Marge Fettman, Holocaust Survivor, Donates Torah In Memory Of Family Members Lost

Marge Fettman lost her parents in the Holocaust, but she honored her loved ones by donating a Torah scroll to the Lubavitch Chabad of Skokie, Illinois, on Sunday.

She dedicated the handcrafted scroll to her parents, her husband's parents who also perished in the Holocaust, and her husband, who passed away in 2004. The mother of four explained her long-held desire to help the Jewish faith survive, saying “In my heart, I felt that the biggest mitzvah I could do is to donate the Torah, so (future generations) can read it. The Torah is our guide."

Torah scrolls can take 1,000 hours to make, as they are handwritten by professional scribes on about 200 feet of parchment paper made from the hides of kosher animals. Fettman's scroll was mainly written in Israel, though scribe Yochanan Nathan finished the final words of the text during the dedication ceremony.

Though Marge Fettman's Holocaust tattoo has faded and blurred, the fresh ink that has just been applied to her Torah scroll will ensure that her struggles and legacy will never be forgotten by her community.