MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE WELCOMES PRE-WWII POLISH TORAH INTO ITS COMMUNITY ON OCTOBER 27

For immediate release
October 18. 2000

MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE WELCOMES PRE-WWII POLISH TORAH INTO ITS COMMUNITY ON OCTOBER 27

Consecration of the College's Newly Acquired Torah To Build College's Jewish Community

SOUTH HADLEY, Massachusetts—In Jewish tradition, the Torah, a scroll that contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, plays a critical role during many services throughout the year. On October 27 at 5:30 PM at the Abbey Chapel, Mount Holyoke College will welcome its new Torah with a celebration. The public is invited to join the service, which will be led by the College's new Jewish chaplain Efraim Eisen.

According to Eisen, "Having and learning Torah builds and expands Jewish community, so we're delighted to have this handwritten Torah on campus."

Formerly Vassar's Jewish adviser, Eisen is a lay rabbi and cantor. In addition to acquiring the Torah this fall, Eisen arranged for local artisan Mark Leue to build an ark for the Torah; the ark is currently under construction. Created in Poland sometime in the 1930s, the College's new Torah fortunately survived the Holocaust, during which many Jewish religious objects were damaged or destroyed.

The Torah has already played a significant role at the College since its arrival this fall from New York City's Lower East Side. It was first read during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, in September. And, on October 21, the Torah will be centerstage, as one of four Torahs, for the Five College Simchat Torah celebration. A holiday that expresses Jews' joy of sharing the wisdom of the Torah, Simchat Torah marks the annual ending and beginning of the Torah's reading. The Five Colleges—Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, and Mount Holyoke Colleges and the University of Massachusetts—will hold this year's service at the University of Massachusetts.

At the consecration on October 27, Eisen plans to welcome the Torah. The ceremony will have a different twist: every participant who wishes to will be able to hold the Torah. Eisen anticipates that this will make welcoming the Torah a very personal and meaningful experience.

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