AVE MARIA, Fla. (October 2007) - On October 17, 2007 Ave Maria University's (AMU) Canizaro Library proudly added a Sefer Torah scroll to its collection. The scroll was donated to AMU by George Burns from Phoenix, Ariz.  Lee Biondi, a rare book and manuscript dealer from Los Angeles, procured this unique manuscript and drove from Miami with his wife to present it to the Canizaro Library.  The scroll, estimated to have been written in the 1940's or 50's, is believed to have been scribed in Israel during the first years of the new Nation of Israel.

A Sefer Torah is a copy of the Five Books of Moses, hand written on parchment paper entirely in Hebrew.  A trained scribe called a Sofer painstakingly and precisely copies the manuscript which may take up to a year and a half to complete.  Each Sefer Torah contains 305,805 letters with forty-two lines of text per column.  The Sefer Torah is kept in the Ark of the Synagogue and only read on Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath), holidays, and Mondays and Thursdays during prayers.

Robert Verbesey, Director of Library Services, says of the donation, "This Sefer Torah is a thrilling addition to the Canizaro Library's Rare Books and Special Collections.  I want to thank three people especially for making this gift a reality: George Burns, the donor; Lee Biondi, who arranged the donation; and, Rare Books and Special Collections Librarian Jennifer Nodes for all she did to facilitate this important donation."

Biondi also graciously brought two fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls for a brief visit to AMU.  One fragment, from the Book of Nehemiah, is believed to be the only fragment from this book in existence.  The other fragment is from the Book of Daniel.  Both pieces date back to around 50 B.C. Biondi, now a private rare book dealer and lecturer, spent two years traveling with the exhibit "Dead Sea Scrolls to the Bible in America" as its curator.  In addition, Biondi spent ten years as the manager of Heritage Book Shop, Inc. in Los Angeles, an internationally renowned antiquarian book shop.

For more information about donating to Ave Maria University please contact Carole Carpenter, Vice-President of University Relations, ccarpenter@avemaria.edu, 239.280.2572

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