In our new “Have Your Say” op-ed, by the Italian Jewish studies scholar Gadi Luzzatto Voghera, is on online!
The story of a nearly 800-year-old Torah that was recently returned to the synagogue in Biella, Italy leads the Italian Jewish studies scholar Dr. Gadi Luzzatto Voghera to consider the centrality of Jewish cultural heritage (and its preservation) to the contemporary Jewish experience.
The Torah, returned in a ceremony March 6, is believed to be the oldest sefer Torah in the world that is in use by a congregation. The scroll was one of several ancient Torahs examined by experts in 2012 on behalf of Italy’s Foundation for Jewish Cultural Heritage and then chosen as the one best suited for restoration. During the restoration, it was discovered that the scroll can be dated to around 1250.
Click to read the Have Your Say article