18 | APRIL 27 • 2023
OUR COMMUNITY
T
hree and a half years ago,
the Chabad Center of Troy
opened with the goal of
serving the Jewish community
east of Woodward. Now, that very
community will have its own Sefer
Torah, its own Torah scroll, the
holiest object of Judaism.
The Troy and Eastside
CommUnity Torah Campaign
has launched — with a special
opportunity for every Jew to take
part in a tremendous celebration
for the entire community.
While in the process of designing
the physical center in advance of its
opening in March 2022, the center
asked its woodworker to design an
ark for a Torah.
The catch: Due to the cost of a
Torah, the center didn’t have one
yet, even though it was a dream
to have one. The idea was to have
an ark for their monthly services
and to borrow a Torah when they
needed it.
At the grand opening of the
center, community member Joy
Silverstein saw the ark, opened it up
and was shocked to see no Torah.
Silverstein called the next morning
and said she wanted to give the lead
gift to sponsor the Torah.
“A Torah costs upwards of
$50,000, and she gave a very
significant part to get [the process]
started,” said Menachem Caytak,
rabbi and executive director of
the Chabad Center of Troy. With
her contribution in mind, it will
be named the Joy Silverstein
Community Torah.
That was last March and, after
going through the important
and not-so-simple process of
commissioning a scribe to work on
the scroll, the perfect scribe was
found — and he finished it just over
a month ago.
Now they’re opening it up for
the entire community to take part,
Caytak says.
Every part of the Torah, from the
letters to the portions to the crown,
can be endowed in honor or in
memory of loved ones.
For any and all dedications,
individuals will have the unique
opportunity to assist the sofer in
writing one of the final letters,
completing this historic Torah
scroll.
That will take place at a
big dedication ceremony and
celebration on May 21 to welcome
the Torah into the Chabad house.
“It’s a beautiful thing that
everyone will be able to take part
in,” Caytak said.
“This is a community Torah, and
anytime it will be used, and through
everyone dedicating one letter at
a time, we connect as an entire
community in a very beautiful and
spiritual way.”
Overall, Caytak hopes the entire
community gets together and unites
over the Torah.
“A community is not complete
without a Torah. I think this is a
real completion, and every time we
take out and read from the Torah,
it’s going to express unity and a
reminder that this is something
the entire community got together
on.”
Visit www.jewishtroy.com/torah to learn more
and get involved in the campaign.
The Chabad Center of Troy
has commissioned a Sefer Torah
and begun a campaign
for the community.
The Torah of Troy
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
Rabbi
Menachem
Caytak
Sofer
Yitzchok
Raskin with
the new
Torah