Pittsburgh Catholics partner with Philly man to create new Torah ark for Jewish camp

Camp Tel Yehudah, a Jewish teen leadership camp in New York, recently received a newly designed Aron ha-Kodesh (Torah ark) thanks to a partnership between a Philadelphia Jewish man and a family of Catholic artisans from Pittsburgh.

The need for the new Aron ha-Kodesh at the camp became apparent last year when the organization felt that the holy ark they had was no longer dignifying Torah readings or inspiring the community.

To remedy the situation, Roger Korman, an observant Jewish Philadelphian and the camp committee chair for Tel Yehudah, contacted the Sirofchuck family in Pittsburgh.

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“It was a huge challenge because this was not a matter of finding a standard piece of religious furniture that would fit into a synagogue or in any location. It had to be appropriate to the camp setting, a teen setting, where the natural surrounding is inspiring,” Korman said. “The camp is located in a deep valley of the Delaware River, surrounded by mountains and woods, and the natural environment creates a community we wanted to have. We wanted to find someone who could create a centerpiece for this community, who understood nature, whose life was infused with it.”

Korman explained that he met Paul and Mandy Sirofchuck, artisans who have been married for over 40 years, around 10 years ago at a crafts fair, and was inspired by some of their work.

Over the years, Korman has reached out to the Sirofchucks to design pieces for his family’s living spaces.

Paul Sirofchuck is an architect, designer and wood craftsman, while Mandy Sirofchuck is a stained glass artist. The couple’s daughter, Clair Sirofchuck Maier, is a painter, and her husband, Christopher Maier, assists Paul in the workshop.

Korman said that the Sirofchuck family is very spiritual, which allowed for him to form a sense of kinship with them over a shared devotion to their religions.

That background created an environment in which Korman felt that the family was ideal to help create the new Aron ha-Kodesh, despite them not being Jewish.

“When it came time to build something, create something for Tel Yehudah, I thought, ‘Well, who is someone who understands the inherent nature of wood as a business, as a divine creation?’” Korman said.

Paul Sirofchuck said the process of creating the ark was a learning experience for the whole family, adding that Christopher Maier engaged in many long philosophical discussions with Korman during the process.

Mandy Sirofchuck said that they learned about the purpose of the ark, and the family was able to find a similarity to the tabernacle in the Catholic faith. They approached the project as if they were creating something they would have in their church.

“[We] had to learn, as any architect would learn. If you were doing a hospital or recreation hall, or a municipal building, you have to learn how it’s used, all the functionality of it, so that you can actually do something that functions properly. Then you can let your artistic ability exceed that and take over. So, I had to learn a lot about Judaism, and it’s not that different from Catholicism when you break down the components,” Paul Sirofchuck said.

Working on the ark, he continued, was a joy and “a once in a lifetime opportunity,” and the final product exceeded all of his expectations.

Mandy Sirofchuck said that the design of the ark had a Tree of Life theme, and they incorporated five leaves on the front to represent the five books of the Torah.

She said that the couple wanted to include symbolism around the Jewish faith, including stained glass that represented the eternal flame. She added that there were several design elements showcasing the camp and its setting in nature.

Paul Sirofchuck attributed the success of the design elements to the “hand of God” stepping in.

“I think it was rather successful in getting the image across, more successful than I thought it would ever be. That’s when the hand of God steps in and you just start doing stuff, and you don’t know why you’re doing it, but when you stand back at the end, it’s like, wow, somebody else had a hand in this,” he said.

The ark was delivered to the camp a few days before summer started this year. During one of the weeks when the camp was in session, the family saw the piece in use.

The manner in which the kids reacted to the ark, Paul Sirofchuck said, was a great joy, and he hopes the piece has a lasting impact on the way campers relate to their faith.

“So, hopefully the things they experience at camp, and seeing the Aron and the sacredness of that house for the Torah, hopefully that leaves some lasting impression on them that, five, 10, 20 years down the road, they say, ‘You know what? That impacted my life and definitely brought me closer to my faith.’” PJC

Braden Hamelin is a writer for the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication where this first appeared.