On Sunday, March 10, a rare event captivated Long Beach. A Torah parade marched from the Allegria Hotel to BACH Jewish Center on Edwards Boulevard, touting a brand new Torah Scroll from Israel. The scroll was dedicated to Long Beach by Hudson Kaylie in honor of his bar mitzvah, and was marched to its new home at the holy ark at the BACH.

“Torah dedications happen only every few years and this will be a special event in light of what our community has gone through,” said Rabbi Eli Goodman in an email.

Led by a ‘Torah Truck,’ with a live band in its rear, the new Torah was marched under a canopy. Crowds of men, women and children danced around the Torah and waved flags together with many Rabbis, distinguished community leaders and friends, some of whom were given the honor of carrying the Torah scroll along the route.

An authentic Torah scroll is a mind-boggling masterpiece of labor and skill. Comprising between 62 and 84 sheets of parchment-cured, tanned, and prepared according to exacting Torah law specifications-and containing exactly 304,805 letters, the resulting handwritten scroll takes close to a year to complete. Hence the great fanfare and excitement when it is finally completed and brought to the holy Ark.