The streets of Aggieland, Texas, came alive as the city welcomed its first-ever Sefer Torah and greeted Leibel Lazaroff, who had finally returned home healthy after being shot in the Sydney terror attack.

“It’s really beautiful that we’re celebrating the welcoming of the new Torah,” Leibel said. “It’s a very big milestone for the Jewish community here in Aggieland.”

Hundreds of members of the College Station Jewish community came out into the streets to celebrate, their hearts filled with gratitude to Hashem for the miraculous events Leibel experienced since that devastating day.

“The fact that the community got together and are here to support and love me and my family… to physically show up and be there really means a lot,” he said.

The Siyum Sefer Torah – the first in Aggieland – was a historic moment for the close-knit Jewish community, led by shluchim Rabbi Yossi and Manya Lazaroff.

The Torah was dedicated in memory of Leibel’s late grandmother, Tzivia bas Yaakov Yitzchok Friedman AH, a longtime resident of Crown Heights and an active member of the Chevra Kadisha. She carried forward her family’s emunah and mesirus nefesh to the next generation.

“She made sure to share with us the stories of her mother, who was hunted during pogroms,” Manya said. “Our Torah, and us as a people, we’re alive.”

The Siyum began at College Station City Hall, where community members took turns writing the final letters in the Sefer Torah, overseen by sofer Rabbi Yitzchak Raskin of Machon Stam in Crown Heights.

The crowd also watched a moving video presentation sharing the Lazaroff family’s story, highlighting the unbelievable miracles they experienced from the Rebbe at every step of the way. The film, interspersed with videos of the Rebbe, concluded with the Lazaroffs thanking everyone who supported them and thanking Hashem for the great miracle.

“Our family is very grateful for all the love and support from around the world,” Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff told Anash.org. “The tens of thousands of mitzvot, Tehillim messages, and learning done globally all contributed to this great miracle we are celebrating today.”

He also expressed special thanks to SIE for spearheading the translation of the Maamar delivered by the Rebbe on Yud Shevat 5751 in the zechus of Leibel.

After several brief speeches, the crowd paraded through the streets with the new Torah, accompanied by a massive music truck, to the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center. The procession was led by Texas head shliach Rabbi Shimkeh Lazaroff, who also wore a shtreimel for the occasion.

Hundreds of community members danced together in the streets to ‘I’m a Jew and I’m proud’ and other niggunim and Jewish songs, as passersby came out to witness the spectacular, historic sight.

When they reached the Chabad House, the group recited the pesukim of ata hareisa and performed the hakafot with great joy, followed by a lavish seudas mitzvah and seudas hodaah to celebrate the new Sefer Torah and thank Hashem for His miracles with Leibel.