When Rabbi Nesanel Cadle knew he was moving to Israel and starting a new synagogue, he emailed some Bucks County contacts to raise money. Rabbi Aaron Gaber of the Conservative Congregation Brothers of Israel in Newtown was emailed. Gaber and Cadle, the leader of the Orthodox community Knesset Hasefer in Yardley, are fellow religious leaders and friendly.
When Gaber read the e-mail, he decided to offer a gift more valuable than money; a Torah for their synagogue. Once Gaber came to the CBOI Board of Trustees with the idea, they unanimously approved it. CBOI had extra Torahs and it was hard to think of a better use for one than as the seed of a new community.
Rabbi Gaber presented the gift to his Yardley colleague during a ceremony at CBOI on June 16th. Cadle will make aliyah in August with 150 families from across the United States between this summer and next.
“To have a Sefer (handwritten) Torah is one of the essential things that a community needs,” Cadle said. “To have that as a gift is just very valuable and appreciated.” In Israel, after the Torah scroll is “koshered” there will be a celebration that includes a parade that welcomes the scroll to its new home. It’s a big deal, like a wedding, that the entire town is invited to.
Brothers of Israel did not sell the Torah to Cadle. It’s more like a loan forever. Cadle and his community will need to keep the Torah Kosher with a maintenance program and never sell it. They must inform CBOI annually that they are in compliance with the loan program. They would return the Torah if they were to close
PHOTO CAP: From left, Rabbi Aaron Gaber and Rabbi Nesanel Cadle (courtesy of Sharon Segarra).