These, according to Jewish law, cannot be destroyed, but are to be treated with the same respect and care allotted the deceased. Last week's genizah, held on Tisha B'Av by San Francisco's Congregation Adath Israel, entailed the burial of more than 30 cartons of prayer books, Torah texts and Talmuds, as well as tallitot and tefillin, all of which were collected and used by Adath Israel over the past two decades. Once they became unusable, the objects were stored in a room at the Sunset District Orthodox synagogue. While most burials occasion sorrow, this unusual interment offered Adath Israel members a chance to express appreciation for the tools of their faith. They took turns lowering cartons of objects into the grave, and then shoveled dirt into the hole, which measured approximately 6 feet by 6 feet.
Burial is a sign of respect.
Some of the buried objects had simply become too worn for further use. Others had been given to Adath Israel by relatives of people who had passed away. The fact that the objects are now buried does not signify their end, Traub stressed. Among those attending last week's genizah was Edwin Lopez, a minister at the Spanish-speaking Assemblies of God church in San Francisco's Mission District. Lopez works for Adath Israel president Robert Sosnick, and volunteered to help bring the cartons of objects to the site so he could observe the ritual.