Original Article> http://www.crownheights.info/index.php?itemid=46994
Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, NY
“I’m a Jew and I’m Proud…” rang in the air on West End Ave. as Jews in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn celebrating the completion of a new Torah Scroll. Children carrying flags, torches and theme balloons eagerly embraced and kissed the new Torah as they sang out loud in English and Russian.
The campaign to write this Torah was initiated by Chabad Lubavitch of Manhattan Beach for the use in their synagogue.
“Every Jew is compared to a letter in the Torah; Just as each letter is an essential part of the Torah, so too every Jew is an essential part of the Jewish people,” Said Rabbi Avrohom Winner, Director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Manhattan Beach.
The event began inside the Chabad Synagogue, where the final letters were written, followed by a parade and procession in which hundreds of adults and children participated.
The march began on West End Ave. and continued onto Brighton Beach Ave. The facial expressions of the onlookers were remarkable; people on the street stopped to partake in the procession and hold and kiss the new Torah. Prominent Rabbis and communal leaders joined the procession and were honored to hold the new Torah scroll. The parade concluded with dancing and refreshments in front of the Synagogue.
“This is something we could never have imagined in the former Soviet Union; it was forbidden to keep anything Jewish and here in America we can dance and celebrate our Jewishness in the streets,” Said Boris Borokhovich, a resident in the neighborhood.
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