Passing on the word

Some gifts are meant to stand the test of time, while some take one back in time. Some, however, do both.

Blanche Meisel of Las Vegas sits on the board of The Schechter Institutes. She recently learned some schools in Israel that operate under the academic aegis of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies teach Judaism without a vital component of the religion.

"Many of the schools don't have a Torah and have never seen one," she said. "When I heard that ... it made me feel like I was on the edge of a big hole that had to be filled." She explained that Jewish history, as told in the Torah, "goes back 5,000 years."

A concerned Meisel contacted Elliot Karp, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, in early June and told him a high school in Israel needed a Torah. At first, he was unsure of where the conversation was going.

"I said: 'You know, I can certainly put you in touch with a scribe that writes the Torah. You can buy one for (about) $10,000,' " he said. "And she goes, 'No, no, no, no, I don't want to buy a Torah, I want you to find me one that we can donate.' ... Now, Blanche and her husband are lovely people, very generous philanthropists and very active at the Jewish Federation and lots of other organizations. And they are the kind of people that, when Blanche says, 'Here's what I want you to do,' you don't say, 'That's not exactly my job.' "

Karp agreed to take on the task. It was the first of many phone calls.

Through his contacts, which included David Sarnat, president of the Jewish Community Legacy Project in Atlanta, Karp learned of a synagogue, Temple Beth Israel, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., that was dissolving. Lawrence Wolfgang was in charge of dispersing its assets.

Karp called Wolfgang and asked if the synagogue might have a Torah scroll still available.

"He said, 'I just happen to have one left,' " Karp recalled. "It was like (he was) selling watermelons. And I said, 'Would you be interested in donating it?' "

He explained the final destination would be a school in Israel. Wolfgang agreed, provided the shipping, about $250, was covered. He also requested a confirmation letter to prove to the New York attorney general's office that the Torah had been donated for a charitable purpose. Karp agreed.

"He put me in touch with the guy at the UPS store in Niagara Falls," Karp said. "I call this guy, and he said, 'Oh, you got Dr. Wolfgang's last Torah.' He said: 'We know all about this. We're going to treat it with dignity and respect.' "

The UPS package arrived in Las Vegas June 18. The Temple Beth Israel Torah had not only been treated with dignity and respect, it had been triple boxed, wrapped in Bubble Wrap and further rendered secure.

Karp had ordered the scroll sent to Las Vegas, instead of directly to the school overseas, so it could be inspected first. He said he wanted to ensure it was kosher, i.e., not in need of repairs.

"The letters could be worn out or the parchment could be ripped," he said. "It's the five books of Moses; it's the word of God."

The Torah includes the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Sometimes the word "Torah" is also used to refer to the entire Jewish Bible, or what non-Jews call the Ten Commandments and the Old Testament.

Scrolls are considered living entities. It's not uncommon for rabbis to arrange for old Torahs and other sacred Jewish texts to be placed in the grave alongside a member who has died. A burial and the solemn ceremony that marks it shows the Torah proper courtesy and respect.

Karp called Meisel when the Temple Beth Israel Torah arrived, so she could be present when the box was opened.

"It was almost like a person in a box," she said. "It was very exciting to see."

The donated Torah was about 4 feet tall and weighed between 25 and 30 pounds. Its velour cover was embellished with ornamental stitching in gold thread with the Hebrew word for peace, "shalom," and a dove.

The family that originally commissioned it included an inscription saying it had been created in memory of their son. Karp said it could have been a child who died or an adult who was being remembered. It wasn't clear. Meisel said she planned to investigate it further to learn more about the family.

Both agreed the scribe had done an excellent job and that the lettering was crisp and clear, perfect for a school. Despite a few small signs of use, it was deemed to be in good shape. With the inspection finished, the Torah was ready for the last leg of its journey, but it wasn't shipped to Israel.

Instead, more phone calls were made.

Meisel and Karp arranged to have it personally taken overseas. Once there, the Torah was picked up by a colleague of Karp's, Elam Kott, who plans to present the gift to the TALI (Tigboret Limudei Yahadut, or enriched Jewish studies) high school early next week.