In the wake of October 7, a day that shattered countless lives in Israel, Yehuda Lanzkron found clarity in a calling that had quietly taken root years earlier. Through the newly founded nonprofit “Mantzichim” (Hebrew for “memorializing”), Lanzkron has created a groundbreaking approach to honoring the memory of the fallen, turning grief into connection, pain into purpose and memory into living legacy.
Mantzichim specializes in commemorating Israel’s fallen through the restoration and dedication of sefer Torahs. More than simply placing names on plaques or erecting physical monuments, Mantzichim transforms each sefer Torah into a breathing symbol of continuity and community. It is an approach that blends centuries-old Jewish tradition with the emotional needs of modern families grappling with loss.
At the heart of Mantzichim’s mission is the idea that memory should be active. As Lanzkron explained, “Commemoration must be more than static. It must be alive, breathing, impactful.”
This philosophy is rooted in deeply personal experience. In 2001, Lanzkron lost his youngest brother Naftali in a terror attack. Over the years, the elder Lanzkron brother engaged in countless acts of remembrance: commissioning a sefer Torah, establishing synagogues in his memory, creating a community garden, and even producing books and documentaries. But two years after Naftali’s death, a dream changed the trajectory of his life. “Naftali came to me and said, ‘You’ve done enough for me. Now go help others.’”
So he did. Initially a real estate agent by profession, Lanzkron began helping three to five bereaved families each year to create meaningful memorials. His expertise in fundraising grew, and soon his volunteer work expanded to assist other organizations and even municipalities like Petach Tikvah. Still, it wasn’t until the horrors of October 7 that the part-time mission became a full-time purpose.
“For three weeks after the October 7 attacks, I couldn’t leave the house. I was later diagnosed with PTSD,” Lanzkron recalled. “But I realized that my brother’s legacy and this work had to become my life’s work.”
That decision gave birth to Mantzichim, a nonprofit dedicated to providing personalized memorial projects for bereaved families. The crown jewel of these projects is the sefer Torah, which offers families deep spiritual comfort.
A family who had dedicated a sefer Torah for their son who was killed at the Nova music festival on October 7 placed the Torah in the car, belted between the two surviving children. “It felt like my son was sitting with us again,” the father said.
Realizing the astronomical costs of commissioning new sefer Torahs—as much as $75,000 each, or more—Lanzkron pioneered a new model. Instead of writing new scrolls, Mantzichim restores old, unused and invalid (pasul) Torahs. “Every synagogue in the world probably has one,” he estimated, “there are around 40,000 unusable scrolls worldwide, of which 8,000-10,000 can be restored.”
Mantzichim seeks synagogues and individuals around the world that are willing to donate such scrolls, and then takes on the full restoration process: Transport to Israel, kashering the scroll, crafting new Atzei Chaim (wooden rollers), sewing a new mantel (cover), etc., to completion. The family and synagogue names are honored on opposite sides of the mantel, creating a deeply symbolic duality of remembrance.
Prominent leaders like Rabbi Allen Schwartz of Congregation Ohab Zedek in Manhattan have supported Mantzichim by donating scrolls and helping raise funds. In some cases, Mantzichim offers a cost-matching program: The organization funds $10,000 and the family contributes the second half. In addition, Mantzichim is seeking American families and communities to partner in a matching program with the nonprofit or with bereaved families in Israel, enabling more sefer Torah dedications to come to life.
Mantzichim also introduced a creative Chumash HaGiborim project. Each copy, a complete set of the Five Books of the Torah, pairs the biblical text on one page with a tribute on the other to a fallen IDF soldier: a short bio, a dvar Torah, and/or a poem written by or about the fallen. Priced at $360, each purchase funds two chumashim—one for the donor and one for a bereaved family. Esteemed figures like Rabbi Tzvi Rimon and Rabbi Herschel Schachter have endorsed the initiative.
The work doesn’t stop there. Lanzkron and his son journeyed to Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community devastated on October 7, to collect wood from the destroyed trees. That reclaimed wood is now used to craft Atzei Chaim for restored scrolls, bringing life and growth back to what was once ruined. There are even embroidery kits for those wishing to sew the mantels themselves, a meaningful way to physically and emotionally connect with the project.
“I want every fallen soldier to have a Torah dedicated to their memory,” Lanzkron said. It’s an ambitious goal, but one grounded in profound truth: A sefer Torah doesn’t just preserve the past. It invites us to carry it forward.
Mantzichim offers a powerful vision of remembrance that is not confined to cemeteries or ceremonies. Instead, it lives in synagogues, in homes, in the everyday rhythm of Jewish life. Each scroll becomes not just a tribute, but a bridge—between generations, between communities, and between memory and meaning.
To learn more or to become part of this living legacy, visit mantzichim.co.il or contact Lanzkron at [email protected]
Arnie Draiman is a philanthropic consultant helping people and foundations give their tzedakah money away wisely, efficiently, and effectively for over 25 years. In addition, he consults to hi-tech start-ups, and is an expert in social media marketing and promotion. He can be reached at: [email protected]
