Ark

The first Ark, in the early 70’s, was a homemade wooden box and Rabbi Schechter contributed a tie dyed curtain from a leading Sixties Greenwich Village tie dyer to cover it.

The original permanent Ark was donated by the Senior Youth Group. Funds were generated by the sale of a recording they produced of a rock-style Shabbat service they had created. The original dedicatory plaque is still inside and reads; “From the Youth Group in honor of the Eleven Israeli Athletes murdered at the Berlin Olympics 1973.” The Youth Group members witnessed this horrific event in 1972 as they and their parents watched on TV.

This original permanent Ark had very heavy wooden doors with metal lettering for the Shema, in the same “flame” style as other sanctuary objects including the Shabbat candelabra and the Ner Tamid. The doors were an engineering challenge for years. They were too heavy to slide smoothly and frequently came off the track. Because they were so difficult to use, curtains were installed, so that the ark could be “closed” (allowing the congregation to sit) without having to move the doors too often during services. These special ark curtains are displayed now on the wall (window side) in the Social Hall.

For many years, the Ner Tamid, Eternal Light was solar powered in a system designed by a Men’s Club engineer who worked at Fort Monmouth. There was a battery backup in the robing room (for rainy or cloudy periods). Upon its failure, that system was replaced. We are now reconnected to our local utility

Henry Danziger, a Temple member at the time, was asked by Rabbi Schechter to design the distinctive brass lettering of the ineffable Name of God, above the ark. Henry was a Broadway and Lincoln Center set designer, and from a Belgian Holocaust survivor family. His very unique and distinctive design of the sacred and ineffable Name of God, the Hebrew letters Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey was originally inside the first permanent Ark, but moved to the top, front of the current Ark when the sanctuary was renovated in the early 1990s.

New Ark Doors

The heavy wooden doors of the Ark were replaced in the 1990 renovation with the current etched glass doors, which continued the founders’ original flame theme, but in a different way. Also included were the sun and moon, so significant for reckoning time in Judaism. Askalon Studio was the designer.

(By the way, these glass doors actually were installed in reverse order; the crescent moon is supposed to be on the left and the sun on the right, which would move the name of the design studio to a less prominent position on the lower left hand side of the left facing door.)

Ten Commandments Plaque in the Ark

Inside the Ark, hanging above the scrolls, is the Ten Commandments Plaque. This is a hand carved antique, showing a crown above the tablets. This sacred object was found in the window of an antique store on Bleecker Street near Grove Street in Greenwich Village, New York. It was first spotted by Rabbi Schechter’s daughters, Sarah and Noa, when they were quite young. Little history is known about the item, except that it was salvaged from the demolition of a the Lower East Side synagogue and is typical of a design that would have been brought over from Eastern Europe, with the immigrants in the early 1900s. Rabbi Schechter described seeing “this antique” during services one Friday night, and several congregants spontaneously agreed to sponsor the purchase. It remains untouched; exactly as it appeared the day it was spotted in the antique store. Experts have recommended that no restoration be attempted, due to possible damage which might occur during the process. Only when one stands really close can any imperfections in the paint and the wood be noticed.

Torah Scrolls

Our first Torah was obtained from Union of American Hebrew Congregations, then the name of our national movement, on permanent loan. It was a common practice of the Union to help new congregations with scrolls from congregations in small towns which no longer could support a synagogue.

Our most precious Torah was obtained from Westminster Synagogue in London, and includes their numbered registration plaque. At the end of World War II, the Westminster Synagogue rescued damaged and hidden scrolls from all over what had been Nazi occupied Europe. They lovingly restored these precious scrolls and provided them to synagogues around the world. Ours was rescued from Nazi destruction in Czechoslovakia. It is very old and in some disrepair but still quite legible. Appraisers have advised that it has no monetary value, but it is priceless to us. Judy Wolt, whose husband John, is from Czechoslovakia, tried to research it in Europe, as have others, but no information was ever found. Though little is known of its history, it is a powerful connection to our past.

This “WestminsterTorah” was flown from England to Kennedy airport and Carl Simon, whose father was an Orthodox rabbi, volunteered to pick it up. During a dedicatory Shabbat service, Carl brought the Torah down the center aisle of the Sanctuary, under a chupah in a procession, to the Ark.

To keep its status special, only the Confirmation Class at their Confirmation Service on Shavuot actually reads from this scroll. It was also used symbolically as it was respectfully passed among Temple Board members at installation services. It is also used now when the members of the B’nai Mitzvah families assemble on the bema to pass the Torah from one generation to another.

Our Sephardic Torah tik (or “case,” in Hebrew) was found in Jerusalem, in an antique store across from the King David Hotel. While in Israel, Rabbi Schechter was searching for something as a special commemoration for Shaari Emeth’s 18^th anniversary. His Australian friend and classmate, Rabbi John Levi of Melbourne suggested a tik at that antique shop. When Rabbi Schechter saw the tik, he phoned then Temple President Harvey Cautin, who enthusiastically approved the idea and the purchase during the phone call, and the tik came to Shaari Emeth. The case is red silk with silver appliqué, silver crowns, and bells that tinkle when the Torah is carried around the synagogue. A hard Torah cover is typical in Sephardic tradition. The case originated in the once thriving Jewish Community that existed in Iraq until 1948.

The tik originally was delivered without a scroll, which was promised for later delivery One was finally sent from Israel but unfortunately it was written on brown leather, too big for the tik and not kosher. A scribe was commissioned to cut the margins to make it fit the case, but it still was too tight, difficult to use and especially to read. Former Temple President Gary Galamidi, who was very fond of the Sephardic tik, because he himself was raised in the Sephardic community in Egypt, found the current appropriately sized and clearly legible scroll in Brooklyn and he and his wife Karen donated it to the Temple.

The Hebrew inscriptions along the top and bottom of the outside of the case have remained an enigma even though many scholars have tried to decipher them. The top inscription almost certainly includes the original donors name (“Mr. Suleiman,” a common name in the Sephardic community. The bottom inscription reads “Wherever this tik goes. . .”)

The floral interior of the case is as it was found, except that the glass plate on the top right, which contained an illegible, faded inscription now has the Temple Shaari Emeth logo.

Another Torah scroll was the gift of Marcia Gross in memory of her husband, Harry.

Our newest, precious Sefer Torah arrived at Temple Shaari Emeth on Sunday, October 6, 2002. The Renaissance Group, together with over 100 Temple families and friends, purchased the Torah in memory of its late co-president, Martin Tarnoff, to memorialize his love of Torah.

The Torah was greeted with melodies of traditional Hebrew and Jewish songs, and carried under a chuppah supported by the Renaissance Board.

Our “new” 400 year old Italian Torah has a touching and marvelous history. It came from a small town about 200 kilometers from Milan. The twenty generation Synagogue had withered to only two Jewish families. They wanted to sell their Torah so they could build a museum to commemorate the thriving Jewish community it had been.

The Torah is adorned with silver crowns and yad, donated by Arlene and Perry Schwartz, and a unique custom embroidered mantel with the symbols of Shabbat which was designed by Laura Bursey, Arlene Schwartz and Susan Tarnoff.

The Torah handles are inscribed with a dedication:

The Torah shares a “place of honor” in our ark and is an active part of our Temple’s spiritual life.

Phyllis Kantor of Oregon designed most of the mantles on our scrolls. Designs on the white Torah mantles are for High Holy Days, and each reflects the Torah portion for a different Holy Day reading.

Continue the Tour - Tapestries and Windows