Holocaust Torah Scrolls

From Kolin to Nymburk

We have been notified by the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London, England, that our “Kolin Scroll” MST#784 has been identified as having come from Nymburk and not from Kolin, Czechoslovakia. In 2013 the provenance was confirmed as Nymburk and all of the records have been officially changed. On our Certificate both Kolin and Nymburk are listed as possible sites where the scroll resided.  The certificate is hung in the sanctuary of the shul, and the scroll is on permanent loan to us. Below are some facts about the Jewish residents of Nymburk.

The Jews of Nymburk

Nymburk is a town of about 14,000 people that lies about 35 miles east of Prague and about 5 km from Kolin.

There was already a small Jewish settlement in Nymburk in the 13th century, but, along with many other towns, the Jews were expelled from it in the mid-16th century. Often such expulsions were due to the town being a royal town or a garrison town, and in many cases this was because of local silver mines. It was only after liberalization from 1848 laws that the Jews were allowed to return to these towns, and this is what happened in Nymburk when Jews came to live there in the second half of the 19th century.

By 1880 there were 160 Jews living in Nymburk and the Jewish population peaked in 1890 when the Jews numbered 177, then a decline set in as Jews dispersed into the countryside and to the larger towns.

A synagogue was built in 1891-92 on Eliscina Street, not far from the town square. The two story building is still standing today. The scroll was written in the late 18th century and resided there until the Nazi occupation. The congregation was closed by order of the Nazis in 1940 and the Jews of Nymburk were deported to Terezin from the neighboring administrative center in Kolin in the first two weeks of June 1942.

After the war, all of the collected scrolls were sent to the newly established Memorial Scrolls Trust at Kent house, Rutland Gardens, London SW7 18X, United Kingdom. Those scrolls that were in good condition have been dispersed around the world and we are the trustees of our scroll.

An illustration of the synagogue in Nymburk