The warm tropical city of Key West, usually a backdrop for vacationers and sunset celebrations, was recently filled with the joyous sounds of a Hachnasas Sefer Torah. The celebration event was also a somber reminder of the hostages in Gaza, kidnapped in the Hamas attacks on Simchas Torah.
The Key West community, led by Rabbi Yaakov and Chanie Zucker, united for the new Torah celebration, which was not just a local festivity but a beacon of Jewish pride amidst the war in Israel and rising global antisemitism.
Rabbi Zucker, who recently returned from a solidarity mission to Eretz Yisroel with 28 fellow shluchim, shared the poignant journey of the new Torah scroll. “The Torah was commissioned in memory of the parents of two individuals who sponsored the Torah, Ronen Teshuvah and Yaakov and Talia Blives. However, its creation was anything but straightforward during the past two years,” he explained.
The Sofer, a Lubavitcher, began his preparation, ordering ink and klaf while living in Ukraine, but was forced to relocate to Israel due to the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The Torah was then continued to be written in Israel, and its completion took on new meaning with the Hamas attacks on Simchas Torah.
“Now that it’s finally ready, it has the added layer of being dedicated to the safety of Israel and in memory of those killed on October 7th,” said Rabbi Zucker.
At the Siyum, Rabbi Zucker personalized the tribute by reading aloud the names of missing hostages, a task imbued with even greater meaning after he personally met some of their families while on the solidarity mission in Israel.
One of the most touching moments shared by Rabbi Zucker was his decision to give a dollar from the Rebbe to a mother he met in Israel. Her daughter, who was at the music festival in southern Israel which Hamas viciously attacked, had been out of contact for a week, leading her family to fear the worst. They were later told that she is alive, but among the 244 hostages. Rabbi Zucker gave the mother a dollar and a Kuntres from the Rebbe, with prayers for a miracle for her daughter. “The dollar I brought was given by the Rebbe with the Kuntres Baruch She’asash Nissim – ‘blessed is the One who performs miracles,’ I got it on Yud Shvat, Taf Shin Nun Alef,” Rabbi Zucker told COLlive.com.
The completion of the Torah writing was led by Rabbi Yochanan Klein and was joined by children of the local Hebrew school. They not only observed the completion of the Torah but also actively participated by writing letters to IDF soldiers.
In a display of joy that spilled out onto US-1 Highway, the community, including the Hebrew school students, danced and celebrated, while enjoying delicious kosher delights brought in from Hollywood, Florida by KC Market.
This momentous occasion caught the attention of the local newspaper, ‘The Key West Citizen,’ which plans to feature the event.
Key West Vice Mayor, Sam Kaufman, said at the event, “My family is grateful for the opportunity to attend the Torah dedication ceremony this week at the Chabad house of Key West and the Florida Keys. This is so special for our family and the community to celebrate together on this very special occasion. Joining together for this mitzvah is especially poignant at this time!”
Ronin Teshuva, one of the Torah’s sponsors, said he is deeply inspired to be a part of the Torah writing.
“When you think about the Torah, we read about all the mitzvot we are supposed to do, and the last mitzvah of the Torah, a person of Israel should write a Torah. This felt very important to me – to ensure we have this as a reminder of all the Torah and mitzvot that come before and what the Torah represents: how to correct our inner selves, how to love one another, and love Hashem, and bring people together. This is our protection, and this is something I thought I could contribute,” Teshuva said.
Rabbi Zucker highlighted Teshuva’s crucial role in the community, mirroring the integral part the new Torah scroll will play in the spiritual life of the Key West Jewish community.
