A group of 20 people, mostly American rabbis representing the National Council of Young Israel, have arrived in Israel - largely to donate Torah scrolls to Israeli soldiers. The overall goal of the four-day solidarity mission to Israel is to show support for the people of Israel, especially via this Torah scroll initiative - a grassroots effort 19 months in the making.
The group brought nine Sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) from communities all over North America to be presented to IDF soldiers stationed throughout the country. Young Israel’s Executive Director Rabbi Pesach Lerner told Arutz-7’s Josh Hasten today about the unique initiative:
“I was contacted about a year ago by Beit El resident Yedidya Atlas, who informed me that because of the situation many men on the front lines don’t always have Torahs to read from when they come back from battle… We right away started a campaign to collect Sifrei Torah from communities and individuals all over North America...
\"Yesterday we had a ceremony at a base with IDF Chief Rabbi Brig.-Gen. Rabbi Yisrael Weiss. You had to be there. This is one of those events that you can’t describe. There were twenty of us along with a busload of people representing the Young Israel of Israel who came from Jerusalem, as well as other rabbis and 50 IDF officers - all dancing together with the Sefer Torah… It must have taken us at least 45 minutes to dance into to the Synagogue, just 100 feet away. We went into the Shul (synagogue) singing Vayehi Binso\'a HaAron and Shma Yisrael along with the Chief Chazan (Cantor) of the army. Rabbi Shlomo Mostofsky, President of Young Israel, spoke at a [festive] meal after the ceremony and said that he has been singing Vayehi Binso\'a HaAron all his life, but he had never cried before [as he did today] from the emotion… This was an experience I don’t think any one of us will ever forget - the emotion that was flowing… The appreciation that we felt [from the soldiers], and the emotion that we felt that we were able to participate in some way in the battle on behalf of Eretz Yisrael, that mix was unbelievable…\"
Rabbi Lerner said that Young Israel has sent over 30 Torah scrolls so far, \"and we’re not stopping.\" He said that Chief Rabbi Weiss decides where the Sifrei Torah are to be delivered, \"and has been present to welcome every single one.\" Three scrolls have been donated by the Young Israel of Oxford Circle of Philadelphia, and others were donated by communities and individuals in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Miami, and elsewhere.
One of the scrolls in past missions was brought by Jeff Ballabon and his son Menachem, 12, of West Hempstead, NY. \"In the United States,\" he later recalled, \"airport security treated the Torah as if it was ordinary baggage - but once we boarded EL AL, everything changed. The EL AL crew treated the Torah with the utmost respect, and stored it carefully in a closet in the first class section. In Israel, the security guards left their posts to greet the Torah and to kiss it…\"
Maj. Atlas, rabbi of the IDF\'s Binyamin Brigade, told Arutz-7 that Operation Sifrei Torah took shape as a result of the Oslo War: “We realized there was a shortage of Torahs throughout the IDF… This project has become a remarkable opportunity for Jews in the galut (Diaspora) to connect to their brothers and sisters in Israel. Even the non-religious soldiers who participated in the ceremonies were deeply touched and [openly] expressed it… The Torah is a common denominator for all Jews to gather around. Am Yisrael (The Nation of Israel) is united in this project.\"