Torat Aynayeem
Beth Shalom at 75
Seeing the Future
Through Our Past
“And now write for yourselves these words, and teach them to your children.”
Deuteronomy 31:19
In honour of the 75th Anniversary of
Congregation Beth Shalom, our congregation embarked on a year-long journey to
create a Torah. From young children to the most senior adult, all the members of
our community have had the unique privilege of fulfilling the 613th Mitzvah – to
write a Sefer Torah, while at the same time through effective fund-raising and
inclusive community events we also strengthened our congregation.
During the course of almost a year, starting just before Shavuot 5766 (June
2006) and ending with a Siyyum (Dedication Ceremony) in March 2007 in honour of
the 75th Anniversary of Congregation Beth Shalom, congregants and friends had
the opportunity to write a letter in the congregations new Sefer Torah. The
commission of our new Sefer Torah has been generously funded by a family in the
congregation in honour of their children to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of
our synagogue.
During the year in addition to writing the Torah, we also had a series of major
events coinciding with the visit of our scribe. These events included opening
and closing services, a cantorial concert and two photo exhibitions. All the
events during the year were either free, or priced so that a majority of our
congregants could participate. We also reached out to ensure we had the active
support of Women’s League and our youth, including them in every aspect of the
celebration. Our goal was to enable the entire congregation, young and older to
celebrate 75 wonderful years.