Obj. ID: 44792
  Memorials  Zbraslav Holocaust Torah and Remembrance Installation in Temple Bnai Israel, Spartanburg, SC, USA, 2001

To the main object: Temple B’nai Israel in Spartanburg, SC, USA

Name of Monument

Zbraslav Holocaust Torah and Remembrance Installation

What/Who is commemorated

The Jewish Community of Zbraslav, Czechoslovakia and Six Million Jewish Holocaust Victims

Description

The memorial consists of a large wooden and glass floor to ceiling display case built in a hallway of the synagogue, next to an office, and near the entrance lobby. The interior of the case is divided into two sections. In the left-hand section is displayed an open damaged Torah scroll set on a beveled surface. Below the Torah is the small, framed Nazi inventory tag displayed in a gold frame. Beneath this is a small plaque that identifies the tag. Below this on a vertical panel parallel to the glass of the display case is a larger bronze plaque that identifies the Torah as coming from the Czech town of Zbraslav.

To the right of this section is a second display that includes a wooden plaque on which are affixed smaller plaques with the names of murdered Jews from Zbraslav, below which are three framed historical photos of the town of Zbraslav, and then below these, set at an angle, are four framed text sheets that provide history of the Jewish community of Zbraslav and the history of how the Torah scroll came to Spartanburg.

A memorial lamp hangs from the top of the inside of the display case. This has the form of a traditional oil lamp, but a flame-shaped electric bulb provides illumination. Attached below the lamp is a Magen David.

 Inscriptions

Plaque:

THE ZBRASLAV HOLOCAUST TORAH 

Dedicated to the Memory of the Members of the Jewish Community of Zbraslav, Czechoslovakia and the Six Million Innocent Jewish Men, Women, and Children Who Perished in the Holocaust. 

On Permanent Loan from The Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust London, England 

Small plaque:

ORIGINAL NAZI

INVENTORY TAG 

Plaque:

MEMBERS OF

THE ZBRASLAV JEWISH COMMUNITY

WHO PERISHED

 IN THE HOLOCAUST 

[List of Names] 

We Shall Never Forget

Historical text:

 (p. 1)

 THE ZBRASLAV HOLOCAUST TORAH

I decided  to devote my life to telling the story because I felt that having survived, I owe something to the dead. And anyone who does not remember betrays them again." --Elie Wiesel

On February 7, 1964, two large trucks arrived at Westminster Synagogue in London. From them were unloaded 1,564 Torshs (Scrolls of the Law) a consignment which remains unprecedented in Jewish history. The Czech Memorial Scrolls originally formed of a larger collection of synagogue possessions confiscated by the Nazis during World War II from the Jewish communities of Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia. At the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czechoslovakia, the scrolls, together with books, manuscripts, and other treasures, were meticulously labeled and catalogued under German direction in preparation, it is believed, for permanent exhibition as relics of an extinct people. The Prague Jews themselves were put to work on sorting and packing the vast collection, after which they were condemned to the same fate as millions of their fellows.

 At the end of the war, the surviving remnant of the Prague Jewish community lacked the resources to maintain the museum, and it came under the control of the Czech state authorities. The collection was maintained conscientiously as a memorial to the vanished communities, but the Torahs proved an  

(p. 2)

embarrassment, they could not be effectively displayed as museum exhibits, and curators realized that they would eventually deteriorate if they remained rolled up and unused. In 1963, a prominent British art dealer who enjoyed the confidence of the Czech government agency responsible for cultural property was able to arrange for the scrolls to be acquired by Ralph Yablon, a London businessman and philanthropist, with the understanding that they would be entrusted to a responsible non-commercial body, the honorary officers of the Westminster Synagogue. After a preliminary examination in Prague by Chimen Abramsky, Professor of Hebrew Studies at the University of London, the scrolls were carefully packed and sent to England.

When the scrolls arrived at Kent House in Knightsbridge, the home of Westminster Synagogue, they were housed in racks, and each was given a number from one to 1,564. The numbers on the labels originally attached to them by the Nazis were not consecutive, this new number corresponded with one on the rack, making it easier to locate each scroll.

Many of the labels attached at the time of confiscation had survived and provided valuable information. In some cases despairing messages were concealed in the scrolls. Each scroll was carefully examined and classified into grades, ranging from those without serious defect and, thus, readily usable, to those beyond satisfactory repair and suitable only for

(p3)

commemorative use. It must be remembered that almost all bore some evidence of the tragedy of the Holocaust. Many were blood-stained, some charred by fire or damaged by water, and in some instances wrapped in personal clothing or a tallit (prayer shawl) as though to protect them from harm.

At Westminster Synagogue, each Torah was given a card with details of its condition, place of origin, date of writing, and of the repairs that it required. The examination was completed by five student scribes. When a resident scribe was hired to begin the actual repairs to the scrolls, Westminster Synagogue had already received a large number of requests for scrolls from synagogues, universities, libraries, and other institutions in many parts of the world. Priority was given to newly-established synagogues without Torah scrolls of their own, and then to retirement homes, hospitals, youth groups, and other places where services were held. More than 3,000 requests for scrolls have been considered, and further applications regularly reach Kent House. Together with the scroll number, every scroll that is sent carries a small brass plaque, attached to the rollers, bearing the inscription "Westminster Synagogue, 1964. Czech Memorial Scroll." A certificate also confirms the possession as one of the 1,564 Czech Memorial Scrolls, part of the treasure looted by the Nazis.

In the years that have passed since the scrolls reached Westminster Synagogue, visitors from many parts of the world have come to see then and often to

(p. 4)

witness the work of restoration in progress. Jews and non-Jews have been deeply moved by the human tragedy implicit in what they have seen and by the scope and importance of the project.

Czech Memorial Scrolls are in use in many parts of the world. The United States, as might be expected, has been the main recipient, but many requests from Israel have been met, as have others from virtually every country in which Jewish communities flourish freely. In addition, scrolls appropriate as memorials are to be found at Yad Vashem in Israel, at Westminster Abbey, in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle and in many other places. Today, only a few dozen remain of the original 1,564 and none of them meets the traditional requirements for use in synagogues; but requests continue to be received for scrolls to serve as memorials. A few Czech scrolls will, of course, remain permanently at Kent House in the Memorial Centre.

In February, 2001, Jennifer Kaplan, on behalf of her parents, Jay and Pamela Kaplan, and brother, Eric Kaplan, met with the Director of the Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust at Kent House in London and received the Zbraslav Holocaust Torah which is exhibited on permanent loan to Congregation B'nai Israel, Spartanburg, South Carolina. We lovingly dedicate this scroll to the memories of the members of the Zbraslav Jewish community, as well as those of the six million Jewish men, women, and children who perished in the Holocaust. 

 Commissioned by

Temple B’nai Israel, Spartansburg, South Carolina