Helping Rebuild Hometown Synagogue
A small synagogue in Yoram Eliyahu's hometown, Kirat-Shmona, was damaged by missile fire during Israel's second war with Lebanon. The building's structure had been severely damaged.
When Yoram heard news of this, he immediately felt compelled to help. He donated funds to assist in fixing the damage. Feeling that such an event went beyond just physical damage, however, Yoram felt that something more should be done to assist this congregation.
Yoram researched diligently and learned that the Torah must be handwritten on a highly selective grade of parchment paper. Driven by the desire to do something special for the affected congregation, Yoram also uncovered a particularly skilled writer (sofer) to handle the torah assignment. When it was complete, he did everything possible to ensure that the new Torah would arrive safely.
He also donated a new Torah to in order to boost morale and give back to his hometown. He performed the proper research and found that the Torah must be handwritten on highly selective parchment paper.
Further, Yoram also uncovered a special writer (sofer) to handle the torah assignment. Finally, he took the necessary steps to ensure that the new Torah would be safely delivered.
To this day, the rebuilt synagogue and the donated Torah are still used in Kirat-Shmona and the congregation is still thriving.