Our Memorial Torah
The Craig and Barbara Weiner Holocaust Museum of South Florida is honored to be the permanent home of Czech Memorial Torah Scroll #1168, which was written in the 1700s and which is on permanent loan to the Center by the Memorial Scrolls Trust of London, United Kingdom.
This Torah was catalogued by the Jewish Museum in Prague and is from the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague in the Czech Republic. The Pinkas Synagogue was first built in 1535 and founded by Aaron Horowitz, a prominent member of the Prague Jewish Community, and probably named after his grandson, Rabbi Pinkas Horowitz. After evading the Nazi destruction of Jewish books, Torah Scrolls, and religious items, it travelled to London, England in 1964 to be preserved in safe keeping. In 2021 it made its final journey to its new permanent home.
A very interesting note about this particular Torah is the indented paragraph as seen above. Torahs are always hand written with each line beginning on the right border and reading from right to left. The sofer (the writer of this Torah) purposely indented one particular prayer to stand out from the rest. This prayer is commonly known as the "ancient priestly benediction" which states (when translated) :
"May the LORD bless you and protect you.
May the LORD shine His countenance upon you and be gracious unto you.
May the LORD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace."
Through the generosity of Dr. David and Helen Glassman, our Memorial Torah has been installed in a custom-made display case mounted within the Holocaust Museum for students and the general public to see and learn from for all future generations.
A community dedication of the new display will be held where we will remember its origin and reflect on our responsibilities to make this world a better and safer and more compassionate place.
History
The Nazis collected gold and silver ornaments, ceremonial objects, and Torah scrolls from towns all over Europe. A group of Czechoslovakian Jews was forced to arrange and catalogue the items which had been assembled in Prague. After the war, the Communist Government of Czechoslovakia released the Torahs scrolls.
In 1964, the Memorial Scrolls Committee of Westminster Synagogue in London arranged for the shipment of 1564 scrolls to the Synagogue, where they were catalogued and repaired and restored when possible. Each Torah was given a numbered brass plaque to identify its origin. Scrolls were sent to synagogues, religious and educational institutions, and to Holocaust museums as solemn memorials.
The Memorial Scrolls Trust, a non-profit organization in the United Kingdom, plans to continue to enhance their website so it becomes "a repository of all knowledge concerning the 1564 scrolls, the Jewish history of the towns they came from, the Jews of those towns, their fate, survivors stories, and photos. More information about the Memorial Scrolls Trust is available on their website.
The Craig and Barbara Weiner Holocaust Museum of South Florida is honored to be the permanent home of Czech Memorial Torah Scroll #1168, which was written in the 1700s and which is on permanent loan to the Center by the Memorial Scrolls Trust of London, United Kingdom.
This Torah was catalogued by the Jewish Museum in Prague and is from the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague in the Czech Republic. The Pinkas Synagogue was first built in 1535 and founded by Aaron Horowitz, a prominent member of the Prague Jewish Community, and probably named after his grandson, Rabbi Pinkas Horowitz. After evading the Nazi destruction of Jewish books, Torah Scrolls, and religious items, it travelled to London, England in 1964 to be preserved in safe keeping. In 2021 it made its final journey to its new permanent home.
A very interesting note about this particular Torah is the indented paragraph as seen above. Torahs are always hand written with each line beginning on the right border and reading from right to left. The sofer (the writer of this Torah) purposely indented one particular prayer to stand out from the rest. This prayer is commonly known as the "ancient priestly benediction" which states (when translated) :
"May the LORD bless you and protect you.
May the LORD shine His countenance upon you and be gracious unto you.
May the LORD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace."
Through the generosity of Dr. David and Helen Glassman, our Memorial Torah has been installed in a custom-made display case mounted within the Holocaust Museum for students and the general public to see and learn from for all future generations.
A community dedication of the new display will be held where we will remember its origin and reflect on our responsibilities to make this world a better and safer and more compassionate place.
History
The Nazis collected gold and silver ornaments, ceremonial objects, and Torah scrolls from towns all over Europe. A group of Czechoslovakian Jews was forced to arrange and catalogue the items which had been assembled in Prague. After the war, the Communist Government of Czechoslovakia released the Torahs scrolls.
In 1964, the Memorial Scrolls Committee of Westminster Synagogue in London arranged for the shipment of 1564 scrolls to the Synagogue, where they were catalogued and repaired and restored when possible. Each Torah was given a numbered brass plaque to identify its origin. Scrolls were sent to synagogues, religious and educational institutions, and to Holocaust museums as solemn memorials.
The Memorial Scrolls Trust, a non-profit organization in the United Kingdom, plans to continue to enhance their website so it becomes "a repository of all knowledge concerning the 1564 scrolls, the Jewish history of the towns they came from, the Jews of those towns, their fate, survivors stories, and photos. More information about the Memorial Scrolls Trust is available on their website.