‘Truman Torah’ Reunited With Rabbi in Philadelphia
January 30, 2020 | | 1 min read
In one of the most momentous decisions of his presidency, Harry S. Truman recognized the new state of Israel just minutes after it was founded in May 1948.
Israel’s grateful president, Chaim Weizmann, presented a Torah to Truman when the new head of state visited the White House a little more than a week after Israel’s founding.
The backstory is that eminent New York Rabbi Louis Finkelstein gave the Torah to Weizmann, and this was no small gesture. Finkelstein had commissioned the holy scroll for the bar mitzvah of his son, Ezra.
Fast forward seven decades, and young Ezra, who is now a 92-year-old rabbi, was reunited with the Truman Torah at a ceremony today at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.
The Torah is on loan from from the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum in Independence, Missouri, which is undergoing a major renovation.
The ceremony marked the 80th anniversary of Finkelstein’s bar mitzvah, and it also kicked off a five-month exhibit of the Torah at the Philadelphia museum.
Reading these stories is free, but telling them is not. Start your monthly gift now to support Flatland’s community-focused reporting.
Related Stories
Nick’s Picks | Roads, Bathrooms, Costco and More …
New Toll Road Opens Kansas City’s first toll road opens this week. Starting Saturday, you’ll pay up to $3.50 to travel the new express lanes on U.S. Highway 69 from 103rd to 151st streets in Overland Park. There are no toll booths — cameras scan your license plate, and a bill arrives by mail. KTAG…
Up From the Ashes: Warwick Theatre Revival Draws Applause
Two years ago, John Cleary met a fellow Kansas City actor for drinks. Their conversation centered on the fate of the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre. A large portion of the ensemble’s home, the Warwick Theatre, was ash, charred timbers and soot-saturated costumes and props — remnants from a recent massive fire. The destruction was so great…
Nick’s Picks | Baseball, Drones, Romance and More …
Royals Reveal Next week, the Kansas City Royals head to Arizona for Spring Training. And that’s the mayor’s self-imposed deadline to lock in a stadium deal. So, is this finally the week owner John Sherman steps to the plate and unveils where the Royals will build their next home? At last week’s council meeting, Mayor…