The completion of our Torah Scroll at the Siyyum on 5 September 2004 was a proud moment for our community, and one that will always be remembered by everyone who was there. Although there has been a second Jewish group in Edinburgh for almost thirty years, meeting as a prayer group, we now find ourselves a small but thriving community with regular services, a diverse and enthusiastic membership, a cheder and our very own Torah Scroll.
Eighteen months of fundraising and searching for a suitable scroll led up to the event. The scroll is over 150 years old and originated in Germany, but no more is known about its history. Finding it was quite a feat. Many avenues were explored in vain, from eBay to a US Rabbi to the Czech Torah Scroll Trust (a charity that repairs and lends out many hundreds of scrolls rescued from Czechoslovakia in 1964 but unfortunately had nothing appropriate left in their collection). Finally contact was made with Marc Michaels, who works under his Hebrew name of Mordechai Pinchas. He found this scroll, which is light enough to be lifted by any member of the community young or old.
As is fitting for an Edinburgh based congregation, the scroll arrived accompanied by two pipers, father and son Hugh and Ronald Cheape, under a chupa carried by members of the community. There followed a welcome by Chairman Maurice Naftalin and an interesting talk on the nature of Sofrut, or being a scribe, from Marc Michaels. Daniel Naftalin, the youngest bar mitzvah member of the community, received a brief lesson on sofrut and was then able to write one of the last letters himself before the scroll was completed by the oldest member of our community Mrs Ida Skubieyska. The completion of the last word of the scroll – Israel – made the scroll kasher and fit for use in services.
Rabbi Nancy Morris who had travelled from Glasgow New Synagogue with other well wishers, read from the Torah and enchanted assembled company with her beautiful singing voice. The shofar was blown by Adam Barclay, whose weeks of practice culminated in a memorable peprformance.
The Siyyum was attended by members of the Jewish community and other well-wishers from diverse sections of Scottish society – other religious groups, Edinburgh City Council, Lothian and Borders Police, Scottish Parliament etc.
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