Midstate Jewish congregation set out to write a new torah

(WHTM) -- The Chisuk Emuna Congregation launched an initiative — allowing its members to experience an opportunity that only happens once in a generation.

“I was the President when we were creating the new building,” said Carl Shuman.

It has been more than a decade later since then.

Now, “We are commissioning a new torah scroll, which is the book, the scroll that we read from on the Sabbath and on holidays,” he added.

Writing a new torah is an extremely rare opportunity.

“Well, for one thing, it's an expensive undertaking,” Shuman said. “So, it's very hard for synagogues to replace their torah scrolls when it becomes necessary.”

Torahs are written and made to last a long time.

“We currently have six torahs in the congregation, but only two of them are good enough to be used for ritu