JCLP began helping the board of directors of Temple Beth El in Bainbridge, Georgia, to draft a legacy plan about five years ago. As she expressed in an article in the Atlanta Jewish Times, Temple President Roslyn Palmer saw “the writing on the wall.”  

Her beloved congregation, the nexus of Jewish life in this small city in the southwestern part of the state, needed to plan for the future. Temple Beth El, which dates to 1902, faced the same struggles as other small congregations in need of JCLP’s expert advice.

With that guidance, the board created a legacy plan to address the tangible and intangible assets of the synagogue. By the time not too long ago when Temple Beth El did close its doors, perpetual care of the cemetery had been ensured, documents had been preserved, oral histories had been recorded, and intended donations to Jewish and general community organizations funded by proceeds from the eventual sale of the temple building had been designated.

JCLP has facilitated the transfer of many Torahs from Legacy Congregations to new communities around the world.  A classic example of “six degrees of separation,” plus a little “Jewish geography” came into play with the precious scroll belonging to Temple Beth El.

Hershorin Schiff Community Day School is a vibrant and growing pluralistic Jewish day school in Sarasota, Florida, several hours south of Bainbridge on I-75. That’s the geography part behind why Beth El’s Torah and a handsome Torah table are now part of Shabbat observance for the children of Community Day School.

The first human connection comes via Roslyn Palmer. Sol Fleischman, the husband of her cousin Sondra, is an architect who was involved in the building of the school. A second connector bringing everyone together was Community Day School trustee Robert Landman, who is part of a different Temple Beth-El that also happens to be a JCLP Legacy Congregation. Rather than southwest Georgia, this Temple Beth-El in Hornell, which is in southwest New York State, and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

As in other locations where JCLP helped transfer a Torah from one generation to another, the essence of its community of origin lives on. Community Day School students in Sarasota will learn about Temple Beth El in Bainbridge and channel the energy of that historic congregation when they reverently touch what is now theirTorah.

January 31, 2022