Adam Schiff, the freshman Democratic senator from California, is making headlines for his choice of sefer during his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, taking the oath of office on a rare 1490 edition of the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah. In a statement released before the ceremony, Schiff described the sefer, printed in the duchy of Milan (modern-day northern Italy), as “a monumental legal code and one of the most organized, comprehensive, and influential works of Jewish law.” The volume was published by Gershom ben Mosheh ish Sontsino, a member of the renowned Soncino family, who were early trailblazers in Jewish printing. Schiff, who until now served as a congressman and federal prosecutor, said he chose the Rambam not only for its significance but also as a symbolic stand for justice and the rule of law, especially in light of the tumultuous state of American politics. Schiff was at the forefront of leading the first impeachment against Donald Trump and co-chaired the investigation into the Capitol riots of January 6, 2021. Trump, set to re-enter the White House, recently called for Schiff’s imprisonment and vowed “retribution” against his opponents. Schiff isn’t the first Jewish politician to make such a gesture during a swearing-in. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, also a Democrat, took his oath in 2023 on a stack of three Chumashim, including one from the bimah of the shul where 11 were murdered in the 2018 Pittsburgh shooting at the Tree od Life synagogue. Similarly, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff was sworn in on a sefer once owned by an Atlanta rabbi whose shul was bombed in 1958 by white supremacists. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)