SAN DIEGO — A celebration of love and joy was held at the Chabad of Poway Wednesday night as Dr. Howard Kaye carried the Torah dedicated to his late wife, Lori Gilbert Kaye.
Lori was shot at Chabad of Poway Synagogue last month on the last day of the Jewish holiday of Passover while protecting Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein.
Prior to the dedication, Rabbi Goldstein displayed the special Torah pointer which meant so much to Lori.
The handwritten Biblical scroll had the final letters inked by a scribe during a ceremony at Chabad of Poway. It was carried outside under a canopy into the street to clapping and singing.
The ceremony was conducted by Rabbi Goldstein, who lost a finger in the attack and appeared with his hands bandaged.
"It has been a difficult past couple of weeks for our community, and especially for the Kaye family," said Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who lost a finger in the deadly attack. "Lori was such a kind, loving soul, and she knew everyone here, so this is really an opportunity for the community to come together and heal, and celebrate the life of a very special person who was brutally taken from us."
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After the scroll was completed, the local Jewish community celebrated by parading it through the Poway streets under a canopy. The procession also included a float, live music and dancing. According to the synagogue, the ceremony was an opportunity to honor Kaye's life, the survivors of the shooting and the attack's first responders.
