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6a Aron Kodesh (Ark)
6b Ner Tamid
6c Amud (Reading Table)
6d Etz Chaim Carving
6e Torah Scrolls
6a – Aron Kodesh (Ark)
Designed and installed by Israeli Artist Perli Pelzig, 1982
Medium: Painted Mahogany and Gold Leaf
Gift of Sheila and Merrill Wynne
The dramatic and colorful ark that houses the Torah Scrolls in our sanctuary draws the worshipper’s gaze and sets a tone of spiritual uplift for observance and prayer. Incorporating warm wood and gold tones, the ark doors intend to evoke the rooftops of Jerusalem, symbolically transporting us to Jerusalem, the center and heart of Jewish history and life where the ancient Temple once stood and from which Torah first emerged. As the prophet Isaiah (3:2) and the liturgy of the Torah service proclaim: “Ki mitziyon teitzei Torah u’d’var Adonai mi’Yerushalayim – For Torah will come forth from Zion, the word of Adonai from Jerusalem.”
Reflection from Joan Kaufmann:
The sacred Ark is the focal point on the bima and the home of the Torah, the “Tree of Life,” containing Jewish laws and values which continue to guide us as a Jewish people. The deep colors of wood – bronze, brown and red – and multiple nooks and crannies in the Ark doors, as well the many scrolls the Ark houses, remind me of the richness and diversity of the Temple Sinai community and our commitment to be a welcoming home for all.
Both of my daughters and grandson stood before the Sacred Ark to celebrate their Bat and Bar Mitzvahs, and my daughter and son-in-law exchanged their wedding vows here as well. As a Sinai member of fifty plus years, and a regular attendee at Shabbat Services, I view the Ark as a symbol of my spiritual home, reminding me of my commitment to Judaism and to living a life of mitzvah, of continuity, of love, and of family – my own and my Sinai family as well.
“From generation to generation to generation, Hallelulah.”
6b – Ner Tamid
Artist: An anonymous IDF soldier
Dedicated March 25, 1975
Medium: Brass
Gift of Israel Defense Force soldiers to Diaspora Jews as an expression of united Jewish peoplehood. Presented on a UJA Young Leadership Mission
As you admire Sinai’s Ner Tamid (eternal light), consider that you are looking at what was once the casing of a Howitzer shell fired by Syria into Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Retrieved by an Israeli soldier, the projectile, once an instrument of war, was artistically transformed into this beautiful ritual object. This Ner Tamid is an enduring symbol of peace that proudly graces the sanctuary and is a tangible embodiment of Isaiah’s (2:4) prophetic vision: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks.” True to its name, the Ner Tamid is eternal, as it is on its own power source and cannot be extinguished.
Reflection from Yonatan Bentzur:
When I stand in our sanctuary and gaze upon our Ner Tamid, I’m struck by its profound symbolism. What was once a Syrian mortar shell, designed to destroy, has been transformed into our eternal light – a symbol of God’s enduring presence. This holds special meaning for me as someone born in Israel who served as a tank officer in the armored forces, stationed along the northern border near Syria. Having witnessed the tension in that region firsthand, this transformation resonates deeply with me. This Ner Tamid embodies the essence of Jewish resilience – our ability to take instruments of hatred and transform them into vessels of peace and holiness. Its gentle, constant glow speaks to me of our commitment to transform darkness into light, conflict into peace. Each time I see it, I’m reminded of my service protecting our homeland and of our greatest strength as Jews – creating holiness from the mundane, and hope from despair.
6c – Amud (Reading Table)
Unveiled September 2019 at post-renovation reopening
Designed by Michael Dillon
Media: Wood and metal
One of the more impactful renovations to our building during the congregation’s 50th anniversary campaign was the re-design of our sanctuary bima. We knew that our re-visioned space for prayer and celebration also called for the creation of a new Amud, or reading table, that would complement both the bima’s aesthetic and the clergy’s approach to the leadership of worship. Atlanta artist and sculptor Michael Dillon was engaged to design an Amud based upon the concept of a “tree of life,” a metaphor for Torah reflected in other settings throughout the building. The spectacular Amud, testament to the artist’s remarkable talent, features a beautiful wood tabletop and striking metal foundation which simultaneously communicate both stability and movement, foundational themes that inform our approach to prayer, Torah study, and Jewish life. Also of note on the bima is a smaller wood and brass table designed as an accompanying piece for the Amud which is used to feature candles and other ritual items for Shabbat and Havdalah.
