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Through her Community Torah Project, Motzkin opened the process of creating a Torah scroll to thousands of people nationally and internationally. Her hands-on educational workshops enable participants to engage in various steps in the making of a Torah scroll; from processing deerskins into parchment panels to stitching completed panels together.

Rabbi Tamir Granot officiates at the wedding of his late son's ex-fiancée in Caesarea on Aug. 11, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Granot family.

She discussed eight various art pieces on display for the community that were on silent auction. Sixteen pieces of her artwork were available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Temple Sinai.

Rabbi Granot At Wedding1

According to Motzkin, for her artwork, she draws on several inspirations: her love of Hebrew calligraphy and the shapes and forms of Hebrew letters; her knowledge of 3,000 years of Jewish literature; the unique characteristics of the Hebrew language; and her work as a Hebrew scholar and parchment maker.

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The congregation celebrated the duo and their time at Temple Sinai, with challah prepared by the staff of the on-site non-profit charitable bakery, Slice of Heaven, founded by Rabbi Rubenstein more than two decades ago.

Israel’s 2024 Olympic fencer and 2019 European champion, Yuval Freilich. Photo courtesy of the International Fencing Federation.

“We know that this is not a complete farewell, since we know so many who will come out to see us and that we’ll be back here in Saratoga as well,” Rubenstein said. The two rabbis also said that they were happy to see the congregation continuing in new and exciting ways with the leadership of Rabbi Ilana Symons, who marked her first year with Temple Sinai earlier in July.