Torah mantle; Czech Memorial Scroll No. 867.
Object numberM2000/034:002
TitleTorah mantle; Czech Memorial Scroll No. 867.
DescriptionTorah mantle in blue velvet, with gold Star of David, gold swirls and gold braid. It is the cover for the Torah scroll, Bohemia, c1880 restored in 1964. On permanent loan from The Memorial Scrolls Trust, London.
The Sefer Torah originates from Hermanuv Mestec, a town in Czechoslovakia, c1880. It is one of 1564 Czech Torah’s which constituted part of the treasures looted by the Nazis from the devastated Jewish communities of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia between 1938 and 1945. They were housed in a synagogue on the outskirts of Prague until 1964, when the collection was conveyed to the Westminster synagogue in London where they were restored and shipped to synagogues around the world, distributed in memory of murdered communities.
A small Jewish community existed in Hermanuv Mestec from the end of the 15th century. A synagogue was built in 1760. At its peak in 1893 the community numbered 1,085, including the Jews in 40 surrounding villages, but declined to 54 in 1930. In 1942, the Nazis deported the last remaining Jews to death camps. The synagogue treasures were sent to the State Jewish Museum in Prague for safety, where curators valiantly strove to preserve the legacy while working under Nazi occupation. Today, there is no Jewish population left in Hermanuv Mestec (Heřmanův Městec) and the restored synagogue is used as a venue for cultural events.
According to Michael Heppner, Czech Torah Network, “The Scrolls were saved by the implementation of a remarkable plan that had been instigated by a group of Jews in the beleaguered Jewish community and not, as had previously been imagined, as part of a mythical Nazi plan for a 'museum of the extinct race'... this reflects the true situation instead of the diplomatic fiction that was necessary to satisfy the Communist authorities who had agreed to sell the Scrolls to Westminster Synagogue in London.”
Each scroll is a direct link to a specific place and time in history. Each scrolls is a religious and educational symbol of Jewish destruction, survival and continuity. It encourages remembrance of those who perished and have no one else to remember them.
The scroll was used by the Canberra Jewish community for more than two decades, before the congregation decided to transfer it, with support from the Memorial Scrolls Trust, to the Sydney Jewish Museum as part of Shoah Remembrance week in 2000. It one of 15 Czech memorial scrolls on permanent loan in Australia.
The Sefer Torah originates from Hermanuv Mestec, a town in Czechoslovakia, c1880. It is one of 1564 Czech Torah’s which constituted part of the treasures looted by the Nazis from the devastated Jewish communities of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia between 1938 and 1945. They were housed in a synagogue on the outskirts of Prague until 1964, when the collection was conveyed to the Westminster synagogue in London where they were restored and shipped to synagogues around the world, distributed in memory of murdered communities.
A small Jewish community existed in Hermanuv Mestec from the end of the 15th century. A synagogue was built in 1760. At its peak in 1893 the community numbered 1,085, including the Jews in 40 surrounding villages, but declined to 54 in 1930. In 1942, the Nazis deported the last remaining Jews to death camps. The synagogue treasures were sent to the State Jewish Museum in Prague for safety, where curators valiantly strove to preserve the legacy while working under Nazi occupation. Today, there is no Jewish population left in Hermanuv Mestec (Heřmanův Městec) and the restored synagogue is used as a venue for cultural events.
According to Michael Heppner, Czech Torah Network, “The Scrolls were saved by the implementation of a remarkable plan that had been instigated by a group of Jews in the beleaguered Jewish community and not, as had previously been imagined, as part of a mythical Nazi plan for a 'museum of the extinct race'... this reflects the true situation instead of the diplomatic fiction that was necessary to satisfy the Communist authorities who had agreed to sell the Scrolls to Westminster Synagogue in London.”
Each scroll is a direct link to a specific place and time in history. Each scrolls is a religious and educational symbol of Jewish destruction, survival and continuity. It encourages remembrance of those who perished and have no one else to remember them.
The scroll was used by the Canberra Jewish community for more than two decades, before the congregation decided to transfer it, with support from the Memorial Scrolls Trust, to the Sydney Jewish Museum as part of Shoah Remembrance week in 2000. It one of 15 Czech memorial scrolls on permanent loan in Australia.
SubjectRitual Object, Judaism
Object namemantles
Dimensions
- length: 800.00 mm
width: 450.00 mm
Credit lineOn permanent loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust, London.