Celebrating Eli’s life

The family of a South African oleh killed by a Hamas gunman in November 2021 have launched a global project to complete a Torah scroll in his memory.

“The Eli Kay Unity Sefer Torah” initiative enlists Jews around the world to fund and write the scroll, which will be used in Israel to educate groups in his memory. The project raised $US13,000 from hundreds of individual donors on its first day alone.

Kay (pictured), who was shot in a terror attack in Jerusalem’s Old City, moved from South Africa to serve as a paratrooper in the IDF. His death touched many immigrants and native-born Israelis, and drew thousands of people to his funeral in Jerusalem.

The Kay family plans to take an active part in the project. Parents Devorah and Avi Kay and brother Kasriel, and his wife Shani, plan to travel with the first two sections of the partially completed scroll, as local scribes fill in the letters outlined by their Israeli counterpart. They will also follow the completed Torah as tour groups take it with them in their travels around Israel.

Kasriel Kay said he wants the Torah to foster unity among Jews in his brother’s memory, and form a link connecting Diaspora Jewry to Israel.

“Eli stood for settling the land and unity among people,” he said, “and he loved travelling the land. The goal is that this is a touring Sefer Torah – to take the people who participated in writing the Sefer Torah, and journey to the ends of Israel with it.”

The Kays hope that opening the Torah for use by youth tours will be an entrée for groups such as Birthright to incorporate Eli’s memory into their trip programming.

“This is Eli Kay’s Sefer Torah,” said Kasriel. “Who was Eli Kay? What’s his story? And that can be a lead for coming to teach them about Eli, talk about Eli.

“Everybody will tell you that Eli was so full of life,” said Kasriel. “We have to celebrate Eli’s life.”

Times of Israel