Two New Torah Scrolls Are Dedicated at Tufts Hillel
The completion and dedication of a new Torah scroll — the moment when the last letter is added and the scroll itself dedicated to the community — is a rare occasion. Even more rare is a ceremony dedicating two Torah scrolls at once.
But at Tufts Hillel, that’s exactly what members of the community celebrated earlier this week.
“This double Torah dedication is a remarkable and deeply moving moment for the Tufts Jewish community,” said Rabbi Naftali Brawer Ph.D., Neubauer Executive Director at Tufts Hillel and the Jewish Chaplain for Tufts University. “That two families independently chose to dedicate a Torah each is not only an extraordinary act of generosity, but also a powerful vote of confidence in the continued vibrancy of Jewish life at Tufts.”
Writing a new Torah is a massive undertaking. While a single trained Torah scribe, or sofer, can complete a scroll in 12 to 18 months, that timeline requires dedicating more than 40 hours a week to each scroll. The Torah scrolls completed at Tufts were independently written by two scribes and were finished at the ceremony.
Tufts Hillel Student President Elijah Fraiman found the event very moving. “It was a huge honor to emcee the celebration, working with our student leaders and the Hillel staff members to make the celebration happen, welcoming in the next chapter of the history of Jewish life on Tufts’ campus,” he said.
Because of the joyous and once-in-a-lifetime nature of the dedication, the ceremony was open to the Tufts community. Several student leaders and campus administrators joined the celebration, as well as Tufts University President Sunil Kumar, who spoke to the audience. The Torah completion was accompanied by a performance by Shir Appeal, Tufts University’s award-winning Jewish a cappella group, and was followed by a procession from Eaton Hall to the Hillel Center.
“One moment that was especially meaningful for me was the scene of welcoming our new Torah scrolls to the Hillel building for the first time,” Fraiman said. “Four of our Hillel staff members were standing outside the center ready to greet the procession with our other Torah scrolls, one of which survived the Holocaust.”
That moment, Fraiman said, was even more significant because it brought back memories of October 7, 2023, when, as students were grappling with devastating news of the attacks in Israel, they held Simchat Torah celebrations – which are centered around dancing with the Torah scrolls.
“That made our dancing outside all the more meaningful as it was a full-circle moment singing Am Yisrael Chai as we welcomed our brand new Torahs,” Fraiman said.
Bringing two new Torah scrolls to the Tufts community brings lasting meaning beyond the celebration of the moment. “With the steady growth of regular, student-led Shabbat minyanim and Torah reading at Tufts Hillel, our students are quite literally writing the next chapter of Jewish life on campus,” said Brawer. “This celebration marks both gratitude for that generosity and faith in a thriving Jewish future.”