Synagogue Gets ‘Gift of Renewal’

A Los Angeles teenager helped bring joy and solace to a storm-shattered New Orleans Jewish congregation Sunday through a gift of a prized sefer Torah scroll.

“Although I haven’t met all of you, you’ve been in my heart and hopes for the last year,” Hayley Fields told about 200 congregants gathered for the dedication of the handwritten scroll to Congregation Beth Israel, an Orthodox synagogue.

A fundraising drive spurred by the 14-year-old from Hancock Park led to Sunday’s dedication of the Holy Scriptures.

“What a way to commemorate one year following the hurricane,” said Jackie Gothard, Beth Israel’s president, whose eyes welled with tears as Hayley spoke. “This is truly a milestone in our recovery.”

Flooding after Hurricane Katrina -- whose first anniversary is Tuesday -- devastated Beth Israel’s synagogue on Canal Boulevard, about half a mile from a levee breach. Everything was destroyed, including about 3,000 prayer books and seven Torah scrolls, many of them more than 100 years old. They were subsequently buried in the synagogue’s cemetery, in accordance with Jewish tradition.

Torah scrolls comprise the first five books of the Bible, telling the story of Moses as he led the Jews out of Egypt.

Like so many others here, more than half of Beth Israel’s 200 families -- including the rabbi -- were flooded out of their homes and forced to resettle elsewhere. There were 10,000 to 12,000 Jews in New Orleans before Katrina. Many of their families emigrated from Europe in the 19th century and opened businesses in the then-thriving port city.

The remaining members of the synagogue began celebrating Sabbath and holiday services at the Congregation Gates of Prayer in suburban Metairie -- using a borrowed Torah scroll.

When Hayley learned of Beth Israel’s plight through news reports, she knew she had to help. So, with the support of her mother, she organized a charity group called Every Minute Counts. They designed watches with clear, red and blue plastic wristbands, and sold them for $5 each to friends, neighbors and other synagogues. In all, about 3,500 watches were sold, raising $1,800, she said.

The Fields’ rabbi, Elazar Muskin, who heads Young Israel of Century City, joined the effort in spreading the word about helping Beth Israel. His congregation and others were able to contribute thousands of dollars more to buy Beth Israel the Torah.

“It represents a gift of renewal to this community,” said Muskin, a member of one of the Jewish delegations that traveled from Los Angeles and New York for Sunday’s Torah dedication. “They are determined to continue against all odds.”

Muskin said the dedicated Torah scroll was used, but was inspected and bought in Israel by a trained scribe who validated that it was authentic and kosher. It cost $15,000.

Standing at about 3 feet and weighing at least 10 pounds, the Torah is 75 to 100 years old, Muskin said.

Torahs are often the most valuable objects of a Jewish congregation. A new one can cost $35,000 to $100,000, Gothard said. They are handwritten in Hebrew calligraphy on animal skin, usually cowhide, thinned to a parchment and then woven together with leather thread.

The scroll is wrapped around two rods, or handles, often capped with crowns. They are typically adorned with ornamental breastplates atop fine fabric, and stored in an ark, or cabinet, generally being removed only for certain services.

Muskin’s delegation also presented Beth Israel with other Torah trappings, including two scroll covers, in blue and white; a sterling silver breastplate; silver crowns; and a silver pointer, which is used to follow the text when reading it.

On Sunday, the dedicated Torah, cloaked in blue velvet with an inscription to Beth Israel sewn in gold thread, was hand-carried under a white canopy down a one-block stretch to Gates of Prayer synagogue.

About 50 people sang, danced, clapped and snapped photos as the two-man Panorama Jazz Band played lively, traditional Jewish klezmer music on a clarinet and an accordion. Inside the hall, the Torah’s wooden handles were dressed with the crowns, and the breastplate was placed over the fabric before the Scriptures were placed in the ark. A few minutes later, the ark was reopened and the scroll removed as the audience burst into song.

As the Torah was carried up and down the aisles, congregants reached to touch it, then put their fingers to their lips. Children were called to gather at the podium as the scroll was unrolled and several verses recited from it.

The room again vibrated with songs of praise as the Torah was lifted, wrapped and returned to the ark.

“I feel so excited that I am able to participate in some way to help the New Orleans Jewish community,” Hayley said in an interview before the ceremony. “Because of Katrina, some people lost hope and faith. A Torah is so important to providing hope and faith.”

Gothard, Beth Israel’s president, said the teenager’s gesture exemplified the spirit of her faith.

“This is the essence of Judaism,” Gothard said. “We’re a family. If someone is in trouble, you go to their aid.”