Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 6, 2019

Peres Parpaih couldnt sleep on the night that Rabbi Eytan Kenter and a delegation from an Ottawa synagogue delivered a Torah scroll to Arusha, Tanzania.

This is the most valuable and uplifting gift that weve ever been given, Parpaih, the leader of Arushas small, beleaguered Jewish community said in a recent email exchange. To be able to hold the Torah again, kiss it, read from it, own it, that means the world to us.

The communitys previous scroll brought from Ethiopia by Parpaihs grandfather was destroyed in the 1970s when its synagogue came under attack by Christian extremists.

A delegation of 38 people, mostly from Ottawas Kehillat Beth Israel Congregation, carried a Torah scroll to Tanzania last month to replace it.

A Torah scroll is the one of the holiest objects in Judaism. Consisting of the Five Books of Moses, it forms an essential part of Jewish religious life: Portions of it are read in synagogues four times a week.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to help restore this community, said Kenter, senior rabbi at Kehillat Beth Israel. This was all about helping them claim their place at the Jewish table, to claim their authenticity and legitimacy.

About 70 people belong to Arushas Jewish community, which scattered in the early 1970s after it came under attack by an unfriendly government and evangelical Christians. The communitys synagogue was nationalized and turned into a church. Members of the community were forced underground and many practiced Judaism secretly. Others lived as Muslims or Christians.

In the last decade, however, with a friendlier political climate, the community has re-established itself under Parpaihs leadership. Most of the Jews in Arusha have roots in Yemen and Morocco.

Photo courtesy Rabbi Eytan Kenter This is the most valuable and uplifting gift that weve ever been given, Parpaih, the leader of Arushas small, beleaguered Jewish community said in a recent email exchange. To be able to hold the Torah again, kiss it, read from it, own it, that means the world to us. The communitys previous scroll brought from Ethiopia by Parpaihs grandfather was destroyed in the 1970s when its synagogue came under attack by Christian extremists. A delegation of 38 people, mostly from Ottawas Kehillat Beth Israel Congregation, carried a Torah scroll to Tanzania last month to replace it.Rabbi Eytan Kenter / -

We are like a small island in the middle of the sea, Parpaih said of the citys Jewish community. We are still very careful.

So how did an Ottawa religious community, 12,000 kilometres away learn of a Jewish island in Africa that needed help? It all began last year when Rabbi Kenter called in a Miami-based firm, Sofer on Site, to assess the condition of Kehillat Beth Israels Torah scrolls.

Kehillat Beth Israel was created in July 2016 by the amalgamation of two local synagogues, Agudath Israel Congregation and Congregation Beth Shalom. The newly formed synagogue inherited 33 Torah scrolls from its constituent congregations.

The scrolls, handwritten with ink on kosher parchment by specially trained scribes (sofers), require careful handling, storage, maintenance and repairs.

While having the scrolls assessed, Kenter told the sofer hed like to donate some of Kehillat Beth Israels surplus scrolls to underserved communities. A Torah scroll can cost as much as a new car.

Months later, the sofer called Kenter to tell him about an unusual request theyd received from a Jewish community in Tanzania that was looking for a Torah scroll to call its own. Kenter took the request to the synagogues board of directors. Then-president Helen Zipes was enthusiastic: It just sounded like such a wonderful idea, she said.

The synagogue issued an open invitation to accompany the scroll on its long journey. You cant just FedEx a Torah scroll, explained Kenter. Its a precious object and people are supposed to travel with it, even in the synagogue.

A Torah scroll: the handwritten parchment scroll that is made up of the five books of Moses. It is the holiest document in Judaism.Jean Levac / Postmedia News

People inspired by the idea enlisted for the trip from synagogues across the city and the United States. The delegation left Nov. 5 with the Torah scroll belted into an airplane seat between Rabbi Kenter and his wife. Along with the ornate scroll, the group brought prayer books, prayer shawls, phylacteries, and toys and books for the communitys children.

At the Arusha airport, Kenter presented Parpaih with the Torah scroll; a dedication ceremony was held the following day. The scroll was paraded into the citys synagogue under a wedding canopy, and for the first time in decades, a religious service was held in Arusha with a Torah scroll at its centre.

Kenter read from the Torah as individual members of the congregation were called up to recite a blessing (an aliyah). They touched and kissed the Torah: It was a way for them to claim that object, said Kenter.

A delegation of 38 people, mostly from Ottawas Kehillat Beth Israel Congregation, carried a Torah scroll to Tanzania last month.Rabbi Eytan Kenter / -

Torah scrolls are written in Hebrew without vowels; the words must be chanted or sung. Parpaih is now studying Jewish law, scriptures and Hebrew online so that he can learn the skills required to read from it.

A lawyer, university lecturer and father of five, Parpaih is the son of the Jewish communitys former leader. He has been working to restore Jewish life in Arusha for years. The gift of a Torah scroll, he said, has brought light back into his community.

We dont have the right words to thank all those involved in this gift, he said. Ever since I was young, it has been my dream to see it again among us and pray with a Torah.

Parpaih has launched an expedition company that offers kosher safaris in an attempt to sustain the Jewish community in Arusha. He wants to improve its Sunday school and build a compound around Arushas synagogue with a guest house and mikveh (ritual bath).

Rabbi Kenter said Kehillat Beth Israel plans on offering Hebrew lessons to the community via Skype. Were hoping that this is just the beginning, not the end, of our relationship, he said.

Torah scrolls by the numbers:

304,805: Letters in a Torah scroll, each of which must be handwritten

4,000: Judaic laws that a sofer must know before he begins writing a Torah scroll

42: Lines on each page of a Torah scroll

12: Average time in months that it takes to produce a Torah scroll

1: Missing, damaged or misshapen letters that invalidates the entire Torah scroll

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Ottawa congregation delivers Torah scroll to beleaguered Tanzanian Jewish community - Ottawa Citizen

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