Five letters to finalise a torah
A brand new Torah in Australia’s Parliament House was completed by all five Jewish Members of Parliament witnessing the moment.
Dr Mike Freelander, Mark Dreyfus, Josh Frydenberg, Rabbi Shmueli Feldman, Julian Leeser, scribe Rabbi Eli Gutnick and Michael Danby
This historic Torah was dedicated to Australia’s enduring friendship to the Jewish people.
The completion ceremony was held in the main committee room in front of a standing-room only crowd of MPs, senators, ambassadors including Israel’s ambassador to Australia Shmuel Ben-Shmuel, faith leaders and community members.
Michael Danby holds the torah after its completion at Parliament House. Danby said: “I told the crowd including dozens of MPs that the AntiIsrael bigots & haters will never suppress me”
The final word of the Torah , “Yisroel”– “the Jewish people”” – containing five letters , had its inscription individually witnessed by each of the five Jewish serving Members of Parliament .
Following the siyum the Torah was marched from the streets of Canberra under a chuppa to its new home at the Chabad ACT Synagogue
Australia’s longest serving Jewish Michael Danby MP,added: “All those present were witness to a proud declaration of what a great country Australia is with a first Torah scroll completion in Parliament House.”
He added how fitting it was that the event was being held on the anniversary of passing of the late Rabbi Chaim Gutnick who had been the spiritual leader of Melbourne’S Elwood Synagogue and how emotional he would have been to see his family together celebrating the great country of Australia by organising such an event in its Federal Parliament.
He said that Rabbi Gutnick was a great Australian who served in the armed forces and had been so grateful to Australia for providing a safe haven to the Jewish people.
The purchase of this Torah by Chabad ACT’s Canberra Synagogue was made possible thanks to principal sponsors Dr Alena Rada and Jacob Reich and the many partners from around Australia who purchased letters in “Australia’s Torah” in a successful crowdfunding campaign . This is the first Torah to be owned by the Synagogue following several years of having loan Torahs..
