Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1994-12-01

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The Ohio Jewish Chronicle
Sermng Columbus avd the Central Ohio
Jewish Cormnienity since 1922
VOLUME 72
NUMBER 49
DECEMBER 1,1994
28 KISLEV 5755
Clinton to make case
for U.S, troops on Golan
page 2
Jewish National Fund
to honor Ronald Pizznti
page 5
Wexner Heritage House
has new nursing director
page?
(       **       a U - " h
;Mt^r exodus, every Syrian
Jew fe a rabbi
page 7
«
Israeli artist to speak
at JLIJCC December 5
> ''■  C'
page
Rkireatipn, Wellness director
l^ows children, sports
page 12
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/ABOUT;THECOVER
.Rabbi  David  Stavsky,  spiritual  leader,  and
Michael    Weisz, * president    of    Beth    Jacob
Congregation, hold the Torah the congregation
donated to the I.D.F. in 1974 at an Arojjy outpost
. overlooking the Kotel, in October 1993.
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COMMUNITY FEATURE
From here to there — The tale of a Torah
wmi'tf&m^mmwm^mimmti
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By Rabbi David Stavsky
When the Yom Kippur War
broke out in October, 1973,
the first 72 hours were very
perilous. Caught by surprise,
Israeli defenses gave way and
the elite Egyptian Army broke
through to the Bar Lev Line.
Syrian forces stormed the Golan Heights, crossed down to
the B'not Yakov Bridge and
were literally a short ride to
Haifa.
As the sirens blew throughout Israel, on the holiest day of
the year, men, young and old,
interrupted their Yom Kippur
prayers, removed their fa//e-
sim and jumped on army
trucks and jeeps which were
roaming the streets of every
city to gather the soldiers and
rush them to the war fronts.
Young women of the Israel
Defense Forces (I.D.F.) quickly responded to the call and
were shipped to the war zones.
While G-d judged, men died,
and 2,000 of Israel's bravest
marched away forever.
After three frightening days,
the I.D.F. turned everything
around; by week's end, the
I.D.F. regained the Suez Canal
and with General Ariz Shar-
ron's brilliant strategy and heroic fighting, the Israeli Army
was within 60 miles of Cairo,
40 miles from Damascus. A
cease fire was called. A truce
was signed in late December,
1973.
In November, a call was issued by the Rabbinical Council of America, to bring Torah
Scrolls and much needed gifts
and equipment to the far flung
campsites of the I.D.F. Over
50 rabbis in the United States,,
and Canada responded to the
call. I approached the Board of
Trustees of the Beth Jacob
Congregation, and unanimously, the officers voted to present
a Torah to the I.D.F. forces.
With the truce in effect, a
special El-Al jet brought the
Orthodox rabbis to Israel.
With tons of gifts, from new
U.S. Army and civilian parkas
and jackets, to flashlights, cigarettes, gum, socks, etc., etc.,
and hundreds of pair of tephil-
lin and 12 Torahs, the rabbis
under the auspices ofthe Ministry of Religion, headed by
Yonathan Yuval, set out to the
war zones.
I carried the Torah in an
Israeli jeep convoy in a night
crossing ofthe Sinai Desert in
January and reached the Suez
the next morning. In a joyous
celebration, the Torah was
carried under a makeshift chu-
pah, held up with four rifles.
The Torah was presented to
Israel Army Chaplain Sher-
see TORAH pg. 3
Dr. Charles Young, BJ president; the late Morris Weinstock,
and Martin Hoffman (1. to r.) present the Torah Beth Jacob is
giving to the I.D.F. to Babbi David Stavsky (second from left) In
January, 1974.
Hi