A once-in-a-generation moment occasioned a celebration of continuity, devotion, and the enduring chain of Jewish learning and practice
The room was silent save the scratch of a quill. As snow squalls drifted outside Eaton Hall, a sofer—a ritual scribe—leaned over parchment stretched between wooden rollers and completed the final letter of a Torah scroll. In Jewish tradition, a Torah becomes sacred only when the last letter is written with intention.
Then, completion.
“Mazel tov!”
As the ink began to dry, applause broke out. Joy filled the room.
The Torah is the central sacred text of Judaism, referring to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible given to Moses by God. It offers foundational guidance for Jewish life.
For Tufts Hillel, this dedication of two new Torah scrolls on Sunday, March 1, marked more than the end of a ceremony: it heralded renewal. For years, Tufts used inherited Torah scrolls, decades old and faded. In Jewish law, every letter of a Torah must be intact for it to be considered kosher. A crack in the parchment or a missing serif can invalidate the scroll for communal reading.
“When we have conservative minyan on Saturday mornings, there have been a couple of times where we have discovered faded or scratched-out letters, so this was overdue” said Ely Cristol-Deman, A28, who attended the celebration with friend Clea Horowitz, A28.
“We’ve been going through our Torahs, trying to figure out which ones are still kosher. On a lot of weeks, we’re just trying to rearrange and figure out which ones are OK to use,” Horowitz said. “This is so exciting.”
It was also somewhat miraculous. Replacing scrolls often costs close to $100,000 or sometimes more, explained Rabbi Naftali Brawer, Neubauer Executive Director of Tufts Hillel and the university’s Jewish chaplain. But Brawer considered this a chance to rally the Tufts Jewish community, on campus and beyond.
“This was an opportunity to reach out to our community and say, ‘If we really care about the future of Jewish life at Tufts, this is an investment.’ This is that great moment where you say, ‘I believe in the future,’ and a Torah manifests that belief,” Brawer said.
Two families immediately stepped up to dedicate new scrolls. For Brawer, the dedication was practical but also symbolic. A Torah scroll, he said, isn’t merely an accessory to Jewish life.
“It’s the soul, lifeblood, and essence of the community,” he said. “We’re here on campus with all these students, but there are concentric circles of support around us—parents, grandparents, alumni—who believe in what we’re doing.”
That soul was on full display in Eaton Hall, as generations of students, parents, faculty, and alumni gathered in celebration—more than 100 attendees in all, including both Jewish and non-Jewish community members.
Among the attendees was Charles Inouye, professor and chair of the International Literary and Cultural Studies Department at the School of Arts and Sciences. Inouye was “touched by the happiness and holiness” of the dedication event. “As [President Kumar] said, it was a celebration for everyone,” Inouye said.
Heralding a New Chapter
Torah dedication ceremonies are exceedingly unusual. Even Brawer, a Congregational rabbi for more than 20 years, has only been to three such events. A double dedication is rarer still. Given recent global conflicts and their impact on Jewish communities, Brawer said, such a ceremony carried extra emotional freight. “We've had some very rough years. To me, this heralds a new chapter. Jewish life is thriving at Tufts,” Brawer said.
As the ink on the scrolls dried, music broke out. Shir Appeal, Tufts’s mixed-gender a cappella group, stood between both scrolls and sang. The hall echoed with clapping.
“This was really a celebration of Jewish life on our campus, a way of honoring and expressing gratitude for everyone who helps make that happen,” said Hillel Student President Elijah Fraiman, A27, who studies clinical psychology and Judaic studies.
Fraiman described the ceremony as an outpouring of support. The turnout illustrates Tufts’ commitment to all aspects of Jewish life, he said. He grew up in a conservative household, and he relishes religious programming. But he noted that Hillel also offers event programming for students who choose to connect with Judaism in more informal and social ways. There are also volunteer initiatives that extend beyond campus, such as free after-school programming for local middle-schoolers and interfaith dialogue cohorts that foster political discussions.
“Hillel at Tufts is a really strong Jewish community. We have programming that reaches students from all over campus,” Fraiman said.
As the music faded, Fraiman introduced Tufts University President Sunil Kumar, who called the dedication a once-in-a-generation moment. Drawing from Sanskrit, Kumar explained the word Akshara, which means both “letter” and something infinite and immutable—a fitting metaphor for the ceremony.
“In one sense, we complete a character,” he said. “In another sense, we do something eternal, timeless.” Universities cannot assume continuity, he added, noting that traditions endure only if communities invest in them.
“As the university enters its 175th year, timelessness is not to be taken for granted; traditions of religion or of community on campus. We need to invest in them from time to time. Today is one such investment. Today is a good day, not just for the Jewish community on campus, but for all members of the Tufts community,” Kumar said.
‘Participating in Something Larger than Ourselves’
After the final letters were written and the ink dried, participants processed across campus toward Hillel, pausing as honorees took turns holding the Torahs beneath chuppah poles. A band played; students danced through the slush.
Inside, Hillel students from each class were invited to hold and bless the scrolls before they were placed in the ark, underscoring a sense of continuity and support.
“It was really special to be able to put the scrolls in the ark for the first time having been blessed by representatives from all four class years. At the end of the day, this was a celebration of our students, of our community, and that’s what Hillel is,” Fraiman said. “Hillel’s first priority always has been and always will be our students.”
The new scrolls will sit alongside a 250-year-old Torah scroll rescued from the Holocaust, dedicated in honor of Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, Jewish chaplain emeritus.
For Harry Tchira, A95, chair of the Tufts Hillel board, the ceremony represented longevity.
“On a campus known for innovation and forward-thinking, we welcomed scrolls whose words have carried the Jewish people for thousands of years. What stood out most was that this was not just ceremonial. It was an act of continuity. Letter by letter, generation to generation, we reaffirmed that Jewish life at Tufts is enduring and actively being renewed for the future,” said Tchira, who traveled from Florida for the occasion.
Tchira described Tufts Hillel as “a leadership incubator,” where students take on significant responsibility, lead programs, engage in serious conversations, and build community.
Knowing that the scrolls will sit at the heart of that leadership development for years to come makes him deeply proud. “These scrolls will serve generations of students we will never meet and represent our commitment to ensuring that Jewish life at Tufts remains strong and committed to preparing future generations,” Tchira said.
After the celebration, Rabbi Brawer paused to reflect on the historic event. He was buoyed by the outpouring of support, both from the Jewish community and from interfaith colleagues. On a snowy Sunday morning, they “showed up with warmth and love,” Brawer said. “There was an awareness that we were participating in something larger than ourselves.”
But what moved him most, he said, was the students. “The look on their faces—their excitement, pride, and genuine happiness—captured for me the rabbinic phrase Simcha Shel Mitzvah: the sacred joy of fulfilling a mitzvah.”
