Religion

Two years ago, Sherry Blanton, president of Anniston's Temple Beth El, stood inside Packages Plus watching as the most sacred artifact of her faith was wrapped in 100 percent cotton cloth, cradled by packing peanuts and tightly sealed in a box never to be seen again.

Or so she thought.

The process of preparing the 35-pound scroll, consisting of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, for the 1,000-plus-mile Fed Ex journey from Anniston to New York City took Blanton and Christian Cortez, the grandson of the Packages Plus owner, more than three hours. Not to mention the $15,000 insurance policy assuring its safe delivery.

But Blanton didn't mind the effort for she understood the significance of the gesture.

With a new Torah resting safely in the Ark at Temple Beth El, the congregation decided to donate its old one to a fledgling congregation somewhere in the United States or Canada as part of the Torah Loan Program sponsored by the Union for Reform Judaism.

It's called a mitzvah — a good deed. Trouble was, on that day two years ago, Blanton had no idea who would benefit from the congregation's generosity. There was no lack of candidates. Of the more than 900 synagogues affiliated with the URJ, some 200 are considered small. Most simply can't afford to buy a new Torah, which can run anywhere between $15,000 and $100,000.

"We had no idea where it would end up," Blanton says. "It was out of our hands."

It took two years, but on June 13 the Torah fell into the welcoming arms of another congregation when it was officially placed in the care of Temple Beth Shira — a growing congregation in west Boca Raton, Fla.

As soon as she saw the digital pictures of the ceremony, Blanton knew the congregation had made the right decision.

"The pictures show so much," she says. "We knew it was a good thing, but we didn't know just how good until we saw the joy of those people cradling their own Torah. It's like they were holding a child for the first time."

It was a historic day for Temple Beth Shira (House of God) for in addition to receiving a Torah, the congregation was also officially welcomed into the URJ.

That ceremony represented acceptance, says Ellen Stettner, spiritual leader for the temple.

"But more than that, it represented the loving kindness of the people of Anniston," Stettner says. "In Judaism, the most religious acts are those of kindness and generosity. Therefore this was a truly holy gift."

Formed four years ago by five families in an area of Boca Raton that was once the Everglades, Temple Beth Shira has quickly grown to more than 130 families who worship in a space rented from the local high school.

"The people here are remarkable," Stettner says. "They aren't attracted by a beautiful building but simply by the spirit of community."

During the June celebration, the new Torah was escorted around the room under a chuppah (a cloth canopy) while the Shira Singers and the congregation sang a traditional Jewish hymn. Jordan Friedman, whose Bat Mitzvah took place the next day, was the first to chant from the new Torah

Before the Beth El donation, members of Temple Beth Shira were forced to read from a Torah that was leant to them from a congregation in New Jersey. That Torah was in very poor condition and wouldn't necessarily be missed.

"It was very disconcerting, especially for my students who were new to read Hebrew," she says. "This new Torah … it's wonderful and beautiful. To us, it's not just an object, something to use. This torah is alive in our congregation. We will forever cherish this gift."

And it arrived with some history attached.

According to Rabbi Ariel Asa, a certified Torah scribe from Atlanta, who visited Temple Beth El to inspect and repair the congregation's two Torahs in 2003, it's between 75 and 100 years old and of Eastern European origin.

That estimation seems to go along with the story that's been circulating through the congregation for a number of years.

It is believed that that around the turn of the 20th century, a small group of Orthodox Jews worshipped in a room above a store on Noble Street in Anniston. When this small group disbanded, they gave their Torah to Temple Beth El, which was founded in 1888 and is the oldest synagogue still in use in Alabama.

In 2005, when a new Torah was given to Temple Beth El in the name beloved member Selma Gordon, there was simply not enough room to safely house them all.

"And now by sharing this most sacred thing," Blanton says, "our congregations are forever linked."