A Israeli academic has launched an initiative to encourage British synagogues to donate 70 Sifrei Torah to new communities in Israel — one for each year of the state.
British-born Professor David Newman, from Ben-Gurion University, who is here on sabbatical, hopes to enlist congregations across the country in his 70 Torahs for 70 Years project to mark Israel’s anniversary.
“This is a project which can bring UK and Israeli communities together through a link which is not based on the cheque book or a political lobby,” he said.
“There are many unused Sifrei Torah in the UK and many needy young communities in Israel who would use the Torah scroll on a regular basis and, in such a way, would constantly remember the family or the community who donated the scroll.”
He was due to return from Edinburgh — where he was giving a lecture at the university — with a scroll donated by the city’s Orthodox synagogue to Israel.
Buying a new Sefer Torah can be an expensive prospect for a new community, costing around £30,000 to £40,000 to commission from a scribe.
As well as new congregations in Israel, army units and hospitals also have need of scrolls, Prof Newman said.
He is looking for scrolls that are still kosher for use — and do not require more than £2,000 to £3,000 of repairs.
With old scrolls, often the problem is not so much the lettering but the state of the parchment, he said.
“The scrolls would have to be in reasonable condition — many unused scrolls are already past the stage where they can be repaired, but there are still many scrolls which are entirely kosher or require relatively small repairs by a qualified scribe, to make them usable,” he said. “Obviously, any donations of Torah scrolls must have the full knowledge and backing of the family who originally donated the scroll and must be supported by the community where the scroll is currently located.
“My own task is simply to facilitate the links between the communities and assist in the transfer of the scroll.
“I would be delighted if interested families or communities would get in contact with me.”
The first time he transferred a Torah to Israel was 15 years ago, donated by the now closed Notting Hill Federation Synagogue — where his own grandfather Rabbi Julius Newman had served as a rabbi from 1930 to the early 1950s.
It went to Prof Newman’s own community in Meitar in Southern Israel. He has also taken one given by Ilford Federation Synagogue to Kibbutz Kramim in southern Israel.
But while a number of rabbis and organisations have expressed support for the project, British Jewry’s largest religious group, the United Synagogue, will not be contributing for the time being.
While wishing Prof Newman success, a US spokesman explained “the joy of the US is that when shuls downsize or close down we are able to re-allocate our Judaica, including our Sifrei Torah, to other US communities and indeed most recently a number have gone to our newer communities”.
