In honor of 50 years of the reunification of Jerusalem, The Afikim Foundation in cooperation with the Israel Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, wrote a historic Global Unity Torah. The 304,805 letters of the Torah were 'purchased' by hundreds of thousands of Jews worldwide, not with money, but with acts of chesed - deeds that positively impact the lives of others. Over 300 groups, including schools, synagogues, community centers and other organizations participated in the writing of the Global Unity Torah.
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In addition, as part of The Afikim Foundation's Out Of The Box: Walls of Knowledge series, the multimedia Gibber Exhibit on Jerusalem has been traveling throughout the United States, teaching students about the history and joy of 50 years of Jerusalem reunited. Beautiful fabric murals of Jerusalem scenes and illustrated booklets further enhanced the project.
On May 28, 2017, The Afikim Foundation culminated the writing of the Jerusalem50 Global Unity Torah. The Jerusalem50 'Day of Chesed' Torah dedication brought together Israeli dignitaries including Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Minister of Education and Disapora Affairs Naftali Bennett, Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Shlomo Amar, Rabbi of the Kotel Shmuel Rabinovitch, along with an Afikim delegation led by Rabbi Raphael Butler and hundreds of university students from around the globe.
In cooperation with Orot, the Torah was brought to some of Israel's premiere organizations, including Yad Eliezer and Yad Ezrah and received a historic welcome at the Israel Goldstein Youth Village, one of Jerusalem's oldest schools where many students are recent immigrants. This was the first time in Israel's history that a Sefer Torah was dedicated in a nonreligious school. Another first was marked later in the day when hundreds of students pledged allegiance to the Jewish People at the Kotel. The celebration culminated at David's Tomb, where the Torah was gifted to ZAKA, Israel's primary search and rescue organization.
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To learn more about the Jerusalem50 Global Unity Torah CLICK HERE