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MAMARONECK, N.Y. Jewish residents from Mamaroneck and Larchmont came together in celebration as a new Torah, which dates back to the Holocaust, was dedicated and integrated into the villages Chabad center Sunday.
Mayor Norman Rosenblum of Mamaroneck was one of the many residents holding the Torah and dancing to the festive music on the walk from Mamaroneck High School to the Chabad. He is a third-generation Jewish man in Mamaroneck, going back to his grandfather.
Its great, said Rosenblum, who returned from vacation in Florida yesterday to attend the event. Its a reason to celebrate and enjoy.
The Torah restoration project, a two-year effort, began when Rabbi Mendel Silberstein received a call from his wifes brother telling him that he had found a Torah his grandfather had saved from the Holocaust. However, the Torah was in poor shape and would need great effort and resources to restore it.
Families and friends of the Chabad center dedicated letters, verses, parshiyot and entire books of the Torah. Silberstein also said that the silver crown, breastplate, yad, mantel and bima cover were also sponsored.
It was Yaakov and Leah Rubin, Silbersteins in-laws, who directed the restoration in memory of their parents, including the one who rescued the Torah, Rabbi Moshe Yosef. Since 1940, Yosef led the Torah through Romania, Bucharest, Long Beach, New York, and Borough Park, Brooklyn. In 1971, the Torah was offered on loan to a Jerusalem synagogue before being returned 40 years later.
The congregation enjoyed brunch as they offered money to the synagogue and the scribe wrote the letters into the Torah. It was then completed and dedicated before everyone sang and danced in the street, leading to an integration ceremony at the Chabad filled with more dancing and prayer.
I really thought it was very moving, said Arnie Burger, who is a member of the Chabad. I thought it was fun really great.
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