6d – Etz Chaim Carving
Installed March 1973
Artist: Henri Jova
Medium: Stucco
At the conclusion of the Torah service, as the scroll is returned to the ark, we chant words from Proverbs (3:18):“Etz chayim hi lamachazikim bah v’tomcheha m’ushar – It is a tree of life for all who hold it fast, and all who uphold it are happy. Its ways are pleasant, and all of its paths peaceful.” This poetic text was etched into the stucco wall behind and above the ark during the final stages of the synagogue’s construction. The words speak to the living nature of Torah and serve as an enduring reminder that the Torah’s timeless wisdom is a source of sustenance, contentment and peace for all who embrace its teachings.
Reflection from Warren Epstein:
During the early months of my presidency of Temple Sinai in 1973, construction of the synagogue was rapidly approaching completion. Interior room finishes were currently in process and were just about to commence with the stucco finish of the sanctuary walls and bima, as designed by the project architect. However, Phil Diamond, a Sinai Vice President responsible for oversight of construction, and I mutually agreed that the wall immediately behind the Ark needed further consideration, something to add to its significance without detracting from the Ark. We determined the “Etz Chaim” prayer, to be etched into the stucco finish, was an ideal solution. My wife Jan and I researched several of our home Hebrew prayer books for attractive lettering that could in turn be photographed and enlarged as “block-out” forms. The stucco subcontractor added the stucco around the letters in order to achieve the striking, recessed, and legible lettering in the stucco wall above the Ark. More than 50 years later, the presence of the Etz Chaim text endures as a special reminder of our congregation’s history and how meaningful it was to be part of its formation.
6e – Torah Scrolls
Sinai’s scrolls came to us at different points in the congregation’s history. Several were inspired by and given with love in order to honor significant events or individuals, including our synagogue’s founding, our founding rabbi, Sinai’s first president, a family matriarch, and the memory of a beloved mother. A complete history of our Torahs is available in 50 Years of Torah: A Celebration of Temple Sinai’s Scrolls (copies available from Sinai office) as well as at the “Our Torahs” link on Sinai’s website.
Contained within our sanctuary ark are seven of Temple Sinai’s eight Torah scrolls. The tall scroll in the top middle adorned in a white mantle with the Hebrew words “Lo tishkach – Do not forget,” belonged to the Jewish community of Urineves, in the Czech Republic, that was destroyed during the Holocaust. In the bottom row center, in a gold mantle also with Hebrew writing, is a Torah scroll commissioned in celebration of the congregation’s 40th anniversary. Collectively, our Torahs are the spiritual heart of Temple Sinai, each of them reminding us of the chain of tradition and charging us to delve into their timeless words and wisdom to derive new truths for our lives today.
Reflection from Berylann Strada:
I never had a Bat Mitzvah. Until recently, I’d never even held a Torah. So it was with a sense of wonderment that, in 2007, I was part of a team that guided our congregation in the writing of a Torah scroll. I learned about the BODY of a Torah. Like muscles and bones, I learned about parchment, ink, font styles and format. But it wasn’t until 10 years later that I connected to the HEART and SOUL of each scroll in our ark. What started out as an assignment to write individual paragraphs about each Torah for a printed brochure grew into something more gratifying and far-reaching. I agreed to create a coffee-table book that would showcase our seven scrolls and would tell each of their background stories. In the following year, along with a small team of writers, we explored and researched, we dug and probed to uncover these stories – to document their places of origin, histories, families, donors, challenges and joys … the uniqueness of each scroll. I came to understand and to love each Torah and the story of its journey to Temple Sinai. The book was published in 2018. And now, when I sit in the sanctuary and I look at the open ark, I say hello to each scroll. I feel an intimate connection to each one. I say with love, I know your story, dear friend; and it is preserved forever.
