Holocaust Torah Scrolls

Our Torah Scrolls

Our congregation is blessed with three Torah scrolls.

Writing a Torah scroll is a religious act. A Torah scroll must be hand-written by a Sofer (scribe), a specially trained individual who is devout and knowledgeable in the laws governing the proper writing and assembling of a scroll.  Only certain materials can be used for creating a Torah. Parchment used must be made from the skin of a kosher animal. The scribe mixes a special ink for the writing and prepares the actual writing utensil, a quill, usually from a turkey feather.  Once all the writing has been completed, the pieces of parchment are sewn together with thread made from animals. The finished scroll is attached to wooden rollers. No instrument containing iron or steel may be used in the creation of a Torah scroll, because these metals are used to create instruments of war.

The contents of all three of the Torah scrolls in our Ark are the same, but their histories are very different:

Our Newest Scroll

Commissioned by the congregation in 2003 in a community effort led by Rabbi Ronda Wanderman Young, the scroll was written by Sofer Neil Yerman.  It was dedicated on March 28, 2004.  This scroll is written in the Ari font, which is very common amongst Chassidic and Sephardic communities.

From Bavaria to Fredericksburg – Our First Scroll

Our tallest scroll originated in Bavaria over 160 years ago and was the first Torah used by Beth Sholom, even before the congregation had its own building .  It was originally loaned to the congregation by Ida Hirsch Clarke, whose family brought it to America when they emigrated from Europe.  She donated it permanently to Beth Sholom in 1961.  

From Kolin to Nymburk to Fredericksburg – Our Oldest Scroll

Written between 200 and 300 years ago, our oldest scroll is a survivor of the Holocaust.    It comes from the Czech Republic, where it was seized by the Nazis.  After World War II, this scroll – and other Torahs and Jewish objects from cities and towns ravaged by the war – were turned over to Jewish organizations in England.  Eventually, the scroll found its way to Beth Sholom Temple on permanent loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust (MST) in London.  Each week, during the reading of the Kaddish when we remember our dead loved ones, we also read the names of Jews from Nymburk who perished in the Holocaust.    

Originally reported to have come from Kolin in the Czech Republic,  Scroll ” MST#784” has been identified as actually having come from the town of Nymburk.  In 2013 the provenance was confirmed as Nymburk, so all of the records have been officially changed. On our certificate  from MST 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 

An illustration of the synagogue in 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.  You can read about all these rescued scrolls on their web site  linked HERE.