Object numberM2019/007:001
DescriptionTorah scroll with Torah mantle given to Nicholas Fenyö (Ford), grandfather of the donor Jeanette Abrams (nee Dohan), when he left Slovakia in 1951. Trebišov is the last place her grandparents were living in.
The Rabbi of Trevišov had given the Sefer Torah to Nicholas, as “the population was gone and it would have more life in Australia”. The Torah was subsequently lent to Allawah Synagogue. Years later, upon hearing that the Torah was no longer Kosher (fit for use), Walter Dohan (father of the donor) retrieved it. Rabbi Shmuel Cohen sent the Torah to a Sofer (scribe) in Melbourne for restoration; the Rabbi was asked to purchase the accompanying silver Rimonim (crowns), breastplate and the Yad (pointer) in Israel. The Dohan family looked after the Torah as a treasured symbol of the community and the synagogue that once existed in Trebisov.
The inscription embroidered on the velvet Torah cover reads: 'For the memory of Shlomo Yaakov the son of Shraga Samuel. Donated by his daughter - Rachel Bloom.'
In 1922 the Jewish congregation of Secovce (included in the area of Trebisov) numbered approximately 1000. During 1942, 85% of the Jews of Secovce and its surroundings were deported to death camps. During the war, the old Jewish cemetery was destroyed and the study hall was burned down. More than 700 of Secovce's Jews were murdered. After liberation, about 100 Jews gathered in Secovce, not all of them had been residents from the area beforehand. The synagogue was restored and communal prayer was renewed. In 1948, 98 Jews lived there. Many of them immigrated to Israel in 1949; in 1950, 60 Jews remained. The kehila (community) continued to exist until the end of the 1960s. After the Kehila fell apart, the synagogue served as a warehouse.
The Rabbi of Trevišov had given the Sefer Torah to Nicholas, as “the population was gone and it would have more life in Australia”. The Torah was subsequently lent to Allawah Synagogue. Years later, upon hearing that the Torah was no longer Kosher (fit for use), Walter Dohan (father of the donor) retrieved it. Rabbi Shmuel Cohen sent the Torah to a Sofer (scribe) in Melbourne for restoration; the Rabbi was asked to purchase the accompanying silver Rimonim (crowns), breastplate and the Yad (pointer) in Israel. The Dohan family looked after the Torah as a treasured symbol of the community and the synagogue that once existed in Trebisov.
The inscription embroidered on the velvet Torah cover reads: 'For the memory of Shlomo Yaakov the son of Shraga Samuel. Donated by his daughter - Rachel Bloom.'
In 1922 the Jewish congregation of Secovce (included in the area of Trebisov) numbered approximately 1000. During 1942, 85% of the Jews of Secovce and its surroundings were deported to death camps. During the war, the old Jewish cemetery was destroyed and the study hall was burned down. More than 700 of Secovce's Jews were murdered. After liberation, about 100 Jews gathered in Secovce, not all of them had been residents from the area beforehand. The synagogue was restored and communal prayer was renewed. In 1948, 98 Jews lived there. Many of them immigrated to Israel in 1949; in 1950, 60 Jews remained. The kehila (community) continued to exist until the end of the 1960s. After the Kehila fell apart, the synagogue served as a warehouse.
Object nameTorah scrolls
Materialparchment
Dimensions
- length: 960.00 mm
width: 380.00 mm
depth: 180.00 mm
Language
- Hebrew According to our Rabbi the Torah cover inscription reads:
"For the memory of Shlomo Yaakov the son of Shraga Samuel
Donated by his daughter - Rachel Bloom"
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Jeanette Abrams