{"id":93430,"date":"2026-08-07T10:55:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T15:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=93430"},"modified":"2026-08-07T11:19:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T16:19:00","slug":"a-torah-scroll-travels-to-scouting-americas-national-jamboree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/a-torah-scroll-travels-to-scouting-americas-national-jamboree\/","title":{"rendered":"A Torah Scroll travels to Scouting America&#8217;s National Jamboree"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By ALAN SMASON, <em>Exclusive to the CCJN<\/em><\/p>\n<p>With more than 8800 Scouts and approximately 2500 adult Scouters and staffers, the recently-concluded 2026 National Jamboree, produced by Scouting America (formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America), was one of the smallest on record but, in terms of its Jewish aspects, loomed larger than ever.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_93499\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93499\" class=\"wp-image-93499 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-300x182.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"182\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-1024x621.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-768x466.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-1536x932.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-2048x1242.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/182;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93499\" class=\"wp-image-93499 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-300x182.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-1024x621.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-768x466.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-1536x932.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Victorson_Alan_Berman-2048x1242.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-93499\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Congregation B&#8217;nai Jacob president and Eagle Scout Michael Victorson, left, holds Jamboree patches he received from CCJN editor Alan Smason, center, with Rabbi Adam Berman in the sanctuary of the Charleston, West Virginia synagogue on the return of their Torah scroll. (Photo courtesy Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The nine-day series of events in July regularly takes place every three or four years at Scouting America&#8217;s permanent high adventure site \u2013 the Summit Bechtel Family Scout Reserve \u2013 a sprawling 14,000 acre site that spans the area between Glen Jean and Mt. Hope in the rugged, mountainous West Virginia hills near New River Gorge National Park.<\/p>\n<p>The Jamboree was home to several expansive ziplines, sites for kayaking, white water rafting, SCUBA, fishing and a variety of range and target activities that included archery, rifles, shotguns, and pistols.<\/p>\n<p>Dozens of merit badges were offered to the Scouts to enable them to advance in rank and taught by Scouters and older members of the Order of the Arrow who were also on staff. The Scouts and Scouters were entertained by huge outdoor shows emphasizing the 250th anniversary of the United States with impressive fireworks and highly-precise drone displays.<\/p>\n<p>As in the <em>Mah Tovu<\/em> (&#8220;How goodly are your tents, O, Jacob.&#8221;), the thousands of attendees all slept in tents confined to three main camps &#8211; Camp C and D for the Scout contingents from councils across the country and Camp E for the staff, which consisted of adult volunteers and Order of the Arrow contingents.<\/p>\n<p>To emphasize Scouting America&#8217;s commitment to the various faith and beliefs groups that charter partner with it and sponsor packs, troops, crews, ships and posts for youth from ages 5 to 21, the Duty to God and Country exhibit area was created. It fell under the Crossroads activities listed under Program, which had organized and planned the series of events in earnest over the past two years with Zoom sessions and in-person gatherings.<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 1926 and thus celebrating its centennial year, the National Jewish Committee on Scouting (NJCOS) elected to go big at this year&#8217;s Jamboree.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_93504\" style=\"width: 245px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93504\" class=\"wp-image-93504 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth-802x1024.jpg 802w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth-768x980.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth.jpg 940w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 235px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 235\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93504\" class=\"wp-image-93504 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth-802x1024.jpg 802w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth-768x980.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/NJCOS_booth.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-93504\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Part of the NJCOS exhibit at the National Jamboree. (Photo by Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>To celebrate its 100th year, the NJCOS expanded its footprint at the Duty to God and Country exhibit area with a huge booth that showcased the Jewish religion and highlighted famous Jews. Buffeted by pictures of famous celebrities, historic Jewish Scouting pictures and explanations of Jewish holidays and traditional Jewish foods, the volunteer workers at the booth gave away hundreds of&nbsp; Jewish Scouting patches and buttons and promoted their religious emblems program.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, a large contingent of Shomer Shabbat observant Scouts and Scouters &#8211; some from Israel \u2013 arrived early in order to prepare to observe Tisha B&#8217;Av, which began on the evening of Wednesday, July 22, the first day all the other Scouts were set to arrive. Their encampment was part of a sub-camp in Camp C that erected an eruv and held daily worship services of Shacharit, Mincha and Maariv in their own Synagogue Tent led by the Scouts themselves. Other than the day of fasting for Tisha B&#8217;Av, the Shomer Shabbat contingent ate kosher meals for the duration of the Jamboree.<\/p>\n<p>The Friday night egalitarian-Conservative service was also held in Camp C, not far away from the Shomer Shabbat contingent in the camp pavilion. That service was officiated by Cantor Neil Schwartz, a former Cubmaster and Scoutmaster, who has enjoyed a long Scouting and professional career as both a cantor and a Jewish educator. The cantor, who has been trained twice at the Philmont Training Center in Cimarron, New Mexico, was the Scoutmaster when both of his sons \u2013 David and Adam \u2013 attained the rarified rank of Eagle Scout.<\/p>\n<p>On Shabbat morning, July 25, while the Shomer Shabbat contingent conducted religious services in the Synagogue Tent in Camp C, the NJCOS&nbsp; sponsored an alternative egalitarian Conservative-based morning worship service for Jewish Scouts and Scouters at the shared Duty to God Worship Tent.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_93501\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93501\" class=\"wp-image-93501 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout-300x216.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout-300x216.