Torah Scroll Being Written in Memory of Rashi Minkowicz

A project to write and complete a Torah Scroll in memory of Rashi Minkowicz—the beloved Chabad-Lubavitch shlucha, wife and mother of eight who passed away suddenly last March at the age of 37—has been launched by her family and friends, who are encouraging people around the world to participate.

“It is hard to believe that nearly a year has gone by since she passed away,” says Rabbi Lazer Gurkow of Congregation Beth Tefilah in London, Ontario, and a friend of the family. “The shock and horror of her premature passing left a deep imprint on us all. We can each remember exactly where we stood, when we heard the tragic news. At that time, there was an international outpouring of grief—a sincere desire to do something, indeed anything, in her memory.”

As a result, more than 350 “Torah & Tea” groups—something Rashi was known for hosting, and was, in fact, in the midst of preparing the evening she passed away—have sprung up throughout the world, as well as many other projects in her memory. “The amount of chesed (“acts of lovingkindness”) and the number of mitzvahs undertaken in her honor are truly beyond measure,” says Gurkow.

Opportunities for Dedications

In Alpharetta, Ga., the growing suburb outside Atlanta where Rashi lived, her family and community have launched an ambitious project—building an extensive new campus for Chabad of North Fulton dedicated in her memory.

That development, coupled with the writing of the Torah scroll, will come together on Sunday, March 8, at 1 p.m., at the yahrtzeit (“anniversary of passing”) ceremony, which will include the groundbreaking for “Rashi’s Campus” and the siyum (“completion celebration”) for “Rashi’s Torah.”

“Her husband, Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz, and her boys will read from it regularly. The Sefer Torah will be small enough so that all of her boys, including the young ones, will be able to perform gelilah (‘wrapping after reading’).”

Rabbi Hirshy and Rashi Minkowicz, co-directors of Chabad of North Fulton in Alpharetta, Ga., and their children

All are invited to take part in the writing of the Torah.

“As the months go by and the initial outpouring of support wanes, life returns to its normal routine,” says Gurkow. “It might be normal for others, but not for her family and community. This Sefer Torah will eternalize the memory of a shlucha taken from her family, her community and from us. A shlucha who, in her lifetime, inspired a community and, with her passing, inspired the world.”

With the siyum still more than a month away, opportunities for dedications abound, including for pesukim (“verses”), parshahs (“weekly portions”) or a sefer, one of the Five Books of Moses.

To participate in this project, visit the donation page here.

A campaign was also launched to build an extensive new Chabad center in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, to be called “Rashi’s Campus” in her honor.