We are delighted to introduce our new High Holy Day Torah covers to the congregation!

With heartfelt gratitude to Rabbi Dan, Sandra, Abby, and Ellie Feder and Rachel and Andrew Porter, who generously gifted these mantles to Peninsula Temple Sholom in appreciation of our sacred community’s commitment to the values, teachings, and aspirations embodied in our holy scroll.

It is traditional to adorn Torah scrolls with beautiful mantles as a way of honoring the Torah, our most treasured possession. These coverings not only protect the scrolls but also reflect the spiritual tone of the season. Each year, in preparation for the High Holy Days, we change our Torah mantles from joyful, vibrant colors to quieter, more contemplative hues.

The vision was to create a set of Torah covers that would feel uniquely at home at PTS. These exquisite mantles are inspired by the natural beauty of Northern California—poppy flowers, redwoods, a cypress tree, lupine-covered hills, sea grass, and foggy vistas of mountains and water—landscapes that surround and sustain us. The designs, by artist Jeanette Kuvin Oren, are quilted in shades of white, gold, and silver, accented with soft blues, purples, greens, tans, pale oranges, and pink-golds., Muted, peaceful tones were chosen to evoke the solemnity and introspection of the Days of Awe. The hand-painted colors are designed to be equally striking up close and from a distance.

Two of the mantles, those depicting foggy mountain and water vistas, will reside in the Klein Spiritual Center: Lent Chapel. The remaining five will adorn the ark in the sanctuary.

The new Torah covers will be on display in the synagogue foyer in August. We invite you to stop by and experience their beauty firsthand.