Seabrook Dedicates Holocaust Scroll

On October 13, more than 100 residents and staff attended a program at Seabrook, an Erickson Living retirement community in Tinton Falls, to dedicate the community’s newly acquired Holocaust Torah Scroll. The Torah Scroll, rescued in Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust, is on permanent loan to Seabrook from Memorial Scrolls Trust in London.

Over 1,500 Czech Torahs were saved, many of which are now on loan to synagogues and other organizations around the world. Seabrook is the only continuing care retirement community to have one of these very special Torahs.

Through the generosity of the Seabrook Faith Communities, residents and staff, Seabrook raised more than $5,000 to fund the project.

Seabrook Pastoral Associate Reb Abby Cahn led the dedication. She described how Resident Manny Herbst, whose family was impacted by the Holocaust, and his wife Miriam, approached Seabrook’s Jewish Council, Pastoral Ministries, and Executive Director Todd DeLaney with their vision of bringing a Holocaust Torah to Seabrook as a tool for diversity education.

After receiving approval, the Herbsts led a fundraising initiative with the help of Pastoral Ministries Manager David Bowman and Cahn.

“I applaud the Seabrook community for saying yes in such a big way to our campaign to adopt this Torah,” said Cahn. “We are honored to share this important piece of history with our residents and the outside community.”

In a few weeks, the Torah Scroll will be on permanent display outside Town Square Auditorium in a cabinet handcrafted by Seabrook’s woodworkers.

“The cabinet is a labor of love from several of our Woodshop members,” said Cahn. “Alfred Gilbert, himself a survivor of the Holocaust, as well as Jack Cunningham and Bob Gamble are completing the cabinet now.”

“Thank you to our Seabrook community for coming together to bring this Memorial Torah to campus,” said Executive Director Todd DeLaney. “The Torah is a powerful addition to our community. We can all use it as a reflection point of the commitment Seabrook has to diversity and to the consequence of how misguided life can be when we aren’t open and inclusive.”

Seabrook is one of 19 continuing care retirement communities managed by Erickson Living. The scenic 98-acre campus is located in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and is home to more than 1,400 residents. The community offers abundant amenities, hundreds of resident-run clubs and activities, on-site restaurants, a state-of-the-art medical center, an all-season pool and a fitness center. Seabrook was named to NJBIZ’s list of “2017 Best Places to Work in New Jersey.” For more information, visit www.seabrookcommunity.com.

Photo: Seabrook resident Manny Herbst, Seabrook Pastoral Associate Reb Abby Cahn, and Seabrook Executive Director Todd DeLaney