It was a glorious fall afternoon as students, alumni and members of the Tuscaloosa Jewish community welcomed the University of Alabama Hillel's Torah to its new home in the Bloom Hillel Student Center.

The Torah had resided for almost 50 years in the old Hillel building, and while the new facility was being built, it was temporarily housed in Birmingham's N.E. Miles Jewish Day School.

Upon completion of the new Hillel facility, the Torah underwent restoration by Rabbi Bernard Honan. Rabbi Honan, who was Director and Rabbi at UA's Hillel from 1970-74, is one of a small number of specially trained Torah scribes, known as a "sofer" in Hebrew. Rabbi Honan's son Mike, who lives in Birmingham, currently serves as the Chair of the Bama Hillel Board of Directors.

The highlight of the festivities was the ceremonial completion of the Torah by 12 honorary scribes who completed the last letters of the Torah as part of the dedication.

One of those honored was Fred Friedman who, along with his wife Brenda, son Jordan, and daughter and husband Leah and Jeremy Cohen, through the Frank and Fred Friedman Family Foundation, have been generous supporters of the programs at UA Hillel. They provided the funding for the Torah dedication festivities.

Also honored was Daniel Odrezin, a third year University of Alabama law student who will be joining the staff of The BJF after graduation. Daniel was invited to represent the Alabama Jewish Federations that help support the programs at UA Hillel. Daniel is pictured here with Rabbi Honan completing one of the last letters of the Hillel Torah.

GATHERING OF GENERATIONS

Birmingham Jewish Foundation President Amy Saag also attended the dedication. Amy has a strong family connection to the university as her maternal grandfather, Sidney Patterson, attended UA from 1912-1916 and was one of the founding members of ZBT fraternity, still active on the Tuscaloosa campus today.

Her parents, Pat and Leonard Weil, also attended the university in the late 1940s, and Leonard, now deceased, served as president and then as a trustee of ZBT for over 50 years. Amy wrote in an email to The BJF after the dedication that she was "struck by the close knit feeling of warmth and family that enveloped the room."

"Here we were, many different generations, gathered together to rededicate our holy Torah. This Hillel house was a dream of so many dedicated individuals some of whom came to the University of Alabama beginning in the early 1900s," added Amy.

"Today this beautiful new building is not only a tribute to all those who believed in fostering Jewish life on Alabama's campus but a living testament to the vibrancy of the growing number of Jewish college students on UA's campus," she continued. "How rewarding to know that The Birmingham Jewish Foundation and Federation have been partners in this effort over the years through funding and supporting various Hillel programs and projects."

MORE THAN DOUBLED

Joyce Spielberger, The BJF's Director of Community Relations, works closely with UA Hillel helping to increase Jewish student enrollment and strengthen Jewish life on the Tuscaloosa campus. Over the past few years, the estimated number of Jewish students at Alabama has more than doubled -- from approximately 350 to 750. (Total UA enrollment is approximately 31,000.)

Joyce also works with Auburn's Jewish Student Life Organization, and BJF Director of Outreach Caren Seligman works with Jewish students at UAB and Birmingham-Southern College. Funds from The BJF Annual Campaign help support our work on these college campuses. The Birmingham Jewish Foundation also has funded programs on our college campuses.

The BJF's outreach to college campuses is an outgrowth of "Our Next 100 Years," a historic Jewish community project (see below). By strengthening Jewish life on our campuses and encouraging more Jewish in-state and out-of-state students to attend college in our state, The BJF believes we will enhance the prospects of these students staying in Alabama and building their careers and raising their families in our state.