Appalachia

This is a really interesting article and I learned quite a bit about the history behind Torah scrolls. I have a particular interest in the preservation of old documents. A schedule of the events/lectures follows the excerpt from the article.

The Charleston Gazette
Saturday, October 25, 2014
The care, restoration and reading of Torah scrolls
By Douglas Imbrogno, Staff Writer

At the heart of Jewish religious life lies the Torah, which encompasses the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

And behind every hand-lettered rendition of the Torah found in Jewish temples is a sofer, who carefully and prayerfully renders these holy books in a tradition thousands of years old.

From Friday Oct. 31 to Sunday, Nov. 2, Temple Israel at 2312 Kanawha Blvd E., will host Neil Yerman, a 66-year-old sofer and scribal artist-in-residence. Yerman will examine, restore and teach about the temple’s Torah scrolls and the rich history behind the transcribing of these shared books of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Rabbi Jim Cohn said that he was commenting one Friday night about some of the problems with one of the temple’s scrolls. There followed a conversation with then-Temple president, Philip Angel, Jr., who recently passed away, who said that the congregation should do something about it.

- See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20141025/GZ05/141029901/1419#sthash.aL5x93Ks.dpuf

Schedule of events:
Here is a schedule of the free events of Yerman’s visit:

Friday, Oct, 31, 7:30 p.m.: Sabbath Service. “Restoring our Scrolls, Renewing our Souls.” Sofer Yerman will give a sermon about the Temple’s scrolls. Reception to follow.

Saturday Nov. 1, 10 a.m.: “What is a Torah Scroll?” Torah study based on an examination of one of the Temple’s scrolls, its structure and components, with a presentation of the physical tools, materials and media required to produce a scroll. Coffee, tea and juice provided.

Saturday, Nov. 1, 1 p.m.: “Torah Detective Training Academy.” Several scrolls will be compared and contrasted, examining clues about where they were created, hints about the political climate in which they were written and more.

Saturday, Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m.: Havdalah service followed by program. “Biography of the Hebrew Language,” featuring a brief presentation of the paleography of Hebrew and a scribal look at how Hebrew letters create more depth and wonder in our understanding of the Biblical text. Light reception to follow.

Sunday, Nov. 2, 2 p.m.: “The Torah De-mystified.” How has the faithful copying of Torah scrolls over thousands of years contributed to the foundations of Western religious tradition? How and why has this core of the “Old Testament” been preserved by hand, in its original language and format? This program is designed for the entire Charleston community, including people of all faiths or no faith, and will give them an opportunity to see a scroll and understand its birth and life. Includes a tour of Temple Israel.