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Accompanied by dances and joyous singing, the Jewish Community Or Israel Mexicali welcomed its first Torah scroll on 19 August, 2012.The hot summer temperature typical of Mexicali located in the northwest of Mexico did not deter the small group of Jews and friends to organize a special event to receive its own Torah. With guests visiting from the neighboring Jewish Communities of El Centro California, Yuma Arizona, and San Diego, a quorum large enough was gathered to be able to hold public prayer services and Torah reading according to Jewish Law.
Services were conducted by members of the congregation and by Rabbi Mendel Polichenco of the Comunidad Israelita de Tijuana, who was instrumental in helping Or Israel obtain the Torah Scroll; transporting it personally the day of the event. The Scroll was originally written over 100 years ago in Russia and was donated by one of the members of the Mexicali Jewish Community in honor of his newborn son Haim Eliyahu.
The welcoming coincided with the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul which made the prayer service especially meaningful with its added prayers for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new month and with the traditional Psalms, beautifully sung by Rabbi Polichenco.
The packed meeting room vibrated with excited voices chanting Oseh Shalom and other traditional Jewish songs at the beat of djembe drums played by musician Eliezer Gluck.
“I felt I was in a dream” said Elisheva, a resident of bordering town Calexico and member of the Congregation. “I never thought our small group would grow so rapidly in a four year time span”, she concluded with tears in her eyes.
The prayer ceremony approached to its end with the poem Adon Olam sang by Moshe Noah, a member of the synagogue who turned 13-years old that same day -the symbolic age of adulthood in Jewish tradition; and concluded with the sounding of the Shofar, whose long last blow made all present tremble in preparation for the upcoming High Holiday season.
Timid and almost nervous at the beginning, new visitors not so accustomed to the Orthodox format and setting left elated and inspired. “We really enjoyed it” said Susan, a member of the neighboring Jewish Community north of the border, who came to support the hard work the Mexicali Jews had put into building the local Community and in organizing this event.
A festive meal was prepared for all the attendants who enjoyed a spread of kosher delicacies served by the women of the Community, while some people sang and children danced happy religious tunes.
“This was a historic event that will transform the city” commented Shoshana who drove from San Diego just for the occasion. For those of us who were present that day, we know that transformation started already in each one of us as we remain moved with an indescribable feeling of trepidation that does not seem to go away.
