The Torah in Russia

That's me with the Torah back when we had the Hachnosas Sefer Torah in Stavropol last summer.

The time has come that we must make a decision about the Sefer Torah.

As Chayale gets ready to fly back (probably with one of my siblings) to pack up and pick up some of our stuff, and ship the rest to Canada, I have to get ahold of Eli Ginsburg, who donated the Torah, so he can advise me on what to do.

I've been having emails back and forth with Rabbi Lazar, and here are the options I see.

1 - Keep the Torah with a family in Stavropol who will hold onto it until the next Rabbi shows up.

This is what Rabbi Lazar suggests. I would give it to the Davydovs, since their love for Yiddishkeit is under no question. Obviously the Torah cannot be given to the Center, since the president (Yefim) publicly stated that he is anti-religion and who knows what he would do with it?

The advantage of doing this is that the 'opposition' (Yefim and his cronies) will turn it into a scandal about how the Rabbi leaves and everything goes with him. That while it's in Stavropol, the community can say, 'look what the Rabbi has brought to our city. Here is physical evidence of his work.'

The disadvantage would be that who knows when a new Rabbi would show up? is it fair for a Torah to sit around only due to political reasons?

2 - Give it to a different community.

I personally think this might be the better option, and I have a community in mind. Yossi Marazov is doing a fantastic job in Ulyanovsk, Russia (Lenin's birthplace for those of you who care), and has a Minyan running each Shabbos. The city has no Torah and could use one. Plus it's an opportunity for another Hachnosas Sefer Torah.

3 - Eli can bring it to Moscow and decide what to do with it there (maybe donate it to a local Shul or something).

Ultimately it IS Eli's decision, but I'd be interested to hear what you think.

So post your comments below.