Our Czech Scroll
Our Czech Scroll
Holocaust Memorial Torah #298
On the bimah at Temple Beth-El, protected in a glass case, is the Orphan Torah. This Torah is among the 1,564 torahs that were discovered in Prague at the end of World War II. These torahs came from the communities of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. The sacred scrolls were taken by the Nazis from their communities as their rightful owners were murdered. All that remains from these communities are the sacred scrolls. They are orphans.
The Memorial Scroll Trust was created to preserve these scrolls and find synagogues to adopt them. Temple Beth-El's scroll #298 is on loan to the synagogue with the condition that it is displayed in a respectful, commemorative manner. Thus it sits in its own prominent case, perpetually enshrined on the bimah. While the town of origin is known for many of the scrolls, there was no entry next to number 298. Not only are its owners dead, they are not even known. This is truly an Orphan Torah, but also a witness to history and our national indestructibility.
Just as there are Torah scrolls whose place of origin cannot be identified, there are communities that are not connected to Torah scrolls. There were about 210 Jewish communities in Bohemia and Moravia, 60 in the Sudetenland, and 20 in Prague itself. The destroyed communities that have no existing Torah Scroll or other ritual objects are the Lost Congregations.
This Czech Scroll was dedicated at Temple Beth-El on Friday, Febuary 7, 2014 at Shabbat Services. On the following day, It was included in the Torah Procession, and following the Haftarah, tables were set up in the Sanctuary and the Orphan Torah scroll was opened and viewed. We are very proud to have this holy artifact in our care.
Learn more about the Memorial Scroll Trust here.
Wed, May 31 2023
11 Sivan 5783
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Charlottesville’s “Summer of Hate” in 2017 became a world-wide media event putting the resurgence of aggressive, empowered white supremacy, antisemitism and “alt-right” extremism in the era of Trump on display, along with the antiracist and antifascist movement in opposition to it. Making #Charlottesville examines the meanings and significance of this seminal moment in recent U.S. history by putting it into dialogue and comparing it to key media events of the civil rights era, including the 1963 Birmingham and 1965 Selma campaigns. The event will be a Q&A with the author, moderated by Prof. Julian Hayter, Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and contribute to the discussion of this important event in recent civil rights history in Virginia. Purchase a copy of the book here: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5779/. Enter 10VABOOKS for 30% off. -
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