Jason and his father Bob Friedman, 81, close the doors of the new aron displaying the new Torah
Joel Lieber carries the new Torah into the Greystone Jewish Center
Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz carrying the new Torah
Story and Photos (c) Robert Kalfus 2024
Bob Friedman of Friedman Realty grew up in Yonkers and as a teenager attended Greystone Jewish Center, on North Broadway. Last year he returned to visit, and wanted to contribute his talents to refurbish and improve the synagogue. Over many months, plans were made for a new carpet for the stage in front of the Torah; new stairs to walk up to the stage to replace the rickety ones; and a beautiful new light brown oak in which the Torahs are enclosed prior to their use. Mr. Friedman’s wife Sheila designed and commissioned a new Parochet embroidered curtain to cover the aron when the aron’s doors are closed, “in loving memory of Bea and Arthur Friedland”, Bob’s parents. The new blue cover for the new Torah cover was written “in loving memory of Herb Lebowitz” a former member of the Greystone Jewish Center, who while in hospice care bequeathed it before he passed away was in hospice care.
Assemblyman Nader Sayegh presented a proclamation honoring Bob Friedman for “achieving his BA in physics for Bard College; an MBA for Adelphia, and has pursued graduate studies in physics from the University of Connecticut. In 1971 he established Friedland Realty as a one-man operation from the basement of an office building, and over the course of 45 years, built it into a prominent commercial real estate company with 25 brokers, across Rockland, Westchester and Bronx Counties; and has been a tireless philanthropist and community leader, a devoted husband to Sheila Friedland for 56 years, a father of three sons, devoted father-in-law to three daughters, and grandfather to eleven cherished grandchildren.”
A Torah scroll is written entirely in Biblical Hebrew, containing 304,805 letters, all of which must be written precisely by a trained scribe, “sofer” and can take as long as 18 months. Each of the letters are inscribed with a turkey feather quill dipped in specially prepared ink. It is a positive commandment for each and every Jewish male to write their own Sefer Torah and to contribute to the writing and the completion of the Torah. The last few letters have open spaces so each of the persons at the Torah completion can have the merit of completing the Torah writing, usually by holding the sofer’s hand as he writes and fills in the last few letters.
Various people held the Torah aloft during a grand possession celebrating the completion of writing the Torah, with many hakafot (circle dances) and songs, before the new Torah was placed in the Greystone Jewish Center’s new aron. Bob Friedman, his wife Sheila, and their son Jason were recognized and thanked, followed by a generous and ample kosher buffet luncheon for the more than 200 people attending.
