Czech Torah #355
Temple Israel’s Holocaust Scroll from Dvur Kralove, Czech Republic
At Temple Israel we are deeply connected to our Jewish narrative and we are humbled to be able to carry Torah “l’dor v’dor – from generation to generation.” We model the importance of Torah in our lives as we live its values each day. We also cherish the “Sifrei Torah – the Scrolls of Torah” that we hold in our holy ark. We are honoured to have on loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust of Westminister Synagogue in England, a Torah from the Czech Republic that has survived the Holocaust.
DVur Kralove synagogue
Rabbi Powell originally arranged to have a Torah on loan to our congregation in 1968. Scroll #132 came from the district of Ceske Budejovice in Bohemia. It was written in 1870. Tragically, it was destroyed in the fire at our first synagogue on James Street in 1972. A portion of that scroll was saved, framed and hangs on the wall at our new synagogue on Prince of Wales Drive.
Rabbi Gerber arranged to receive a replacement scroll shortly thereafter. We were delighted to accept on loan scroll #355. This scroll originated from Dvur Kralove a village in Bohemia, around the year 1850. Sadly, the synagogue in Dvur Kralove was abandoned in 1949 and demolished in 1966. Scrolls from this community are also found in New Jersey, New York, California and New Zealand.
Temple’s Czech scroll is a prized possession. From a young age and onwards we teach our congregants about the travels of this Torah and the honour we have to care for it. While it is not in everyday use, we dance with the Torah on Simchat Torah, we chant its words over holidays, we read from it on occasions connected to the Holocaust and our B’nai Mitzvah students are taught to appreciate that as they read these words, they carry the traditions of our lost souls of Eastern Europe.
A Torah Scroll from DVŮR KRÁLOVÉ
Rabbi Norman R. Patz
Text of a presentation made to Temple Israel, Ottawa, Ontario, April 10, 2021
Shabbat shalom! Thank you, Rabbi Mikelberg, for inviting me to speak to you about the Torah scroll from Dvůr Kralove in your synagogue’s ark. Having that scroll puts your congregation in an exclusive club, one with only six members, each of which is a trustee for a Torah scroll from the destroyed Jewish community of Dvůr Kralove nad Labem in the northeastern region of the Czech Republic. I am here because my congregation in New Jersey is one. The others are in Newton, Massachusetts; Geneva, New York; Claremont College, in California; and in Wellington, New Zealand.
DVur Kralove memorial
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