Object numberM2006/002:001a
DescriptionThe Sefer Torah was donated by Adam Szus (Schuss) and originates from the Brzostek Synagogue in the Carpathian Mountains, located in a small village in southern Poland. Adam, originally named Avraham Leib Szus, was born in this village. In 1939, Brzostek had a Jewish population of about 450 to 500 people, making up nearly one-third of the town’s total population, which included approximately 40 Jewish families.
The Torah was rescued by a non-Jewish resident of Brzostek. When Adam returned to the village in 1946, the Torah was given to him by this man, whose name he could no longer recall. Adam brought the Torah with him to Australia when he immigrated in late 1959, hoping to find it a new home within the Jewish community. He initially donated it to the Yeshiva in Bondi, and after the Yeshiva closed, he donated it to the Sydney Jewish Museum.
Today, there is no longer a Jewish population in Brzostek, and the synagogue has been converted into a public school. The donor hopes that this Torah will 'serve as a reminder of his people’s past in Poland.'
The scroll is parchment. The cover is maroon velvet with a crude yellow Star of David fashioned out of gold binding, fastened with a strap of leather. At the time of donation, the Torah had been scrolled to the weekly portion 'Parashah Vayakel'.
The Torah was rescued by a non-Jewish resident of Brzostek. When Adam returned to the village in 1946, the Torah was given to him by this man, whose name he could no longer recall. Adam brought the Torah with him to Australia when he immigrated in late 1959, hoping to find it a new home within the Jewish community. He initially donated it to the Yeshiva in Bondi, and after the Yeshiva closed, he donated it to the Sydney Jewish Museum.
Today, there is no longer a Jewish population in Brzostek, and the synagogue has been converted into a public school. The donor hopes that this Torah will 'serve as a reminder of his people’s past in Poland.'
The scroll is parchment. The cover is maroon velvet with a crude yellow Star of David fashioned out of gold binding, fastened with a strap of leather. At the time of donation, the Torah had been scrolled to the weekly portion 'Parashah Vayakel'.
Production placePoland
Subjectreligious text, Judaica, destruction, war damage, synagogues
Object nameTorah scrolls
Materialparchment
Dimensions
- height: 320.00 mm
width: 180.00 mm
depth: 80.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Adam and Sonia Szus