Soccer Dad

Torahs in the navy

I just received an e-mail about a Sefer Torah (Torah scroll) that was rescued from Lithuania and is now being used aboard the USS Truman.

Truman Sailors listen to Sen. Carl Levin as he speaks during the Torah Dedication Ceremony in the hangar bay of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater presented the Jewish Torah to Truman to be displayed for 41 years. The Torah is one of the few holy scrolls from Lithuania to survive the Holocaust. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Arturo Chavez (RELEASED)

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Commanding Officer, Capt. Herman Shelanski, left, and Michigan Senator Carl Levin (D), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, bow their heads in prayer at the commencement of the Torah dedication ceremony in the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier's hangar bay. The holy Jewish Torah in the background, one of the few scrolls from Lithuania to survive the Holocaust, was presented to Truman by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, and will be on loan to Truman and displayed for 41 years, or the duration of the ship's life. The smaller Torah in the foreground, known as the Truman Torah, was presented to President Harry S. Truman by Israel's first President, Chaim Weizmann in gratitude for America's diplomatic recognition of the state of Israel in 1948. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher Wilson (RELEASED)

Aboard USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Nov. 20, 2003 -- Rabbi Michael A. Oppenheimer carries a 300-year-old Torah that was presented to the Navy's newest nuclear powered aircraft carrier by the Oppenheimer family. The family heirloom is one of only 300 Torahs that survived the Holocaust during World War II. The ship will safeguard it during its 50-plus year life span, when it will then be returned to Oppenheimer's grandchildren, who were in attendance and witnessed the ceremony. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Anthony Walker. (RELEASED)

It's not clear if these Torahs will be used or just displayed. (The 50 year lifespan mentioned in the above caption is the ship's expected lifespan.)

The Truman Torah was rescued by Project Judaica.

It seems that Project Judaica is similar in focus to Rabbi Menachem Youlus who has devoted himself to rescuing Torahs, especially from Europe.

(h/t Cousin Steven)

torah scrolls, us navy.