A timeless initiative reborn: The 11th Sefer Torah HaKloli – The Unity Torah

The joy of the Kinus was still fresh when, just days later, Crown Heights and Shluchim from around the world gathered once again — this time for the grand Siyum HaTorah of the 11th Unity Torah (Sefer Torah HaKloli).

What began in 5741 (1981) as the Rebbe’s urgent call for every Jewish child to own a letter in a special Sefer Torah has grown into one of the most powerful symbols of Jewish unity. In the tense spring of that year, with the world on edge, the Rebbe spoke with unusual urgency about immediately registering children — and soon adults — for letters in these global Torah scrolls.

The campaign’s expansion came quickly. On the Shabbos before Shavuos, the Rebbe called for every Jewish adult to participate as well. And on the first night of Shavuos itself, Israel’s air force executed the miraculous Osirak operation, neutralizing a nuclear threat in mere moments and returning every pilot safely home. To Chassidim, the timing was unmistakable: the unity of Klal Yisrael through the Torah had tipped the scales.

Now, more than four decades later, the 11th Sefer Torah HaKloli was joyously completed on Eastern Parkway. Thousands — local residents, visiting Shluchim, bochurim, and families — packed Oholei Torah ballroom to personally write or witness the final letters being filled in. What followed was an unforgettable tahalucha down Kingston Avenue to 770, accompanied by live music and waves of singing, culminating in exuberant hakafos under the stars with the new Torah.

This particular sefer holds extra significance: thousands of IDF soldiers serving in active duty have merited letters in this Torah, connecting them spiritually to every Jew worldwide and surrounding them with the protection of Acheinu Kol Beis Yisrael.

At Machon Stam we feel privileged to continue writing these historic Unity Torahs with the same care and yiras Shamayim as the very first ones written in the Rebbe’s presence. Each letter is an eternal bond — between every Jew, between heaven and earth, and between our generation and the generations to come.

May the completion of these holy Sifrei Torah hasten the day when we will all dance with the Torah in the third and eternal Beis HaMikdash, bimheirah b’yameinu!