Beth Shalom Celebrates 75^th Anniversary,

Dedicates One-of-a-kind Torah

by Maxine Fischbein

Communications Chair, USCJ Pacific Northwest Region

The excitement built up over a year of festivities that culminated in the dedication of a new Torah Scroll at Edmonton’s Beth Shalom Congregation on March 11, 2007 in celebration of the synagogue’s 75^th anniversary.

And, while the dedication of any Torah scroll is a cause for celebration, this one had very special meaning for some 400 members of Edmonton’s only Conservative congregation who fulfilled the 613^th Mitzvah by personally inscribing a letter in that unique and very beautiful Sefer Torah.

The Torat Aynayeem Project, first discussed in the summer of 2005 and launched in May 2006, gave congregants aged eight and up a hands-on spiritual experience many said they will never forget.

Howie Sniderman certainly won’t.

“It was incredible,” recalled Sniderman, Beth Shalom’s immediate past president and chair of the Torat Aynayeem initiative who, together with Rabbi David Kunin, Sofer (scribe) Neil Yerman, and other dedicated volunteers, created a year-long series of exciting programs that engaged and inspired synagogue members of all ages.

The Torah, which consists of 64 parchment panels, was commissioned by Beth Shalom and written by B’nei Brak Sofer Menachem Binit through the generous support of Barry and Ida Katz and family in honour of their synagogue’s anniversary.

While Menachem Binit wrote the entire Torah, Neil Yerman – a talented Torah scribe, artist and storyteller based in New York – prepared two additional panels. One was a duplicate of the first Torah panel beginning with Bereshit (Genesis) and the other was the final panel of Deuteronomy (Devarim).

Guided by Yerman, who traveled to Edmonton three times throughout the year, groups of 20 to 30 people experienced the thrill of writing their own Hebrew letter in the Torah. The first to fulfill the mitzvah were Barry and Ida Katz while the last was Beth Shalom’s spiritual leader, Rabbi David Kunin.

“The success of this project is a testimony to Rabbi Kunin. His enthusiasm never waivered,” Sniderman said.

Everyone who stepped up to fulfill the 613^th mitzvah did so without obligation, but a very nice byproduct of the project were generous donations earmarked “to enhance the Bimah and Torah adornments and for the operation of Beth Shalom.”

Contributors were helped to choose letters, words parshas and even entire books of the Torah that “spoke to them”, thus personalizing their gifts; but the letter that each participant personally inscribed was allotted in consecutive order.

According to Sniderman, one of the most fascinating programs presented by Yerman – a master teacher – was titled CSI: Torah.

“He led us through an examination of the other Torahs in our synagogue and gave us clues as to their provenance, likely age and birthplace of the Torah scribe, and whether he was left or right handed,” Sniderman said.

CSI and Torah are words not often associated with one another. While one usually evokes images of cutting-edge science, the other speaks to age-old religious traditions.

Yet today, in the 21^st century, Torah scribes are the shadchans that marry the time-honoured traditions of Torah writing with technology. As Menachem Binit completed each of the 64 Torah panels in B’nai Brak, they were scanned and compared with a state-of-the-art software program – today’s tool of choice to ensure the accuracy of the sofer’s work.

Once Binit completed his Torah, the panels prepared by Yerman – with the helping hands of Beth Shalom members – were stitched into the Torah scroll.

Participants were photographed while inscribing their letters and received both the photo and a certificate of participation as a memento.

Many came to fulfill the mitzvah as families, a tangible recognition of the obligation to teach one’s children Torah, thus passing our traditions dor l’dor – from generation to generation.

The Sniderman family shared the mitzvah with Howie’s parents who visited them in Edmonton on the occasion of their 50^th wedding anniversary.

“They couldn’t stop talking about it,” recalled Sniderman who later brought sibling rivalry to new heights when he called his sisters to say, “I gave our parents a whole Torah for their anniversary . . . what did you guys do?”

Calgary-based Klezmer ensemble Klezmerovitz set a lively tone for the Siyyum (dedication) Ceremony on March 11^th as the new Sefer Torah was danced in to the main sanctuary.

The celebration – including a 75^th anniversary dinner – gave Beth Shalom congregants the opportunity to ponder a proud past while ushering in a promising future rooted in Torah learning.

Sofer Neil Yerman carries Beth Shalom’s new Torah into the main sanctuary for the Siyyum (Dedication) Ceremony held during the Edmonton synagogue’s 75^th Anniversary – March 11, 2007 Photographer: Jim Moses.	Sol Rolingher, a past president of Edmonton’s Beth Shalom, is honoured as Hagbah at the Torah Dedication Ceremony – March 11, 2007. Photographer: Jim Moses.