The Macalester Jewish community welcomed its first Torah scroll on Feb. 22, gathering students, alumni and community members in a celebration rooted in shared history and collective effort. The ceremony marked the culmination of a collaborative project to procure, restore and permanently house a Torah of its own at Macalester College.
“I feel this sense of all of these warm connections to support and sustain this student Jewish community through this process,” said Rabbi Emma Kippley-Ogman. “So [there’s] a real sense of gratitude and a sense of wonder for all of the people who are involved.”
The story of Macalester’s new Torah began nearly two years ago, when Howard Berkenblit and Tina Schaper, parents of a Macalester alumna, approached Kippley-Ogman with a single, meaningful goal: to donate a Torah scroll to the campus Jewish community.
Macalester’s Jewish community leads a processional to Weyerhauser Chapel, where the Torah now resides. (Molly Rosenblatt/TC Jewfolk)
For years, Macalester’s Jewish community borrowed Torah scrolls from Temple of Aaron and Mount Zion Temple for holidays, Shabbat services and other milestones.
To bring their gift to life, the family supported the Torah’s careful restoration, preparing it for years of use on campus.
Now, students have a Torah of their own.
“It feels really sweet to have this student community surrounded with so many dimensions of love with alumni in town for this, and alumni have been connecting about it over the past year,” said Kippley-Ogman.
The evening began with a Torah procession, carrying the scroll from its original home at the historic Sons of Jacob Congregation at Portland and Pascal. Dozens of Jewish students, faculty, alumni and community members paraded the scroll through St. Paul’s icy streets in single-digit temperatures, pausing at sites significant to Macalester’s Jewish history, including the first and second locations of Hebrew House, where the Macalester Jewish Organization once met.
“These places have held homes to Jewish community on campus in the past, now and then, bringing the Torah to the temple,” said Kippley-Ogman.
The Torah Procession concluded at Weyerhauser Chapel, now home to the college’s first Torah, where an elaborate ceremony featured several speakers and a vibrant celebration.
Rabbi Tamar Magill-Grimm of Beth Jacob Congregation recited prayers and Torah verses, highlighting the deep symbolism of the scroll and its new role in the life of the Macalester Jewish community.
“The Torah serves not only as a guide for us but also as a source of protection as though it is out ahead of us, watching out for us as we attempt to navigate the complexity of our lives and the complexity of this world,” said Magill-Grimm.
Alumni also shared reflections, including one of the founders of the original Hebrew House on campus, and a current student read original poetry written for the occasion.
Sophomore Lucy Anderson, who helped design and create the first set of clothing for Macalester’s Torah, showcased her work, highlighting the inspiration and intricate cross-stitching that brought the designs to life. She expressed warm gratitude to Kippley-Ogman for her guidance and support throughout the process.
“The pomegranate is very present in Jewish ritual objects, and it’s fitting here because pomegranates are said to have 613 seeds representing the 613 mitzvot in the Torah, and in addition, it’s the symbol MJO has chosen to represent us,” said Anderson. “So it felt really meaningful.”
The celebration concluded with song and dance, including “Etz Chayim Hi,” before the scroll was placed in the ark in its new home at Weyerhaeuser Chapel.
Macalester students with the newly-built ark at Weyerhouser Chapel. (Molly Rosenblatt/TC Jewfolk).
After the ceremony, senior Jessica Williams also reflected on her role in building the ark, describing the woodworking process and her collaboration with Macalester carpenters to complete the piece, which now serves as a central part of the Torah’s new home.
“The ark is actually made from recycled dorm furniture, because the carpenters and Macalaster do a lot of that kind of recycling work, so it’s wood that was already here, and had another use before this,” said Williams. “I think there’s a sense of holiness in that too, in honoring those origins. And then, you know, reincorporating it, having it be part of a new story.”
Williams, a biochemistry major, drew on her family’s woodworking tradition to design and build the portable ark that now houses the Torah.
Crafted from recycled Macalester dorm materials, the project took about 18 months to complete. Williams said she was proud to contribute her skills in a way that connected her family’s craft to her Macalester community, creating a lasting home for the scroll on campus.
“My grandfather is a carpenter, so I learned woodworking in a shop growing up,” Williams said. “I thought, this is something I can do…to help this community that really means a lot to me. So it was more of a this is something I can do, and this is something I should do.”
As Williams ran her fingers along the doors of the ark, she highlighted the details of its design and structure, explaining how she carefully mitered the joints. She reflected on how contributing to this project allows her to leave a lasting mark on the Jewish community at Macalester, creating a home for a Torah scroll that students will read for decades to come.
“It’s really sweet because I still remember the people from when I was in MJO as a first year, and I can see the effects that they’ve left on the community,” said Williams. “It’s really nice to think that mine might be something a little bit more tangible.”
It is sad that 37 Macalester Street, the original home of Hebrew House, was recently torn down. There is nothing comparable to the immersive experience of living in a Jewish community home. We provided weekly Shabbat dinners, services along with other events. As the college owns multiple homes just off campus, Hebrew House should be revived, and once again affiliated with Hillel Foundation. It is a necessary supplement to having an organization.
As I said in my remarks, when I began at Mac there were a few Jews and no organized community. Within four years we started Hebrew House and had a place for Jewish students to connect, learn and build community. It was an important stage of my life and helped carve my path involved in Jewish community, teaching, art and music.
In my remarks at the ceremony I noted that when I began at Mac there were a few Jews and no organized community. Within four years we started Hebrew House and had a place for Jewish students to connect, learn and build community. It was an important stage of my life and helped carve my path involved in Jewish community, teaching, art and music.
Congratulations to rabbi Emma and the Mac Jewish and general community. Its a big moment. I am proud of Rabbi Emma for standing up to the Trump ICE thugs and resisting regime hoodlumism in the spirit of Jewish morality and sense of justice.