Neil Yerman Information

Neil Yerman was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. As a teenager, he studied art with Adria T. Braverman and in a variety of special programs for artistically gifted young adults. As an adult, he pursued art as an avocation until 1984, when he began working professionally as an artist and calligrapher specializing in one-of-a-kind illuminated art works, especially ketubot, family trees, and other life cycle documents. This change in his career led him into a specialization in the restoration of antique illuminated documents, most of which had been created on parchment. In 1987 he was asked to restore ten Sifrei Torah by Temple Sinai of Roslyn (Roslyn, New York). This assignment launched Mr. Yerman on a career as a scribe specializing in working with liberal — Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative — congregations. In the last eleven years, he has worked with many different types of congregations and organizations throughout the United States on Torah restoration, community enrichment, intergenerational experiential programming, education, and development. In 1993, Mr. Yerman was commissioned by Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York to write a new sefer Torah for the congregation's 150th anniversary. While in residence, Mr. Yerman presented programs tailored for each of the congregation's special communities, including teaching each grade of the religious school and nursery school. In addition, congregants had the opportunity to spend time with him and to write their own letter in the Torah. The Torah was dedicated in the spring of 1995. In 1997, Neil restored a sefer Torah for Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, a project undertaken to honor of Ilene and Stanley Gold. Neil worked part-time on-site at the Brookdale campus, providing participatory opportunities and education for the students, faculty, and trustees. Sofer Yerman recently completed a sefer Torah for Temple Beth El in Great Neck and is also writing a sefer Torah for Temple Sinai in Washington, D.C., both Reform congregations. In addition, he was recently selected to write a Sefer Torah for the Women of Reform Judaism. A unique feature of Mr. Yerman's work is the educational experience that he offers to his clients. Equally at home with 3-year-olds and senior citizens, Mr. Yerman's focus is to foster a love for both the physical Torah and for the letters of wisdom it contains. He believes that the Torah belongs to men and women equally and encourages the participation of all in the writing, restoration, and learning process. As part of his teaching, he has also brought the beauty of the Torah to interfaith and church groups. Mr. Yerman has worked as an artist and sofer for many organizations and individuals, both in the United States and abroad. He has created a number of new life cycle documents for the UAHC, including the popular “Noah's Ark” naming certificate. Other institutional clients include the American Friends of Hebrew University, the Wexner Foundation, and the Jewish Theological Seminary; he is artist-in-residence for The Academy for Jewish Religion. In addition, he continues to accept commissions for one-of-a-kind illuminated life cycle documents from private clients.