Dancing in the Streets
Get ready! Members of the Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation will joyfully celebrate the gift of their new Torah on October 22, 2019.
Celebrants will gather at Pancho’s Deli on the Carretera at 11 a.m. before a rousing parade to deliver the Torah to its new home. The Torah will be carried under a “chuppah” (a traditional marriage canopy). The parade will include dancing horses and Klezmer music. The procession will end at the Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation at #113 Santa Margarita, Riberas de Pilar, where there will be dancing in the courtyard of the synagogue.
The Torah contains the first five books of the Old Testament and is the primary document of Judaism, containing within it all of the biblical laws of the faith.
Ajijic resident, Jan Braverman, reached out to her former hometown of Cumberland, Maryland when she realized that the Torah here was becoming difficult to read. The members of Congregation B’er Chayim, one of the oldest congregations in the United States, offered to share a Torah with the Lakeside Jewish Community and bring it to its new home. Eight temple members, including the Rabbi and President Doug Schwab will escort the Torah from Maryland to Lakeside.
“This Torah scroll from Congregation B’er Chayim is a beautiful addition to our community as it represents the unbroken chain of Jewish tradition and survival,” said Maureen Sullivan President of The Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation.
Following the procession, The Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation will celebrate the holiday of Simchat Torah which marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah reading and the beginning of a new cycle. The congregation welcomes the public to share in the festivities.
Anyone who would like to help or contribute to our new Torah Celebration, contact Jan Braverman at janbrave@aol.com.