DETROIT J EIVISH NEWS hes.fEWiS H NEW$.coth Arthur M. Horwitz Publisher / Executive Editor ahorwitz@renmedia.us Jackie Headapohl Managing Editor jheadapohl@renmedia.us Keri Guten Cohen Story Development Editor kcohen@renmedia.us Gail Zimmerman Arts Editor gzimmerman@renmedia.us Deborah Schultz Corporate Creative Director dschultz@renmedia.us EDITORIAL Senior Copy Editor David Sachs dsachs@renmedia.us Editorial Assistant Sy Manello smanello@renmedia.us Senior Columnist Danny Raskin dannyraskin®sbcglobal.net Contributing Editor Robert Sklar rsklar®renmedia.us Contributing Writers Bill Carroll Suzanne Chessler Annabel Cohen Don Cohen . Shelli Liebman Dorfman sdorfman@thejewishnews.com Ronelle Grier Esther Allweiss Ingber Harry Kirsbaum Lynne Konstantin Rabbi Jason Miller Allan Nahajewski Robin Schwartz Steve Stein sports@thejewishnews.com ED THREAD magazine Managing Editor Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@renmedia.us Executive Editor Gail Zimmerman gzimmerman@renmedia.us Contributing Editor Keri Guten Cohen kcohen@renmedia.us 7o. cmg artd Con IA, tem. Detroit ben 6 July 19 2012 DETROIT JEWISH NEWS frontlines theJEWISHNE\NS.com A 'Unique Mitzvah' An Israeli Torah with roots in Detroit. F. Kevin Browett Chief Operating Officer kbrowett@renmedia.us Keith Farber Sales Director kfarber®renmedia.us Shelli Liebman Dorfman Contributing Writer M ost Metro Detroiters involved in a project to write a new Torah will likely see its use and completion only in thought, photo and with the knowledge of how it hon- ors Jews worldwide who have died in acts of terror. "Some may actually go to Jerusalem and read from it, but for others, being part of this very special mitzvah can be their connection to Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel)',' said for- mer Detroiter Sean Littman, who spent Sean Littman the past five weeks meeting with commu- nity members to help fund the project. "The Torah will be written in ' memory of all of those souls who were killed in terrorist attacks in Israel and abroad:' said Littman, 22, who now lives in Tel Zion, north of Jerusalem, with his wife, Ilana."Our aim is to make this a Torah project that is about unity in our Metro Detroit Jewish com- munity by getting together individuals, temples, synagogues, schools and orga- nizations to participate in donating funds to have the Torah written" Littman has been meeting with community members in Metro Detroit, including Oak Park, where his parents Marc and Shelly Littman and in-laws Leonid and Anna Beznosov live. The idea for the yearlong, nonprofit Torah project came from a discus- sion at the Jerusalem-based Ahavat Chinam Foundation, where Littman serves as executive director. The organization provides financial, physical, psychological and emotional assistance for Israelis of all ages. Chaim Saadon, the son of Ahavat Chinam's founder, Rabbi Zion Saadon, suggested the writing of the Torah. "There are projects and groups that give aid to the families of terror vic- tims, but he didn't know of anything being done for the souls of the victims, in memory of those who perished at the hands of terrorists simply because they were Jewish," Littman said. Supporting the writing of a Sefer Torah is a "unique mitzvah," Littman said of the Torah's 613th mitzvah to write a Torah scroll. "Because not everyone has the ability to write a Torah scroll, one can commission it through a proper scribe said Rabbi Boruch Cohen of the Birmingham-Bloomfield Chai Center in Birmingham, whose congre- gation donated to the project. "When people participate together in writing a Torah scroll, it generates a beautiful spiritual harmony; people coming together to create a Torah, which itself binds us together, in the sense of One People, One Torah, One God:' Once complete, the Torah — initi- ated with the blessings of the late Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, founder and head of Torah Ohr Yeshiva in Israel and New York — will be housed in the syna- gogue at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. At a cost of about $90,000, the Torah will be written in Israel by a scribe from Ramat Beit Shemesh. Donations for portions of the Torah begin at $18 for a pasuk (biblical verse), with several entire parshiyot (weekly Torah portions) sold in the first few weeks since the project was begun. "We are doing this based on chesed (act of kindness) and Detroiters are knows for chesed," Littman said. Rabbi Cohen is a strong supporter of the project. "The calculation on my end was simple he said. "A Torah scroll, our holiest object, written in honor of terror victims, people killed simply for being Jewish, are considered our holiest souls, to be used at the Kotel, the Western Wall, our holiest place. The alignment of these elements just seemed to create a direct, clear, wide- open pipeline to a holy cause. To me, it was something of merit beyond any measure, a great, great honor, and just an irresistible opportunity "We picked parshat Nitzavim because of its main themes:' Cohen said. "The eternal togetherness and strength of the Jewish people, 'You are standing strong today, all of you together, seemed to fit the project." Littman has returned to Israel, but Yosef Sufrin is now here to continue the project locally. "We will go to other cities if we need to',' Littman said. "But we are hoping this can be a Metro Detroit Jewish community Torah and that Detroiters who go to Israel and go to the Wall and see and read from the Torah can know that they had a part in its creation." To donate, contact Yosef Sufrin at (586) 344-6902 or yosefsufrin@grnail.corn, or seanlittman72@gmalcom. Cost pasuk (verse)/$18; perek (chapter)/$500; parshah (weekly portion)/$1,800; single book of the Torah/$18,000. Account Executives Ann G. Abrams Jan Haskell Melissa Litvin Heidi Martin Rick Nessel Senior Sales Assistant Kim Metzger BUSINESS OFFICES Customer Service Asst. Jan Shain Billing Coordinator Pamela Turner Collections Analyst Hazel Bender Production By FARAGO & ASSOCIATES Manager Scott Drzewiecki Designers Amy Pollard Pam Sherevan Michelle Sheridan Susan Walker PUBLISHED BY: RENAISSANCE Chairman Michael H. Steinhardt President Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Chief Operating Officer F. Kevin Browett kbrowett@renmedia.us Controller Craig R. 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