12 – Illustrated Torah
Gifted by Nancy Loeb
Created by artist Michal Meron, the Illustrated Torah includes a vibrant, pictorial presentation of all 54 weekly Torah as well as a special painting of the 10 Commandments. The single, canvas scroll – attached to rollers much like a Torah in our Ark – features selected Hebrew and English passages that highlight particular themes in each portion and the corresponding prophetic reading. Meron created the Illustrated Torah as an educational tool in order to provide both children and adults with an opportunity to interact more closely with the text of the Torah. While traveling in Venice, the donors saw and immediately recognized the teaching potential of the scroll and made the decision to donate an Illustrated Torah to the congregation in honor of their children and grandchildren as well as all present and future children at Temple Sinai.
Reflection from Nancy Loeb:
Torrential floods hit Venice, Italy during our visit in 2018. The streets and bridges were under water. The main place I could still get to from the hotel was once Venice’s Jewish Ghetto. Dating from the 1500s, the Jewish Ghetto of Venice, an area to which Jews were often confined, is the oldest in Europe. There I met artist Michal Meron and his talented family in their gallery, and saw them illustrating a Children’s Torah. It was colorful, beautiful, and spiritually compelling, and I knew I had never seen anything like it at Temple Sinai. I felt it was bershert, meant to be, that I was there at that moment, and I knew this Illustrated Torah would be a wonderful addition to a place that my family loves. It is heartwarming to know that this Children’s Torah will be enjoyed by my grandsons, Jaryd and Elliott, and the children of Temple Sinai for years to come.
