Czech Torah (#1257): A Story of Survival

The Torah displayed in Temple Adath Yeshurun’s lobby is more than a sacred scroll—it is a witness to Jewish life in Central Europe, the devastation of the Holocaust, and the determination to preserve what could have been lost forever. Known as Czech Torah #1257, it is part of the Memorial Scrolls Trust of London, England, an organization created to rescue Jewish ritual objects from the Bohemian and Moravian regions of Czechoslovakia (today the Czech Republic).

 

Origins: A Torah from Mladá Boleslav (“Bumsla”)

Torah #1257 dates to the late 1800s. It originally belonged to the Jewish community of Mladá Boleslav, known to local Jews as “Bumsla.”

 

At that time, Jewish life in Bumsla was thriving. In the late 19th century—during the peak of the town’s Jewish population—the community numbered over 850 Jews, many descended from families who had emigrated from Vienna, Austria, and parts of Poland roughly 200 years earlier.

 

Over time, immigration to the United States and shifting political conditions reduced the town’s Jewish population to fewer than 200 before World War II. More broadly, Czechoslovakia had about 350,000 Jews, including roughly 120,000 in Bohemia and Moravia (in what is now the Czech Republic).

 

Gathering Storm: Nazi Control and the “Protectorate”

In the late 1930s, Czechoslovakia fell into political crisis under increasing pressure from Germany, Hungary, and Poland. Eventually, the Nazis took control of Czech territory, renaming it the “Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.”

 

It was during this period that Torah #1257 began its extraordinary journey.

 

The Prague Rescue Effort: Saving a Culture Under Threat

A small, dedicated group of Jews in Prague worked to preserve Jewish history and identity. With synagogues and schools being plundered or destroyed, they transported as many artifacts as possible to the Central Jewish Synagogue in Prague, presenting the effort as a kind of museum project.

 

Despite dangerous working conditions, the team protected (and in some cases restored) an enormous collection—eventually totaling around 100,000 artifacts. Among these were approximately 1,800 Sifrei Torah from Bohemian and Moravian communities. Torah #1257 was brought to Prague for safekeeping—just before catastrophe struck its home community.

 

Deportation and Destruction: The End of Bumsla’s Jewish Community

In 1942, the Nazis ordered 1,041 Jews from Bumsla and its surrounding area to assemble at Boleslav Castle, from which they were deported to Terezín and later sent onward to extermination camps. This effectively wiped out the Jewish population of Bumsla.

 

Soon after, the curators who had safeguarded the artifacts in Prague were themselves deported—first to Terezín, then to Auschwitz. Only two survived. By war’s end, more than 80,000 Jews from Czech territory were murdered through internment, execution, or gassing.

 

After the War: Too Few Survivors to Care for Too Much History

After liberation, the surviving Czech Jewish community was too small — and lacked resources — to protect and maintain the vast collection of artifacts. Many items from Prague, including Torah #1257, were moved for storage, with some going to the Michie Synagogue (outside Prague) and others dispersed to new, small Jewish communities.

 

By 1948, communism had taken hold, and Jewish life again became precarious. Most synagogues closed, but the Jewish Museum of Prague remained open and received the original artifacts. Torah #1257 was moved there.

 

The Memorial Scrolls Trust: From Prague to London

In 1963, London art dealer Eric Estorick had the opportunity to purchase the remaining 1,564 scrolls (about 250 had already been dispersed). He contacted client Ralph Yablon, who—together with Harold Reinhart (Rabbi of Westminster Synagogue) and scholar Chimen Abramsky—arranged for the scrolls to be transported to London. There, they established the Memorial Scrolls Trust.

 

Soon after, Rabbi Reinhart and administrator Ruth Shaffer began making the scrolls available to congregations worldwide for “permanent adoption” in exchange for a nominal donation supporting preservation.

 

The Trust was housed at Kent House, adjacent to Westminster Synagogue near Hyde Park in central London, where Torah #1257 remained for about 10 years.

 

Coming to Manchester: Adoption by Temple Adath Yeshurun

In 1973, Temple Adath Yeshurun’s Rabbi Emeritus Arthur Stan read about the Czech Torah scrolls and wanted to bring one to TAY. To do so, he needed sponsorship for adoption and transport. He found willing partners in the Solensky family.

 

Torah #1257 arrived in Manchester, New Hampshire, in early 1974, less than a year later.

 

A Critical Choice: Not Kosher, but Still Sacred

When the Torah arrived, it was determined to be not kosher (not in condition to be read from during services). The congregation faced a meaningful question: How should a Torah like this be honored?

Several possibilities were considered:

• restoring it fully to kosher condition (at significant cost, and with uncertain longevity)

• keeping it in the Ark with other Torahs and using it for procession on special occasions

• preserving it as a historical and sacred memorial artifact

 

The final—and ultimately prescient—decision was to display Torah #1257 in a special protective case on the lobby wall, ensuring both dignity and preservation.

 

Inspiration for a Memorial: Creating a Place of Remembrance

Having a Holocaust artifact in the Temple inspired another initiative from Rabbi Stan: the creation of a Holocaust memorial on the Temple patio—at the time, New Hampshire had none.

 

Holocaust survivor and artist Amiand Szainer funded much of the project and cast the bronze used. The cemetery monument providers contributed stonework, and a “casket”—an Ark of repose—was created. Congregants and community members could submit names of loved ones lost in the Holocaust; the names were placed on cards and added to the casket. In total, it contains 180 names.

 

The Fire of June 1974: Survival Once Again

In June 1974, on an otherwise quiet Sunday morning, Temple Adath Yeshurun suffered a devastating fire that consumed much of the sanctuary.

 

Rabbi Stan arrived to find that the Torahs had burned along with the Ark. Windows had blown out from the intense heat, and the smell lingered for years.

 

Torah #1257, however—separate in its lobby case—was protected not only from the flames, but also from the smoke, soot, and odor that spread through the building.

 

The burned Torahs were later buried in a casket on the patio—one that was rediscovered during a subsequent patio remodel.

 

A Powerful Link Between Past and Present

Today, Czech Torah #1257 stands in TAY’s lobby as a powerful link between past and present: a survivor of upheaval, war, attempted erasure, and even a later tragedy in its adopted home. Its presence honors the communities destroyed, the people who fought to preserve what could be saved, and the responsibility to remember.