The Rededication of our Rescued Holocaust Torah Scroll
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At Shabbat services, February 25, 2023 We began with coffee, donuts & text study at 9:15 am Services began at 10 am Festive Kiddush Luncheon followed We celebrated in person at Chevrei Tzedek Congregation 3101 Fallstaff Road at the Edward A. Myerberg Center Baltimore, MD 21209 There were activities for kids from 10 am - 12 noon including "A True Torah Tale" See the program from the event On Sunday, February 26, 2023 We learned about our rescued scroll from Deborah Thompson who has done extensive research on the double peh & from Sofer Bernard Benarroch who repaired the scroll See the recording of this learning session. |
Rabbi Katz's Torah IntroDebbie Steinig's D'var Torah IntroductionRabbi Katz's Prayer for SurvivorsLearn more about our rescued Torah Scroll. |
Why choose Shabbat Terumah for the rededication?
The recently repaired water damage to our scroll occurred in the portion of Shemot (Exodus) that we will chant today, Parshat Terumah. We surmise that the scroll was rolled to this section during the 16 years (1948-1964) when it lay in a damp warehouse in Communist Czechoslovakia.
Why was the scroll rolled to this section? Might Parshat Terumah have been the last part of this Torah chanted before it was confiscated by the Nazis? Or might the Torah have been rolled ahead to Parshat Terumah just after its last use, in anticipation of a service that was never held?
The tantalizing possibility that we are picking up where the scroll’s previous owners left off is just speculation. It’s possible that the Torah was unrolled and re-rolled sometime between its confiscation in the early 1940s and the time that the water damage occurred. We will never know.
In any case, it feels appropriate to resume using this scroll at the section that was so carefully restored. Additionally, the words of this text are fitting. Parshat Terumah teaches about the sanctity of ritual objects and the importance of donating generously to create and sustain our places of worship. What a beautiful message for this day on which, thanks to the love and generosity of Jews in three countries over eight decades, our rescued Torah scroll can once again be opened up and chanted.
Why was the scroll rolled to this section? Might Parshat Terumah have been the last part of this Torah chanted before it was confiscated by the Nazis? Or might the Torah have been rolled ahead to Parshat Terumah just after its last use, in anticipation of a service that was never held?
The tantalizing possibility that we are picking up where the scroll’s previous owners left off is just speculation. It’s possible that the Torah was unrolled and re-rolled sometime between its confiscation in the early 1940s and the time that the water damage occurred. We will never know.
In any case, it feels appropriate to resume using this scroll at the section that was so carefully restored. Additionally, the words of this text are fitting. Parshat Terumah teaches about the sanctity of ritual objects and the importance of donating generously to create and sustain our places of worship. What a beautiful message for this day on which, thanks to the love and generosity of Jews in three countries over eight decades, our rescued Torah scroll can once again be opened up and chanted.
