By Nancy K. S. Hochman
In 1914, Jewish Afghani brothers Rahamim and David Shamash returned from Jerusalem to Afghanistan along the well-trodden routes of the Silk Road with two new Torah scrolls, written for the Jewish communities of Afghanistan.
A century later, after falling into disuse and disrepair, one of the Torah scrolls has found a new home, when two scions of the Shamash family—Hannah Zion and her brother, Ronald Abram—refurbished and rededicated it last month at Chabad-Lubavitch of Hong Kong.
“Our ancestors have supported Jewish worship wherever they lived and traveled,” Zion told Chabad.org. “We want to show our own descendants and other young Jews living in Hong Kong the importance of maintaining Jewish life and tradition by connecting with the ancient Torah of the Jewish people.“
Additionally, through the story of her extended family’s challenges and triumphs around the world, Zion hopes that the rededicated Torah will serve as a living testament to “the strength and resilience of the Jewish people; their timeless devotion to Jewish tradition; and their ability to care for their own through times of both peace and persecution.”
That hope was also felt by Hannah and her husband Ephraim's grandson, Akiva Zion, who had the honor of reading from the centennial Torah the first day it was used in Chabad of Hong Kong. “When I touched the aged parchment, I felt a deep connection to Judaism, and Jewish tradition. In that moment, I knew I was honoring my family's history and sharing the wisdom of the Torah with the community, and one day, future generations. It was both a humbling and proud experience.”
The scrolls were written in Jerusalem and transported to Afghanistan in 1914, and sent to Tel Aviv in 1954. One was refurbished and brought to Thailand last year and the second to Hong Kong in 2024.
