Hillel celebrates rededication of new Torah donated to U.

Displaying the splendor of a bejeweled white satin Torah for the crowd to see, Cantor Joseph Malovany mesmerized dozens at Hillel yesterday during a ceremony to rededicate a scroll donated to the University over the summer. Malovany, chanting traditional Hebrew memorial prayers in honor of the memory of Lipman's father, conducted the ceremony. Following a procession around College Green, students, the Lipman family and University President Judith Rodin convened in Hillel for a series of speeches celebrating the gift. Lipman -- a Memphis, Tenn., businessman whose relatives have been long-time supporters of the University and whose children attended Penn -- had originally donated the Torah to the University in June. Hillel planned yesterday's rededication, however, to allow students not present during the summer to attend the ceremony. In addition to the procession and speeches, many students and faculty took part in festive simcha dances, accompanied by traditional Jewish music, on College Green. Liz Minkin, a program associate for Hillel, praised Lipman, whose family has donated money to the University in the past, as a "great friend." "[The Torah] legitimizes us as an important group of people [on campus]," she said. "We want to show him the vibrancy of our community." College senior and Hillel President Ami Joseph welcomed the audience of more than 60 and discussed a parallel between the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah -- which celebrates the original giving of the Torah several thousand years ago -- and the Lipman gift. "It is our individual community which takes hold of this treasure," Joseph said. "On the other hand, it is a day where we are unconsciously surrounded by the drama of Jewish history." Rabbi Howard Alpert, executive director of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, stressed the importance of community within Hillel and the University. Emphasizing that Jews of varying backgrounds combine on campus into an archetypal "Penn Jew," Alpert praised the influence of Lipman's Torah in his speech. "We are all here to celebrate and take joy in the newest community Torah," he said. Rodin added that the donation will enable Penn students to fully appreciate the Torah in all of its capacities -- as an element of history, religion, discussion and study. "The scrolls connect all of us to our past and ultimately to our future," she said. In the keynote speech, Rabbi Sol Roth of New York City's Fifth Avenue Synagogue -- the temple at which Malovany accompanies him during services -- praised Lipman for his successes both as a businessman and a philanthropist. "He is a model for you on campus," Roth said, noting that Lipman had made the contribution despite recent family illnesses. "[Lipman has] a great deal of inner strength," he added. Lipman closed the event by sharing some personal thoughts, focusing on his dedication of the Torah to his father's memory. "When you give a Torah, it makes you feel better," he said, adding that he thought that Penn "needed" the scroll.

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