Congregation Ner Tamid is honored to be the home to two Torah scrolls recovered from history by the Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust (MST) at the Westminster Synagogue, a storehouse of memories, located in London.
These Torahs are two of the thousands of sacred scrolls gathered together in Prague from desecrated Synagogues in Bohemia and Moravia by the Nazi officials in charge of the Czech “Protectorate.”
The Nazis preserved these Torahs to house them in a museum designed to show what was left of the Jewish people. These scrolls came to the Westminster Synagogue in February 1964. The Torahs, housed in three rooms, were placed on racks specifically designed to facilitate accountability.
Almost all of the scrolls bore some evidence of the tragedy of the Holocaust. Many were blood-stained, some charred by fire, some with bullet holes, some with water damage, and in some instances, wrapped in personal clothing or a tallit as though to protect them from harm.
Almost all were catalogued by Jewish curators and librarians under stress and awful conditions. From 1967 to 1977, Israeli scribes laboriously and lovingly noted the origin and age of each scroll, the physical condition of the handles, and most importantly, of the writing and defects found in each one. Torahs were classified on these basis from best to unusable.
We, and other Congregations from around the world, are privileged to have made these usable scrolls a meaningful part of our community.
Congregation Ner Tamid houses:
MST#165, that was written c. 1825.
This Sefer Torah has a 11.5″ klaf.
It was shipped from Brno to Prague during the Shoah and its catalogue number there was 32797.
MST#435, that was written c.1800.
This Sefer Torah has a 25.5″ klaf.
It was shipped from Hradec Kralove to Prague during the Shoah and catalogue number there was 59016.
At Congregation Ner Tamid, these special Torah scrolls function as working Torah scrolls, playing an important role in our community’s worship and services.
Each Selichot, they are removed from the Ark ceremonially, dressed in white with the rest of our Torahs, paraded around the room, and replaced lovingly back into the Ark.
On Yom Kippur, they are a part of the procession throughout our Sanctuary and are held by our Past Presidents during Kol Nidre.
On Simchat Torah, we dance with all of our Torah scrolls, and members of the Congregation are given the honor of (carefully) carrying them around the room during hakafot before replacing the cover and returning them to the Ark.
These scrolls are an important symbol of Jewish resiliency, and each time we use them we remember our rich, shared history.
Each Memorial Scrolls Trust Torah is a messenger from a community that was lost, but does not deserve to be forgotten.
It is a legacy we are proud to honor at Congregation Ner Tamid.
We encourage you to visit Memorial Scrolls Trust to learn more about how these scrolls were saved and preserved to make their way to our Congregation.
