To The Trail Staff and University Community,
We are writing in response to the November 8, 2024 article “University Investigates Alleged Mishandling of University Torah” by Veronica Brinkley. The piece includes many factual errors, starting with the title, which implies there was an open investigation when this article was published. This is incorrect. A complaint was lodged with the Office of Equal Opportunity, but no evidence of wrongdoing was found on the part of faculty or staff. The student journalist of this article did not consult with the University Librarian, Archives and Special Collections staff, any staff member of Collins Library, or the Provost’s Office before publishing this entirely incorrect and incomplete information.
The first sentence states: “Among the artifacts stored in the Collins Memorial Library basement hides a 250-year-old Torah scroll that was gifted to the University by an unknown donor.” There are no artifacts stored in the basement of Collins Library. The Torah was not hidden. The Torah scroll is not 250 years old. The donor is known. All of these details are readily findable by searching in the Library’s publicly available catalog or by speaking to one of the many staff members in the Library with full knowledge of the Torah’s existence and provenance.
The factual inaccuracies continue throughout the article, including that the Torah is “stowed in a cardboard box” and “the Chaplaincy is currently looking into the incident.” Additionally, the sentences stating “Wright, Fine, the Provost’s office, Academic Affairs, and the Archives and Special Collections staff plan to meet soon to coordinate next steps to ensure that the Torah is properly stored and handled going forward. The main goal is to produce a set of guidelines that archive users need to follow to interact with the Torah” are also categorically incorrect. In an attempt to correct this entirely false article, I have detailed the correct information about The Torah below.
Collins Library received a donation of a partial Torah scroll in 2009. Great care has gone into the storage and handling of the Torah since it was donated, including consulting with experts in the care and handling of this precious and sacred text. As is appropriate for an academic archival collection, the Torah scroll held in Archives and Special Collections was decommissioned for religious use before it was purchased and donated to the University. It is only to be used for academic and research purposes. The donor had the Torah properly appraised before donating it, which is standard practice for donations of this nature. The Library’s policy is to retain the record of this appraisal for as long as The Torah is in our collection. The appraisal included details on where it was scribed and the estimated date of the text, which are publicly available in the catalog record. The Torah is stored in an acid-free archival box made especially for it, which is appropriate for a Torah that is no longer suitable for religious use. It is stored in the Archives and Special Collections vault on the second floor, which is secure and monitored for climate control. The Torah has been available for researchers and the Puget Sound community for
many years. Its existence has never been hidden. Information about the Torah was published in Arches in 2012, which is findable with a simple Google search of torah scroll university of puget sound. Most importantly, it is easily findable in the library catalog.
The reference to a meeting of “Wright, Fine, the Provost’s office, Academic Affairs, and the Archives and Special Collections staff” to develop a set of guidelines for proper handling and storage of The Torah is also incorrect on several points. Prior to this incident, there were already well established guidelines in place to ensure proper handling and storage. To prepare for the class session, the faculty member spoke with Sam Kigar and a conservative Jewish rabbi to ensure proper etiquette was followed during viewing. These guidelines were reviewed prior to the class in question and were implemented exactly as required. We (Cantor Geoffrey Fine, Provost Kerkhoff, University Librarian Annie Downey, and Archivist Olivia Inglin) met after we were informed of the complaint, which again found no wrongdoing on the part of any faculty or staff members. The meeting was not a corrective action. Cantor Fine is new to the university and we met to share information about the Torah. Collins Library staff take our stewardship duty very seriously. To that end, a best practice in library and archival work is to continuously assess and improve how we do our work. In that spirit, Ms. Inglin and Dr. Downey took the opportunity to ask Cantor Fine to share his expertise about the storage and handling of Torah. Cantor Fine confirmed that our processes and storage are appropriate and follow best practices for a Torah that is pasul, which is a Torah that is no longer fit for religious use.
This incorrect article has caused great harm in our community, as well as potential reputational damage to Collins Library staff members. Though we note a partial correction was added yesterday, we request that this article be removed from the website, a retraction and full correction published, and an apology be offered to the many individuals hurt by this irresponsible reporting.
Thank you,
Dr. Annie Downey, University Librarian
Cantor Geoffrey Fine, Jewish Life Coordinator
Olivia Inglin, Assistant Archivist
Dr. Drew Kerkhoff, Provost
Dave Wright, University Chaplain