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout-1024x737.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout-768x553.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout.jpg 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/216;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93501\" class=\"wp-image-93501 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout-300x216.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout-300x216.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout-1024x737.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout-768x553.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SethR_Scout.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-93501\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NJCOS member Seth Rosenberg, who was in charge of their exhibit, shows a Scout a daily siddur on a table of Judaica. (Photo by Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>As a member of the the NJCOS for nearly a quarter of its existence, I wanted to ensure we had a Torah scroll deemed kosher from which to read from <em>Parsha Va&#8217;Etnachan <\/em>on that particular Shabbat morning.<\/p>\n<p>Checking nearby Charleston, West Virginia congregations, I found an online number on the Congregation B&#8217;nai Jacob website. I cold-called Mark Slotnick, whose number was available online and, after making a cursory introduction, explained my intent to borrow a scroll. He contacted the synagogue&#8217;s spiritual leader, Rabbi Adam Berman, who in turn called the president of his synagogue, an attorney named Michael Victorson. Victorson revealed to the rabbi that he was, in fact, a proud Eagle Scout, who had attended the 1969 National Jamboree in Farragut State Park in Idaho. It was the first time the rabbi ever knew that Victorson had such a connection to Scouting.<\/p>\n<p>The congregation&#8217;s president was only too glad to offer a scroll to continue the cycle of religious practice at the 2026 National Jamboree that he had experienced himself as a youth as in 1969.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_93500\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93500\" class=\"wp-image-93500 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-1024x688.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-768x516.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-1536x1032.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls.jpg 1824w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/202;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93500\" class=\"wp-image-93500 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-300x202.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-1024x688.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-768x516.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls-1536x1032.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_scrolls.jpg 1824w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-93500\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Congregation B&#8217;nai Jacob Rabbi Adam Berman shows the missing slot for the Torah loaned to travel to the Scouting America National Jamboree. (Photo by Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>When Rabbi Berman called me back, I assured him I would have insurance coverage for the scroll and would arrange to house it safely on site at the Jamboree. Charleston is about an hour&#8217;s drive away from the Summit.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday afternoon, July 19, I arrived at the synagogue was was greeted by the young rabbi on the same date most of the Scouting staff was directed to arrive and check in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The rabbi gave me a tour of the sanctuary and proudly displayed the many sefer Torah and Writings of the Prophets housed there. He spoke later about why he chose the particular scroll that traveled to the Jamboree.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I chose it because it was the smallest,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They&#8217;re all about the same size, but I figured it would be the easiest to <em>schlep<\/em> around at the Jamboree.&#8221; After a slight pause he asked, &#8220;Do Boy Scouts use the term <em>schlep<\/em>?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Jewish ones do,&#8221; I assured him.<\/p>\n<p>Unbeknownst to me, Rabbi Adam Berman is the son of Emeritus Rabbi Harold Berman, who was senior rabbi at Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus, Ohio from 1979 to 2013. One of his early colleagues was the very same Cantor Neil Schwartz, who served as the congregation&#8217;s cantor when he was freshly ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1980. Cantor Schwartz served as cantor there for two years before moving on to other posts in Reading, Pennsylvania and Chattanooga, Tennessee as he also began his Scouting career.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_93503\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93503\" class=\"wp-image-93503 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger-300x210.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger-1024x716.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger-768x537.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger.jpg 1152w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/210;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93503\" class=\"wp-image-93503 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger-300x210.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger-1024x716.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger-768x537.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Torah_w_Alan_Ricky_Mason_BruceStreger.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-93503\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Chairman of the board of Scouting America, Ricky Mason, is called to the Torah with NJCOS vice president Bruce Streger, gabbi Alan Smason and Cantor Neil Schwartz at egalitarian-Conservative Shabbat morning services on July 25 at the 2026 National Jamboree. (Photo by Steve Silbinger)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>On Saturday morning, July 25, I served as the gabbi during the Torah service while Cantor Schwartz served as the officiant guiding us through the morning blessings, the Shacharit service as well as the Torah service. As fortunate as we could be, one of the attendees was a Kohen or descendant of the House of Aaron.&nbsp; After calling the Scouter up by his Hebrew name, the introductory parsha was read by Cantor Schwartz. That section of Va&#8217;Etnachan (&#8220;I pleaded&#8221;) deals with Moses unsuccessfully pleading with God to permit him to enter the promised land of Canaan.<\/p>\n<p>We advanced the Torah to the second aliyah, which was the section in <em>Devarim<\/em> (<em>Deuteronomy<\/em>) that pronounces the Ten Commandments. As it was explained, it is tradition that everyone stand during that portion of the reading and a Levite member of the NJCOS was then called to the Torah. At the moment the cantor reached the Ten Commandments, I used three resonant poundings on the table to alert everyone to rise.