Historic event: Synagogue's new Torah written by female scribe

A synagogue in Troy will be receiving a Torah from Jen Taylor Friedman of New York who is the first woman ever to be a Torah scribe.

Excerpt:

On Saturday, Dec. 13, the Jewish synagogue at 3900 Northfield Parkway will dedicate its new sacred Torah scroll and other important religious items. Torah means "teaching" in Hebrew and refers to the text of the Five Books of Moses.

What makes the reception so noteworthy is that the new Torah is one of only two in the world written by a woman, Jen Taylor Friedman of New York. She is the first woman to be a Torah scribe, and she is experienced in Hebrew calligraphy.

"We selected her not only because she is good, but it fit very much in our culture of equality between men and women," lay leader Michael Silverstein said. "We didn't set out to (commission a woman scribe), but when we found there was one available, it was just perfect for us."

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