PITTSBURGH — Despite stress brought on by the ongoing Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting trial, a community was able to come together to celebrate a Jewish tradition in Squirrel Hill.
A Torah scroll was dedicated in honor of Joyce Fienberg, who was killed in the synagogue shooting, and her husband, Dr. Stephen Fienberg, at the Shaare Torah Congregation on Sunday. The scroll will stay there permanently.
The scroll was first carried down Murray Avenue in a parade-like procession that is meant to symbolize the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
It can take more than a year to complete a Torah scroll. Every character has to be identical and written by hand, on parchment, in special ink and rolled onto wooden handles. The scroll has to be exactly 72 pages and approved by two professionals.
The Fienberg family members, their friends and the rest of the community were all in attendance for the celebration.
“It is something that we believe is not only a gift to generations to come but proving that we still value the continuation of the most important aspects of Judaism, proving that irreplaceable link from generation to generation,” Joyce and Stephen’s son, Anthony, said.
The theme of linking past and future generations was one of the most important aspects of the celebration.
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