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Once that section was finished and everyone was seated, we advanced the Torah scroll to the section that speaks of the Shema. For the third and final aliyah, I called <em>Yisroel ben Yosef<\/em>, the Hebrew name for Ricky Mason, the attorney who, earlier in May, had ascended to the position of chairman of the board of Scouting America, one of the two top volunteers in the organization. He is only the third Jewish figure to occupy that position, which correlates to the older title of president of the Boy Scouts of America. Two other Jewish presidents of the BSA preceded him. The first was Mortimer Schiff, who assumed the presidency in 1931, but tragically died within a month of his appointment. The second Jewish BSA president was Irving Feist, who served from 1968 to 1971.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_93508\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93508\" class=\"wp-image-93508 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz-1024x614.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz-768x461.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz.jpg 1092w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/180;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93508\" class=\"wp-image-93508 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz-1024x614.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz-768x461.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky_Mason_Neil_Schwartz.jpg 1092w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-93508\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Scouting America&#8217;s chairman of the board, Ricky Mason, speaks at the Shabbat morning service at the 2026 Natiional Jamboree with officiant Cantor Neil Schwartz at right. (Photo by Steve Silbinger)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>There is no record of Feist participating in the Shabbat worship service at the 1969 National Jamboree that Michael Victorson recalled so vividly.<\/p>\n<p>Mason thus became the first sitting Scouting America board chair to be given the honor of an aliyah at a National Jamboree.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At the conclusion of the Torah service, he spoke to his fellow worshippers, saying the moment was one of his most heartfelt and special moments in Scouting because it emphasized his dual commitment to Judaism and Scouting.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am honored to be the first Jewish national chair to attend synagogue services at a Jamboree,&#8221; he noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScouting is a faith based organization. We provide a safe and welcoming space for worship and community for all religions, and that was clearly the case for the synagogue services here, which could be my favorite of all services that I have been privileged to attend around the world,\u201d Mason emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>Following services, Cantor Schwartz left the Jamboree by car in order to fly from Charleston, West Virginia to Boston to attend the New Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (NewCAJE) on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Other than the three times the conference was held in Israel, the cantor had enjoyed a perfect attendance and was cited for his 47th appearance there. He returned to West Virginia to retrieve his car on July 29 and spent the night with Rabbi Adam Berman and his family.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_93509\" style=\"width: 251px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Alan_Torahscroll.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93509\" class=\"wp-image-93509 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Alan_Torahscroll-241x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"241\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Alan_Torahscroll-241x300.jpeg 241w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Alan_Torahscroll.jpeg 643w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 241px) 100vw, 241px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 241px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 241\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93509\" class=\"wp-image-93509 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Alan_Torahscroll-241x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"241\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Alan_Torahscroll-241x300.jpeg 241w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Alan_Torahscroll.jpeg 643w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 241px) 100vw, 241px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-93509\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">CCJN editor and Scouter Alan Smason with the B&#8217;nai Jacob sefer Torah. (Photo by Rabbi Adam Berman)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The next morning, on July 30,&nbsp; at the suggestion of the younger Rabbi Berman, the cantor had a phone conversation with Rabbi Harold Berman in Columbus. It was the first time the two had spoken in four decades.<\/p>\n<p>On the occasion of the return of the Torah scroll to the synagogue later that same day, Rabbi Berman expressed pride that his synagogue had such a central part in Scouting America&#8217;s 2026 National Jamboree. &#8220;Judaism doesn&#8217;t just belong to New York and Los Angeles and whatever,&#8221; he pointed out. &#8220;Here we are proud to be a pillar of Jewish life in Appalachia and to be able to faciliate Jewish experiences, even in the mountain states.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Staying to take part in a Mincha\/Maariv minyan at the Congregation B&#8217;nai Jacob sanctuary, I made sure both the rabbi and the congregation president received special Jewish Achievement Award triangular-shaped patches on behalf of the NJCOS before I left for my return trip home.<\/p>\n<p>Once I was safely back home, I reflected on the two-week journey and the many instances where the confluence of Judaism and Scouting seemed to rise above mere coincidence.<\/p>\n<p>The connection between that Torah scroll and the people who had a direct hand in loaning it to me from a remote Jewish outpost to giving it prominence on a national stage would suggest to me some kind of divine intervention. It made it possible for me to tour a West Virginia synagogue for the first time. It also allowed me to meet its rabbi, whose father worked side by side with a cantor, who was in charge of the very same religious service where the Torah was read. It also led to the two of them to talk for the first time in 40 years. It also was encouraging for the congregation&#8217;s president \u2013 who also turned out to be a Eagle Scout \u2013 to make it happen so as to ensure the experience he had at a National Jamboree as a Jewish youth might be repeated at this year&#8217;s event.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Such small miracles cannot always be explained or questioned. After all, it is a matter of faith. Like the many other miracles described within it, this, too, comes from a Torah scroll.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"A%20Torah%20Scroll%20travels%20to%20Scouting%20America%27s%20National%20Jamboree\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":93499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[15301,7155,5567,15299,8790,8795,15302,999,8788,1096,15303,15300,14907,3583,7762,859,6590],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93430"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93430"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93512,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93430\/revisions\/93512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}