Czech Torah

Temple Sinai has the great honor of being the home of The Sefer Torah number 1533. This Torah, from Trest and written at the end of the 18th century, is on permanent loan to us from the Memorial Scrolls Trust, located in London.

This “Czech Torah” is one of the 1564 Czech Memorial Sifre Torahs that constitute part of the treasures looted by the Nazis from the desolated Jewish communities of Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia during the Holocaust. These Torahs had been cared for by the Czechoslovak Government for many years and were acquired, with the goodwill of the Czechoslovak Government, by good friends, from Artia (the State Cultural Agency) from Westminster Synagogue, where they arrived on February 7, 1964.

Some of the collection remain at Westminster Synagogue, a permanent memorial to the martyrs from whose synagogues they come; many of them have been distributed throughout the world, to be memorials everywhere to the Jewish tragedy, and to spread light as harbingers of future brotherhood on earth; and all of them bear witness to the glory of the Holy Name.

Temple Sinai became the home of The Sefer Torah number 1533 in 1986. Unable to be restored for liturgical use, the Torah is on display in a wall-mounted case in the main foyer across from our Sanctuary entrance.  You can read more about the history of these scrolls by visiting the Memorial Scrolls Trust website.