Global Torah Scroll to Reside in Kfar Aza in Memory of Slain Council Head

Thousands of children from communities in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council and Sderot will gather on October 7 to write the final letters of a Torah scroll dedicated to the memory of Ofir Liebstein, the head of the regional council who fell in battle on October 7. The initiative is part of the 'Letters of Love' program, founded by Rabbi Yehuda Alon and associated with 'Sulamot' and Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon. This Torah scroll was written by thousands of Jews worldwide, from kindergarteners to 95-year-old Holocaust survivors, embodying the idea that every Jew is a complete letter in the Torah. Next month, upon the permanent return of Kfar Aza residents to their homes, the scroll will be placed in the kibbutz's synagogue.

Rabbi Alon led this project for years alongside Liebstein, driven by their close friendship. Despite their different backgrounds, Rabbi Alon from religious Torah and education, and Liebstein as a settlement leader and public figure, they shared a deep bond and a belief in connecting different parts of the Jewish people and fostering goodwill in Israel and the diaspora. Rabbi Alon noted that the concept of every Jew being an essential letter in the Torah, not belonging to any specific sector, resonated deeply with Liebstein, who helped expand the 'Letters of Love' initiative throughout the kibbutz movement and beyond.

By October 6, 2023, the project had grown significantly, with the two traveling to communities globally. On Simchat Torah, amidst the unfolding attack, Rabbi Alon lost contact with Liebstein and was unable to reach him. After three months of fighting, Rabbi Alon revived the nearly defunct project, collaborating with the Sulamot organization. The idea for a global scroll in Ofir Liebstein's memory was conceived at the Hostages Square with his brother, Doron, during Operation Alon.

Rabbi Alon traveled with the parchment to thousands of people across countries and communities, collecting their contributions. He visited major communities in Europe and America, as well as smaller schools in Hong Kong and Romania. Before Rosh Hashanah, he returned from a journey through small, remote communities in northern Germany, including Rostock and Hamburg, where he met with small groups, including Holocaust survivors and Soviet Jewish immigrants, to write letters.

The collected letters from around the world will now find their permanent home in Kfar Aza. Rabbi Alon stated that bringing the scroll, dedicated to all the fallen, represents a profound full circle and a continuation of his shared path with Ofir. Liebstein's family accompanied him on his global travels to gather the letters, which will now be brought to the place where Ofir lived and fell.