MST #546: From Rakovnik to Phoenix
During World War II, nine Torah scrolls at a synagogue in Rakovnik, Czechia were hidden away for safe keeping. When they were discovered after the Shoah with 1,564 other scrolls, they were sent to the Westminster Synagogue in London to be reassembled, organized and stored. This acquisition was financed by philanthropist Ralph Yablon.
The Memorial Scrolls Trust was formed to protect the scrolls and has entrusted them to communities all over the world.
In 1978, Beth El's Rabbi Herbert Silberman visited the collection at Westminster Synagogue. He wrote a letter to Memorial Scrolls Trust, requesting that a scroll be given to Beth El. Since then, MST #546 has proudly been housed at our synagogue.
"If a Torah is a Tree of Life, then it needs to come alive."
Rabbi Rick Sherwin
"It should be used... It should move forward for generations to come."
Holocaust Survivor Helen Handler
In 1998, Beth El members decided that the Rakovnik Scroll should be restored for use. For 20 years prior, it sat unnoticed in the synagogue, collecting dust and deteriorating. A restoration committee, led by Cathy Wolf, raised $50,000 to have the scroll repaired and the scroll was sent to Sofer Rabbi Moshe Klein in Brooklyn for 18 months, returning on January 16, 2000. The Rakovnik Scroll's return to Beth El was marked by a ceremony and its first ritual use in 60 years. The final column, was restored during a dedication at Beth El, where members could observe Rabbi Klein restoring the final letters.
"The beauty of this project is that it allows people to feel connected by an active, rather than a passive, process of remembering."
Dr. Gary Friedlander
Thanks to the efforts and fundraising of our community, we are able to use the Rakovnik Scroll in prayer services on High Holidays and other chagim. We have also adopted a tradition of having youth read from the Rakovnik Scroll for their b'nei mitzvah. As the scroll reminds us of the hardships we have faced, our next generation reads the Torah as a symbol of resilience.