New Ethiopian Immigrants Celebrate the Inauguration of a New Sefer Torah

More than five hundred new olim from Ethiopia celebrated Thursday as they inaugurated a new Torah scroll at The Jewish Agency’s Ibim Absorption Center, outside of Sderot. Just the week before, Ibim’s residents – like those in surrounding communities – had been forced to often run to bomb shelters and protected rooms due to the very real threat of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

The “Hachnasat Sefer Torah” ceremony provided the new arrivals an opportunity to not only celebrate the new Torah scroll, but the chance to express their own joy at building their own Jewish future in Israel.

The Sefer Torah was donated by Charles and Ariela Zeloof, themselves somewhat recent olim from Baghdad, via London.