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Temple Israel of Northern Westchester Holocaust Rescued Torah
Temple Israel of Northern Westchester Holocaust Rescued Torah
Our Torah belonged to the Jewish community of Austerlitz, in what is now the Czech Republic. The Jewish cemetery at Austerlitz dated from the 12th century. Over the years, the population of the community waxed and waned. In the 19th century the community flourished as it restored its synagogue, introduced a more modern service with a cantor and a choir and had a German-Jewish school that educated three classes of students. By the early 20th century, the Jewish population began to decline following an anti-Semitic outrage in 1905 in which many Jewish houses were destroyed. In 1938, the Nazis occupied the region, and two years later, all the Jews from the surrounding area were taken to Austerlitz. Members of the local Jewish community were required to take these new residents into their own homes, giving them food and shelter. In 1942 the Jews of Austerlitz, together with their new guests, were given orders to prepare for deportation. The community was given a few days to prepare for the journey. Early one morning they were taken by truck to the nearby large town of Brno before being sent to Terezin not too long afterwards. From there most of the community were sent to the death camps in the east never to return.
When they were in power, the Nazis collected religious artifacts from plundered synagogues, including this Torah scroll, and brought them to Prague, intending to open an “Exotic Museum of an Extinct Race.” After the war, the Czechoslovakian government gained control over this collection. The Torah scrolls lay in storage for several years until the 1960’s, when they were sold to a London businessman. This man brought the Torah scrolls to the Westminster synagogue, and a trust was established to re-house them in synagogues all over the world. Ted Stone, a member of our congregation who used to blow the shofar during the High Holy Days, heard of the effort to re-house these Torah scrolls. Through his efforts, the Torah scroll in our Ark came to Temple Israel in 1967.
The Torah is on permanent loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London.
Sun, October 27 2024
25 Tishrei 5785
Temple israel Happenings
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Monday ,
NovNovember 4 , 2024Community Service Through Flowers
Monday, Nov 4th 11:00am to 12:30pm
The program promotes a sense of peace and unity within our community and beyond through acts of loving kindness and social justice. Our goal is to bring joy into the lives of the elderly by creating floral arrangements which are distributed to local nursing homes and to build community among volunteers through this process. -
Monday ,
NovNovember 4 , 2024Sisterhood Book Discussion
Monday, Nov 4th 7:00pm to 8:30pm
We will be discussing the historical fiction novel "The Personal Librarian" by Marie Benedict. It is the remarkable story of the Black American woman who had to hide her true identity in order to be hired and continue to curate the collection for the newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. -
Sunday ,
NovNovember 10 , 2024Brotherhood Breakfast Featuring Journalist, Author and TV Network Analyst Jonathan Alter
Sunday, Nov 10th 10:00am to 11:30am
Renowned journalist, author and TV network analyst Jonathan Alter, long-time Newsweek columnist and a regular presence on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC networks will be Brotherhood's special guest to discuss his career and the election results of the previous week. Following his discussion and the Q & A session, Mr. Alter has agreed to sign copies of his books on FDR, Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter and his new book "American Reckoning" an inside account of the Trump felony trial as one of the select reporters permitted to cover it. -
Tuesday ,
NovNovember 12 , 2024Current Events
Tuesday, Nov 12th 10:30am to 12:00pm
On the second Tuesday of each month, from 10:30 -12:00, join us at the Temple for our lively discussion around issues of local, national and international news events. We cover everything from breaking news to issues around health and well being and more! If you can't come in person, contact Shari at sbaum@wjcs.com to receive a link to join us virtually.
Events
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