With over 75 in attendance in the ballroom turned sanctuary of the Fort Collins Senior Center on September 23, 2005, it was with great pride and excitement that Temple Or Hadash welcomed both their first Torah and their first Rabbi.
Rabbi Ted Stainman opened services with a Torah dedication ceremony he likened to a wedding, wherein the congregation weds itself to the Torah and its teachings. As part of the ceremony, members of the Temple board rolled the Torah, which had been opened for display prior to services, then passed the scroll around the room so that each person could hold the Torah themselves for a moment, after which the Torah was placed in the Ark under a chupah held by four members of the congregation.
Shabbat evening services followed the dedication, which included this week’s reading from the newly acquired Torah for the first time. Although Shabbat evening services in reform congregations do not normally include reading from the Torah, this special occasion called for such a special reading. Greg Herman, President of neighbor congregation Har Shalom was honored with the one aliyah.
The “new” torah is on loan for ten years from Temple Meir Chayim in McGehee, Arkansas. The loan was arranged by Lester and Linda Pincus, cousins of board member Patzi Goldberg. Patzi made the trip to Arkansas in August to pick up the Torah personally. The Pincus’ were unable to attend the dedication.
The new ark was designed and built specifically for Temple Or Hadash by member Marty Goldberg, with assistance from Patzi Goldberg, Frank and Andrew Deming and board member Michael Agruss. The Ner Tamid was designed and built by Patzi Goldberg, with assistance from Jack Hirneisen. Marty also designed and built the lectern to be used for Torah readings.The Fort Collins Coloradoan covered the event, with a feature story to be published on Saturday, October 1st.
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