The History of Our Torah

CONGREGATION ETZ CHAIM IS PROUD TO BE A VALUED CUSTODIAN OF ONE OF THE 1564 SAVED CZECH TORAH SCROLLS

Sefer Torah #768 is one of the 1564 Czech Memorial Sifrei Torah which formed part of the treasures which were saved by being collected in Prague during the Nazi occupation 1939-1945 from the desolated Jewish communities of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, and which then came under the control of the Czechoslovak government for many years. The scrolls were acquired from Artia (the Czechoslovak State Cultural Agency) for Westminster Synagogue, where they arrived in February 1964.

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

The scroll that we acquired in February of 1986 came from Kostelec nad Orlici and was written in 1850. 

We are fortunate to be able to use our Torah scroll during our weekly services. 

For further information about the Memorial Scroll Trust, please visit their website,  www.memorialscrollstrust.org.