Historic Torah Scroll Completed After 27 Years Installed at New Yeshiva on Mount Ebal

A Torah scroll begun by Nehemia Perlman in 1999 was ceremoniously installed at a newly established yeshiva on Mount Ebal, fulfilling Perlman's vision of renewing Jewish presence there. The event took place on Thursday evening at the yeshiva on Mount Ebal, attended by key figures including Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Shomron Rabbi Elikim Lebanon, Yeshiva head Rabbi Aviad Shinwell, Alon Moreh institutions CEO Elisaf Pershan, and Perlman’s family.

Perlman, who passed away in 2012, started writing the Torah scroll on Mount Ebal itself and intended for it to be brought to the site once a permanent Jewish community was established. After his death, the scroll was kept in Kedumim and later at his family home in Lod until the yeshiva's founding. Perlman was a prominent activist for Jewish settlement in the area and deeply influenced Dagan, who described Perlman as a pioneer who dedicated his life to Mount Ebal.

Dagan called the Torah scroll’s installation a "great victory of spirit and faith," emphasizing Mount Ebal’s historical significance as the site where the Israelite nation was formed around Joshua’s altar. He framed the event as a key step in the "Connection Plan," aiming to establish 18 new settlements to strengthen Jewish presence in northern Shomron. Rabbi Lebanon highlighted the ceremony as a continuation of the ancient covenant made when Israel entered the land.

Perlman’s widow, Shlomit, emotionally recounted her late husband’s deep connection to Mount Ebal and his belief that controlling the area was essential for holding Jerusalem. She likened the Torah scroll’s journey over 20 years to the Israelites’ desert wanderings before entering the land. Other speakers, including Kedumim Council head Uzal Vatik and Elisaf Pershan, praised Perlman’s vision and the community’s dedication to realizing it. The ceremony concluded with the Torah scroll’s placement in the yeshiva and celebratory dancing.