large and small – continued to find ways to flourish – to bring Judaism to life – and to create.  One of these places was the town of Sobeslav in Czechoslovakia.  Some time during either the 1700’s or early 1800’s a special sofer – or Torah scribe was called upon to pen a most unique Torah scroll. 

This text would be, what is referred to, as a Kabbalistic or mystical scroll….And its writer – specially trained in the art of Kabbalah would scribe each of the letters with particular mystical focus and by using a unique calligraphic style.

Ultimately, it would become a spiritual and sacred work of art that its owners hoped would inspire generations of Jews.

When the Nazi’s rose to power and invaded Czechosolvia – tragically, the Sobeslav scroll – along with thousands of other Torahs in communities across the country-side – was looted and held by the Nazis who sought to destroy every Jew and Jewish community.

However, with the defeat of Nazi Germany, many of the Czech scrolls that had been taken were found and brought to London where they were held by the Westminster Synagogue.  Eventually, a number of these Torahs would be shared – on permanent loan – with synagogues around the world as a testament to the hope and promise of a Jewish people which has continually found a way to survive.

A number of years ago, thanks to the work of the Grossman family and Rabbi Sonsino – the mystical Torah scroll of Sobeslav – found its way to its new home, here at Temple Beth Shalom. 

While the sign that we have for this Torah states that it was penned in the 19th century – a sofer who recently appraised this text for our community has told us that he believes that it is actually over 300 years old – and is one of the most unique Torahs that he has ever seen.

This coming year – 2014 – happens to be the 50th anniversary of the Westminster Synagogue’s Scroll program.  In celebration of this milestone, the leadership of the program has invited ALL of the congregations who have Czech Torah Scrolls to bring them to London for a special ceremony and celebration.  I am pleased to share that the Grossmans….and I….and possibly a couple of our lay leaders…..will be traveling to London this coming February to participate in this historic anniversary program.  We will be sharing of our experiences when we return.

This afternoon…..as part of our commemoration of Yom Kippur….we will read from the sacred scroll.  It is, for us, a living testimony: Ani Ma’amin - to our belief – with complete faith – in the continuity – in the vitality of the Jewish people.

Getting to the Heart of Yom Kippur by Rabbi Vicki Tuckman

Ed. Note: This cross-post comes from the URJ's email series entitled "Ten Minutes of Torah". The email comes daily and provides a one-page e-mail on a topic of Jewish interest. To sign up for the daily email, visit the URJ's web page.

Rabbi Tuckman has given TBS permission to repost her email on a new ritual her family has created for Yom Kippur on our blog. Rabbi Tuckman is Assistant Director / Director of Jewish Life for the URJ's Camp Harlam. You can read more about Rabbi Tuckman on Camp Harlam's web page.

Last year I introduced a new ritual into my family’s observance of Yom Kippur. I was determined to observe this most holy of days in a meaningful and active way. Yom Kippur is a long and challenging day, even for the seasoned Jew who spends the month of Elul and the “days of awe” in preparation. The normative Yom Kippur rituals (i.e. fasting, prayer, personal and communal atonement) are not necessarily engaging or developmentally-appropriate for children or pre-teens. Even teenagers (and adults) can be overwhelmed by the length of services and miss the point of fasting if they do not understand the true intent.

With that said, there is no doubt that the message and teachings of Yom Kippur are appropriate for all. All people – from preschool on up – ought to be practicing reflection, atonement and forgiveness. At each stage of our lives we can and should seek to fulfill the sacred duties of this day.

Rabbi Gunther Plaut writes the following about “The Day of Atonement” in his Torah commentary:

It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of Yom Kippur in the life of the Jewish People. Even the religiously indifferent respond to its call and crowd the synagogues...It speaks to each human being and seeks to bring each person into harmony with others and with God. (The Torah: A Modern Commentary, page 858)

Rabbi Plaut goes on to explain that when reading the original Torah text from chapter 16 in the Book of Leviticus, with follow-up passages in chapter 23, we learn about an animal sacrifice system meant to connect humankind to God. In biblical times Yom Kippur was observed as a well-choreographed ceremony by those highest in power, with the Israelite people primarily observing the day as “passive spectators.” The modern Jew, however, is left searching for a more inspiring message and not a discussion regarding “a complicated sacrificial service performed by the High Priest.” (Plaut, page 858)

It was for this reason that a different Torah passage was chosen by the leaders of the Reform Movement; one that would fulfill the ultimate charge of the day - that being a sacred call for each person to take responsibility for one’s words, actions and behaviors. In Deuteronomy each and every member of the community is called forth. No one is exempt from standing before God and our fellow peers in judgment, as well as forgiveness.

