Forty years ago, the small burgeoning Jewish community in the Southtowns needed a Torah. This collection of Jews spread out in Alden, Hamburg, East Aurora and Orchard Park, would be holding regular services and life cycle events. Contacting a Torah broker in New York City, they were able to locate a scroll. It wasn’t perfect, with loose pages stitched together and a cover just a little too snug, but it was exactly what was needed for the members of Temple Beth Shalom. For Tom and Carrie Moscato, this precious Torah scroll helped all four of their children become Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
On Shabbat morning, the scroll will take on renewed significance, as Tristen Peck, Tom and Carrie Moscato’s grandson will become a Bar Mitzvah. The Torah portion he will be reading from Matot-Masei, describes the journeys of the People of Israel from their Exodus from Egypt to the Steps of Moab, right outside the Promised Land. Their forty year journey, just like the forty year journey of this unique Torah, was not a simple one, filled with many stops and starts along the way. The Southtowns Jews never had one spiritual home, but moved from house to house, each time bringing the Torah along with them. They, like our ancestors, knew they could create a place of holiness wherever and whenever they gathered. Just being together was enough.
Sadly, that vibrant community on the outskirts of Wester New York is no more. Five years ago, or so, their population had dwindled to such a point that they were too small to hold services at all. The Moscato’s gifted the Torah scroll to Congregation Shir Shalom. We, in turn, passed it onto the residents of Canterbury Woods, where it resides in the old portable ark from Temple Sinai, ready, like on this coming Shabbat, to travel wherever it is needed to add just a little bit of magic and holiness to an occasion already infused with magic and holiness. Mazel Tov to the Peck/Moscato family and to our whole community. And, as we say after completing a book of the Torah – chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek – strengthen, strengthen, be strengthened!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex