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Second Life Torah from Our Region

Second Life Torah from Our Region

The following is a translation of an article appeared in the Czech Museum Vysočiny Jihlava Booklet. Click here to see the digital version of the booklet (our article is on page 24)
The history of the Jewish population is most often associated with the unfortunate events that occurred in the 1930s and 1940s. Anti-Semitism, which was inscribed in the DNA of Nazi ideology from the beginning, took concrete form with the adoption of the so-called Nuremberg Laws shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power, and resulted in the persecution and systematic extermination of the Jewish population. In this post, however, I would like to recall an anniversary that belongs to the happier ones from the point of view of Jewish history. At the beginning of February, 60 years have passed since the Torah scrolls that were used for liturgical purposes in the pre-war Jewish communities of our region were rescued.
The Torah is one of Judaism's most sacred liturgical objects. It is written in the square Hebrew script and consists of the Five Books of Moses describing the events from the creation of the world until the arrival of the Hebrews in the promised land. It also includes God's commandments, so from the point of view of Jewish tradition it is understood as a covenant between God and the chosen people of Israel. A scroll sewn together from several pieces of parchment is 20 meters or more long. In our (Ashkenazi) region, it is usually wound on wooden sticks (so-called trees of life) and is usually kept in a decorative cloak. When reading from the Torah, a special pointer (so-called jad) is used, which often has the shape of a human hand with the index finger extended. In the synagogue, the Torah is located in the box (tabernacle) Aron ha-kodesh, from where it is taken out during religious ceremonies - on Saturdays, Mondays, Thursdays, holidays or other solemn occasions. Picture 1-2
The rescue of the Torah scrolls was preceded by the unfortunate events of World War II. In September 1941, the Nazis banned Jewish religious services and it was ordered that all objects of historical value must be sent to Prague by Jewish communities. More than 212,000 artifacts were found there during the year, including 1,800 Torah scrolls. Pisture 3 At that time, the cogs of the murderous machinery were already running at full speed, and the majority of Jews from our region left in May 1942 on the Av and Aw transports from Třebíč to Terezín and from there continued to the extermination camps. Only a handful of fellow citizens of Jewish faith (or origin) lived to see the end of the war, and due to post-war conditions, some of them decided to leave for Palestine, or the newly founded state of Israel. The renewal of Jewish religious life in Czechoslovakia did not take place in most of the pre-war communities.
The Torah scrolls, which were under the administration of the nationalized Jewish museum, were stored in the former synagogue in Prague - Michli after the war. Unfortunately, the building from the 18th century did not provide suitable conditions for storage, and the scrolls suffered from humidity here. It was only by a lucky coincidence that they did not succumb to complete destruction.
Gallery owner Eric Estorick, an American living in London, played an important role in saving the scrolls. This art dealer visited Prague and during one of his trips, representatives of the foreign trade company for the import and export of cultural goods ARTIA showed him the Torah scrolls in the Michael warehouse. Estorick reported the scrolls to his client Ralph Yablon, who was a member of the Jewish congregation in Westminster, and ten reported the whole matter to Westminster Rabbi Harold Reinhart. Finally, it was agreed that Professor of Jewish Studies from the University of London Chimen Abramsky would be sent to Prague to assess the condition and historical value of the withering scrolls. After his return, it was decided that Eric Estorick would start negotiations with representatives of the Czechoslovak government about their purchase. For the Czechoslovak government, the sale of these "unnecessary" scrolls was a welcome opportunity to earn foreign currency, and so a mutual agreement was reached. The scrolls were purchased by Ralph Yablon and donated to the Westminster Synagogue.
On 7 February 1964, two cars arrived at Westminster with a rare cargo. She brought 1,564 Torah scrolls from Czechoslovakia - among them there were also 18 scrolls from our region. From the preserved evidence, it can be established that five scrolls were sent to Prague in 1942 from Polná, five from Telč and eight from Třeště. Among these Torahs, scrolls of Jewish communities that were in Jihlavsk, or merged with another municipality - for example, the Batelov municipality was formally abolished in 1890 and its members went to Třeště, although at that time 135 people of the Jewish faith still lived in Batelov.
According to preserved records, the scroll from Jihlava did not arrive in Westminster. It was probably destroyed during the burning of the synagogue on the night of March 29-30, 1939. Whether the rabbi of Jihlava, anticipating the ominous events, hid it in a safe place or whether it is one of the 18 scrolls that were sent from our region to Prague in 1942, today unfortunately, we are no longer sure, because Rabbi Arnold Grünfeld was murdered by the Nazis in the euthanasia institute in Pirn-Sonnenstein.
The newly established Memorial Scroll Trust in London was entrusted with the care of the rescued Torahs. All scrolls were checked, cataloged and then restoration work started. Picture 4 Some of the scrolls were placed in the exhibition of the memorial in London, but the majority – approximately 1400 – has been permanently loaned to Jewish congregations, Shoah memorials and universities around the world. Torahs of Jewish communities from our region found new homes mainly in congregations in the USA, Israel or the Hawaiian Islands. They are occasionally used here for liturgical purposes, in education and in reverent commemorative events, during which members of the congregation pray for the Shoah victims who owned the Torahs before the war. This happens mainly during major Jewish holidays or on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls on January 27. On the websites of some congregations, it is possible to find information about the history of the communities that used the Torah before the war, the names of the victims from this place, or the circumstances of saving the Torah scrolls. Picture 5-7
The scrolls and their original holders are shown extraordinary respect - for example, on the mantle that protects the "Hawaiian scroll" is embroidered in English: "Rare heritage of the Jewish community from Polná, Czechoslovakia". The mantle of another, this time the "Telč scroll", which found a new home in the eastern part of the state of New York on the island of Long Island, is embroidered with the inscription: "We cry for you". A symbolic sum of 18 dollars was collected for its production among the members of the local congregation, because the number 18 in Hebrew is composed of the letters CH and J, which means chayim, i.e. life. Picture 8-9
The sixtieth anniversary of the rescue of the scrolls was also commemorated in Westminster at the beginning of February. 250 guests from all over the world came to the celebrations and memorial event, and they brought with them 50 Torah scrolls that come from our country. The common history, which began to be written sixty years ago, continues today thanks to Dr. Kamila Kopřivová. She is not only historically the first female rabbi in the Czech Republic, but coincidentally, she is currently entrusted with the spiritual administration of the Westminster Synagogue. Picture 10
Scrolls from the pre-war period are rare traces left behind by the inhabitants of our region, who should have fallen into oblivion. From the point of view of the cultural heritage of our country, the sale of these precious scrolls was a loss, on the other hand, we can rejoice that they did not succumb to destruction, survived to the present day and live a new life in Jewish communities around the world.
We also celebrate a small anniversary in our museum. Ten years ago, a fragment of the Torah was restored, which was found in the attic of a house in Jihlava. The 342.5 cm long scroll contains approximately the last four chapters of the fifth book of Moses (Deuteronomy). If it is a part of the Torah that was consumed in the Jihlava synagogue or in the Jewish winter prayer room in Benešova Street, it will probably remain shrouded in mystery forever. Picture 11

 

Sat, May 11 2024 3 Iyar 5784