“You stand this day, all of you, before Adonai your God – your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of Israel, your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from the woodchopper to the waterdrawer – to enter into the covenant of Adonai your God.” (Deuteronomy. 29:9-11)

This article began with a reference to a “new ritual” that I started with my family this year, cognizant of a Yom Kippur teaching I wish my own children to imbibe. After a beautiful morning t’filah at our synagogue, we ended our day not in front of the Aron HaKodesh for Neilah, but simply the 5 of us standing in a circle in the woods near our house. With an ode towards the tashlich ceremony of Rosh Hashanah, we stood by a pond and read parts of the Neilah liturgy. Even though our prayers told us the “gates of Heaven were closing” - we discussed the importance of keeping our hearts open. Open to growth, open to forgiveness, and open to change. And whether one is 6 or 60 – living in ancient Jerusalem or modern America – this message has remained constant since our ancient words were eternalized in our Torah. As we will read on the morning of Yom Kippur in Reform synagogues in North America and around the world:

“This Instruction… is not too baffling, nor is it beyond reach. It is not in the heavens, neither is it beyond the sea… No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

Ben Grebber's Sinai Statement: Celebrating Confirmation and the Ten Commandments

Ed. Note: This past Tuesday night, our Confirmands shared their "Sinai Statements" with those of us who attended their Erev Shavuot service of Confirmation. Over the next several weeks, we will be sharing many of their statements. At the service, all 15 of the Confirmands read from the book of Exodus. The Torah scroll from which they read has special meaning. Read on to learn why.

When God passed the Torah down from Mount Sinai, it was given to Moses to share with the Jewish people. They, in turn, were now responsible to learn it, teach it, and pass it down through the generations. This created the strong heritage that we share today. After having a very special guest stay at our home, I now understand that heritage and what the Torah means to our people and to me.

During the Temple renovation some years back, my family kept a Torah from our sanctuary in our house for several months. We kept it free from dust and potential harm. We were a surrogate ark! At first, having the Torah in our house was cool but I was somewhat indifferent to it.

As the months went by, our new “house guest”, the Torah, took on a different meaning to me. The Torah became a member of our family as odd as that sounds. I passed it every day on my way to the kitchen. I checked on it to make sure that it was covered and protected.

The Torah was always a talking point when we had Jewish guests at the house. I realized that to a Jewish person, the Torah is immediately identifiable and even the least observant person seems to revere it as being something special, almost royal. I began to see the Torah as representing something greater than just a borrowed “thing” from our Temple.

After a few months of “Torah babysitting”, the Temple renovations were complete and the Torah had to be returned to its rightful place. My family was devastated. The Torah had become a part of our family, and it was sad to see it go.

The following Hanukah though, we were surprised yet again when my parents gave us a Torah of our own. Now we truly had a family Torah.

Once we put our new Torah in the infamous family room Torah Ark, I learned more about our Torah. I came to understand the Torah’s age, how fragile it is, and that it holds the Five Books of Moses. In my Holocaust class, I learned that many Torahs were destroyed by the Nazis and that some were actually secretly carried by my ancestors to America from places far away. For many of my ancestors, getting the Torah to a new and safe land was just as important as getting their families there. This was similar to the story of our Torah which came from Poland during the Holocaust.

Having our special Family Torah, I began to understand that when God instructed Moses to give the Torah to the Jewish people to pass its lessons and teachings down to future generations, God was instructing me to do the same. So I started asking questions about what stories the Torah contains. I took a greater interest in its teachings. Is this how the Jewish people felt at Mt. Sinai? Was it just an object given to them by Moses or did they see it as something more? Did they know that it would link future generations of Jews to them?

Even more important, over those months that the Temple’s Torah was in our house followed by the arrival of our Family Torah, I began to understand how the Torah links me to past generations. My Jewish ancestors learned the stories and teachings contained in the Torah just as I have throughout my religious school education. Through the strength and perseverance of the Jewish people, even in times of great hardship and war, the Torah is here today for me. I am a link in that chain of possession. My great-grandparents read from a Torah in Russia; my grandparents read from the Torah in America. My parents read from the Torah too – my father right here in this sanctuary. The Torah allows me to share that link in our heritage with all of them. It’s what binds us all together as Jews and as one family.

Just as Moses did on Mt. Sinai, we, too, will pass our family Torah from generation to generation. Like the Jewish people in Poland who read from our Torah years ago, I read from our sacred Torah when I became a Bar Mitzvah. My sister followed me by reading from it when she became Bat Mitzvah and my brother will follow our footsteps when he becomes a Bar Mitzvah. Like Moses, we will pass our family Torah from generation to generation, sharing the stories that go along with it, linking our future family generations with our current generation today. This is what keeps our history so strong. That is what identifies us as Jews and makes me who I am. I am proud that my Confirmation classmates and I will read from this sacred scroll tonight as we affirm our connections to Torah, to Temple Beth Shalom, and to one another.

--Ben Grebber

Refecting on God's Rules

Cross posted on the TBS Children's Center blog.

With the progress reports and conferences commencing, reflection has come into play for the students as well as the teachers. The teachers have reflected on the students’ progress and certain events that have happened in the classrooms to create anecdotes for the parents. Here at the preschool, the children are cultivating the fundamental skills that will comprise the framework of their education as well as their lives. From this, I have begun reflecting on what I consider the foundation blocks God has provided for us through the Ten Commandments. As well, in the book of Exodus God provides us with addition rules and guidelines to help us reflect on our actions and expectations as Jewish people. I began to ask; are these guidelines still relevant to us today, and if so, how? Which of these guidelines speaks to me, and how do I interpret it into my life? 

Some of the rules from the book of Exodus that I was reflecting on, and would like to share are:

• You shall not oppress nor do any wrong to strangers, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
• When you see a wandering animal, return it to its owner. Help all animals, even if they are the animals of your enemy.
• You shall accept no bribes, for bribery blinds the clear-sighted and turns the words of the righteous to falsehood.

Julia Wise, Children's Center Teacher