The story of the new Sefer Torah that was written and completed in the Dnipro Jewish Community has received its festive continuation. The Torah scroll, created at the initiative and with the support of esteemed Dnipro Jewish Community member Binyamin Demchenko and his family for the elevation of the soul of Dvora Vera, daughter of Yosef Demchenko, was solemnly brought into the central synagogue of the city of Mykolaiv. It will now spread spiritual light and blessing in this wonderful city.
As a reminder, the completion of the writing of the new Sefer Torah took place in Dnipro with the participation of respected members of the Dnipro Jewish Community and rabbis from many communities of Ukraine (more details about this event can be read here). The final letters of the Torah scroll were then written by the Chief Rabbi of Mykolaiv, Sholom Gottlieb, Myroslav Demchenko, and the Chief Rabbi of Dnipro and the region, Shmuel Kaminezki. Afterwards, the Sefer Torah was brought under a Chuppah into the “Golden Rose” Central Synagogue and handed over to representatives of the Mykolaiv community.
Now, a new chapter of this story has taken place in Mykolaiv. According to information from the Mykolaiv Jewish Community, the Hachnasas Sefer Torah ceremony was one of the most important and vibrant events in the life of the community. Hundreds of community members participated in the festive procession. Songs, music, and dancing filled the space around the city’s central synagogue, and the Sefer Torah itself was solemnly brought under the Chuppah into the synagogue as a symbol of spiritual continuity, Jewish unity, and the connection between generations.
In Mykolaiv, it was specifically emphasized that this great event was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Demchenko family from the Dnipro Jewish Community, and they also expressed special gratitude to the Chief Rabbi of Dnipro and the region, Shmuel Kaminezki, for his support and assistance in realizing the project.
The connection between the two cities lends special significance to this event. Mykolaiv is the birthplace of the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, while Dnipro became the city of his childhood and youth, which the Rebbe repeatedly called “his own.” Therefore, the journey of this Sefer Torah, which began in Dnipro and concluded with its Hachnasas in Mykolaiv, has become another symbol of the spiritual bond between the two Jewish communities.
“I want to express my deep gratitude to the wonderful Demchenko family and personally to Reb Binyamin Demchenko, who does so much for the development and strengthening of Jewish life in Dnipro and in other communities. This help is simply invaluable, especially in such difficult times,” emphasized the Chief Rabbi of Mykolaiv, Sholom Gottlieb. “This Sefer Torah is received with deep gratitude and love by all members of our synagogue, all the Jews of the city of Mykolaiv. This gift once again underscores our unbreakable connection with the united and cohesive Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of its Chief Rabbi, Shmuel Kaminezki.”
