A Torah scroll dedicated to past and present U.S. military personnel was unveiled Sunday in a ceremony and procession beginning at the Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, Calif. and ending at the Chabad of Oxnard Jewish Center. About 200 people attended the celebration marking the completion of the Liberty Torah, considered by sponsors to be the first such scroll written with solely the military in mind.

Dr. David and Edi Boxstein of Oxnard initiated the project in the merit of their son Jonathan, a U.S. Army soldier currently serving in Iraq. The writing of the scroll began during a ceremony last year on the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"The Liberty Torah will be a living testament to those that put their life" on the line, said Edi Boxstein.

"The dedication of the Liberty Torah gives everyone the opportunity to honor all our soldiers, who have served our great country throughout our history, and to pray for an end to all hostilities," said Rabbi Dov Muchnik, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Oxnard.

Paul Grossgold, former commanding officer of the nearby U.S. Naval Base Ventura County, said that the Liberty Torah was not meant to honor "any particular ideology or any agenda."

"We dedicate it simply to our servicemen," said Grossgold, "to our sons and daughters who put themselves in harm's way to protect us on our shores."