Kevin Kiley: “I wish to recognize the receipt of a new Holocaust Torah at the Temple Or Rishon, a Jewish synagogue located in…”

“I wish to recognize the receipt of a new Holocaust Torah at the Temple Or Rishon, a Jewish synagogue located in Orangevale, California. I was honored to attend the rededication of the Torah for its original purpose to this temple community on February 2, along with the Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, Marco Sermoneta. This scroll is approximately 155 years old, having survived the Holocaust during World War II, and it came to the temple from the Memorial Scrolls Trust. The trust is a charitable organization that was established to preserve and care for the over 1,500 Torah scrolls rescued from Czechoslovakia, where they had been looted by the Nazis. These scrolls were discovered in the early 1960s in a warehouse in Prague. Having raised the funds to restore this particular Torah scroll, Temple Or Rishon is among the few institutions in the world entrusted with one of the Holocaust Torahs. This Torah represents the incredible traditions and resilience of the Jewish community in Orangevale, Sacramento, and around the world. It certainly speaks to the Temple Or Rishon that it has been entrusted for this very important role and the incredibly important role it plays for so many folks in our community and our entire region. This ceremony is especially important in light of January 27 being Holocaust Remembrance Day. Mr.…”