Estonian Jews Celebrate New Sefer Torah

The Jewish community of Estonia and the Tallinn synagogue celebrated the inauguration of a new Torah Scroll yesterday, Sunday.

The newly written Sefer Torah is dedicated to the past, present and future generations of Estonian Jews. As such, the precious scroll traveled across the country, to be completed by Jews in the places of past and present Jewish dwellings and memorials, before being officially inaugurated in the Tallinn synagogue.

Chief rabbi of Estonia, Rabbi Shmuel Kot, and a delegation of community leaders accompanied by Israeli musician Shlomo Nizin traveled with the scroll to communities in Tartu, Narva and Kohtla-Järve. They also took the new Sefer Torah to the site of Nazi concentration camps in Vaivara.

“The Torah transcends our past and present, life and death. Today we came here to show that the Torah is eternal and thanks to it the Jewish people are alive. And to our brothers who perished here, we say that we remember, not only in stones, but most importantly, in spirit, and that we will continue our mission,” rabbi Kot said, speaking at the ceremony in Vaivara.

The new Torah Scroll completed its journey in the Tallinn synagogue, where it was joyously inaugurated yesterday, marking nine years since the building of the synagogue, the first Jewish place of worship to open in Estonia since WWII.

Photos courtesy of FJC