Our Torahs

Beth Torah’s first Torah was donated by Milton B. Levy in memory of his wife, Sarah.

Listening to Shearith Israel’s Sunday evening radio show on WRR, hosted by Harvey Weiner and Barry Sommerstein, Mr. Levy heard Beth Torah’s new officers mention they lacked a Torah. He immediately called in and offered to provide one for the fledgling congregation.

With help from Tiferet Israel, a Torah written in 1903 by Polish scribes was located in New York City. In spring 1975, it arrived in Texas via Braniff Airlines during a rainstorm. As it passed through the gate, sunshine broke through, forming a rainbow—a good omen for Beth Torah.

In the late 1970s, Susan and Richard Zalman moved from Chicago to Dallas and joined Beth Torah, regularly attending services and social events.

Richie, active on the Ritual Committee and working at the JCC, shared Susie’s joy in their children, Elizabeth and Jonathan. Known for her ever-present smile, Susie was always ready to help. She passed away suddenly from a heart condition in June 1983.

Within a year of her passing, Richie donated a Torah to Beth Torah in her memory, complete with mantels, a breastplate, a crown, and yad. He chose a purple mantel, Susie’s favorite color.

Elizabeth read from her mother’s Torah for her bat mitzvah in 1993, and Jonathan did the same for his bar mitzvah in 1995.

As told by longtime congregant Harriet Gross:

Congregation Cneseth Israel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was founded in January 1904 and disbanded in October 2002 due to changing neighborhood demographics. For over 50 years, it was the spiritual home of my grandparents, David and Mollie Roth, and their children, including my mother. When the shul closed, my uncle, Irwin Roth, helped bring one of its four Torah scrolls to Beth Torah. The remaining members, mostly elderly, wanted the Torahs to go to thriving congregations with family ties and children, ensuring they wouldn’t need relocation for at least a century.

Two Torahs went to Israel, one to Burbank, California, where the great-great-nephew of Cneseth Israel's founders leads a congregation. The Roth Torah, originally dedicated by my mother and her siblings in memory of their parents, was rededicated at Beth Torah during Passover 2003. L’dor v’dor — from generation to generation.

The yad, shaped like the state of Israel, came from a Chanukah bazaar at Temple Emanu-El years ago. Intrigued by its uniqueness, I bought it without knowing why or what I’d do with it. I remember telling the cashier it simply felt like something I had to do. There was no other like it, and I haven’t seen one since.

For years, it stayed in my “getting place” closet (another story!) until we received the Roth Torah, which only had a white mantle. Then I understood why I had bought the yad! Later, Fred and I found the breastplate at a Judaica shop in Miami, and after fruitless local searches for a crown or finials, the Naviases sourced the one we now have from Israel.