The Torah for which this mantle was created survived the Holocaust, having previously been housed in a Polish synagogue for 75 years before coming to Albany. According to synagogue archives, after the war, an organization called the Synagogue Council of America rescued Jewish objects from post-War Europe and distributed them to congregations in the United States. In the early 50's, Rabbi Leo Geiger, then Temple Israel's spiritual leader, pledged to have needed repairs done to the Torah. After Rabbi Geiger's untimely death, his family promised to see the work completed and the Torah was sent to Israel for restoration. Subsequently, Temple Israel continued to oversee the maintenance of the Torah scroll.

This is a unique Torah, and as such, requires a special cover to reflect its history. Because of the Torah's provenance as a survivor of the Holocaust, the mantle was created to reflect both the Shoah as well as the life that rose from its ashes. Dark images of the railroad tracks that carried Jews to the death camps and the chain link fences that separated the internees from the rest of the world are seen in the foreground. Beyond them in the light, rises a memorial forest with six trees - representative of the six million Jews who were killed in Nazi concentration camps. The trees - symbols of life and hope - are in the shape of flames: memorial candles to those who died. Embedded in the clouds are seeds of peace.

The process of creating a piece of art is much like raising a child. You nurture it, work hard on its development, and then you send it off into its rightful place in the world, trusting you did your very best. I know that this Torah cover has found its rightful place and I hope that it will serve the congregation well for a long time to come.