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Monday, September 04, 2006

Liberty Torah unveiling to honor U.S. military

September 2, 2006

The first Torah (Bible) scroll being written exclusively to honor and memorialize members of the U.S. military will be inaugurated in a ceremony at 1 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Chabad Jewish Center, 3810 Channel Islands Blvd. at Victoria Avenue in Oxnard.

The first letters of the Liberty Torah, as it will be known, will be inscribed by a Jewish scribe, or sofer, at the ceremony, timed to coincide with the eve of the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11. The event also will be marked by prayers for the military and for peace in the world.

The Liberty Torah was initiated by Dr. David and Edi Boxstein and family of Oxnard in honor of their son, Jonathan, who is serving in Iraq.

All who wish to participate can sponsor the writing of a letter, word, chapter or selection in the Torah in honor or in memory of loved ones.

"The Liberty Torah gives everyone, regardless of their political or religious affiliation, the opportunity to honor all our soldiers who have served our great country throughout our history, and to pray for an end to all hostilities," said Chabad of Oxnard director Rabbi Dov Muchnik.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Liberty Torah will be given a gala send-off to Israel, where it will be completed and returned to Chabad of Oxnard for use in its holiday and Shabbat services.

The public is invited to the dedication ceremony, which also will feature live music, refreshments and a hands-on Torah writing workshop for children. For more, go to http://www.libertytorah.com or call 382-4770.

Copyright 2006, Ventura County Star. All Rights Reserved.

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