Czech Holocaust Memorial Scrolls: A Legacy Preserved Through Faith and Memory
From Destruction to Safekeeping: The Prague Jewish Museum
On March 15, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, establishing the Reich Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. At the time, more than 118,000 people were classified as Jews under the Nuremberg Laws. As synagogues were shuttered and communities destroyed, a group of Prague Jews made a daring proposal: transfer sacred Jewish artifacts—Torah scrolls, ritual silver, textiles, books, and archives—to the Jewish Museum in Prague for safekeeping.
Miraculously, the Nazis agreed. More than 100,000 items from over 100 synagogues were collected and stored in over 40 warehouses across Prague.
After the War: A Silent Struggle
Following the Holocaust, Jewish life in Czechoslovakia was nearly extinguished. Emigration, trauma, and persecution under the postwar Communist regime further suppressed religious expression. By 1948, Torah scrolls stored in Prague’s Michle Synagogue had become state property, their future uncertain.
Rescue and Redemption at Westminster Synagogue
In 1963, American art dealer Eric Estorick visited Prague and was offered the chance to purchase Torah scrolls housed in Michle. He alerted Rabbi Harold Reinhart of Westminster Synagogue in London. With funding from philanthropist Ralph Yablon, an expert was dispatched to assess the scrolls.
In early 1964, two trucks arrived in London carrying 1,564 rescued Torah scrolls.
To honor and protect these scrolls, the Memorial Scrolls Trust was formed. The scrolls are never sold, they are only distributed on permanent loan to Jewish communities around the world. Each scroll continues its sacred purpose: to live and breathe within active Jewish congregations.
Beth Am is proud to have received three of these scrolls on permanent loan. In 2013, members of our congregation traveled to Louny and participated in a moving ceremony in the town’s Jewish cemetery.
Beth Am's Sacred Trust
Our Scrolls from Louny, Tábor, and Světlá.
Old York Road Temple-Beth Am is deeply honored to house three Czech Holocaust Memorial Scrolls more than most congregations receive.
- In 1973, Rabbi Waintrup z”l helped secure two scrolls from the towns of Tábor and Louny.
- In 2004, we received our third scroll: the Little Torah of Světlá, a gift from Temple Beth Torah's 1982 Confirmation Class
to Rabbi Frank.
Each scroll carries a brass plaque, identifying it as a survivor of the Holocaust a sacred remnant of a once-vibrant Jewish community. These are not relics of the past. They are living witnesses to resilience, remembrance, and renewal.
The Czech Torah Scroll Memorial Mural –
In June 2022, our synagogue unveiled a striking mural in our lobby—a permanent tribute to our three Czech Torah scrolls and the communities they represent.
Designed and handcrafted by local artist Murrie Gayman, the mural features:
- Over 100 individually shaped wooden pieces
- Hand-painted figures
- A visual journey from Louny, Tábor, and Světlá nad Sázavou to their spiritual home in Abington, Pennsylvania
At the center of the mural, the Little Torah of Světlá is displayed in a clear Plexiglas case. Replicas of the Tábor and Louny scrolls represent their ongoing presence in our congregation.
Three Towns, Three Torahs
Each of our scrolls comes from a once-thriving Jewish community. Their stories are different but share a tragic common thread.
Louny
Located northwest of Prague, Louny's Jewish history dates to 1254. Despite expulsions, Jews were often welcomed back for their economic contributions. The synagogue, built in 1803, became a community centerpiece.
By 1930, only 205 Jews remained. In 1942, the entire community was deported. Today, the former synagogue is a municipal archive, bearing faint reminders of its past: a Star of David, the Ten Commandments, and a plaque honoring Louny's Jews.
Svetla nad Sazavou
Our Little Torah comes from this scenic town known for glassmaking. Jewish life began in the 17th century, peaking at 111 residents in 1890.
During WWII, the town’s Jews including the Morawetz family, owners of a local castle were deported in June 1942. Only twenty-five survived.
In 2016, Beth Am partnered with Světlá to dedicate a memorial plaque at Town Hall. Each year since, the town has held a Holocaust remembrance ceremony, ensuring the legacy of its Jewish community is not forgotten.
Tabor
Founded by Hussites in 1420 and named after Mount Tabor in Israel, Tábor prohibited Jews for centuries. A community finally emerged in the 17th century, growing to 455 Jews by 1893.
In 1942, Tábor became a transit camp; 1,268 Jews were deported to Terezín. Only seventy survived. The synagogue was demolished in 1977, replaced by a parking lot marked now only by a small plaque.
Beth Am’s Torah from Tábor keeps the memory of this lost community alive.
A Legacy of Memory
“L’dor v’dor from generation to generation,” these scrolls are a sacred trust.
They are more than parchment and ink they are testaments to lives once lived, faith once practiced, and communities once vibrant. Through ritual, remembrance, and education, we ensure their stories endure.
We are honored to be their guardians.
Congregants Deena Schuman, Dr. Barry Stein, and Jane Hurwitz have lovingly researched the histories of Louny, Tábor, and Světlá. Their work continues today an enduring testament to Beth Am’s commitment to remembrance and education.
These scrolls are more than sacred texts they are witnesses. Through them, we remember. Through us, they live.
In Memoriam
May their memories be for a blessing
The names listed below are taken from the Transport Lists in the Database of Holocaust Victims maintained by the Jewish Museum of Prague, Czech Republic. These innocent and unfortunate individuals - men, women, children, young and old - are all known to have perished in one of the Nazi concentration camps. Most died in Auschwitz, but others lost their lives at Terezin, Dachau, Sachenhausen, Oranienburg, Buchenwald, Ravensbruck, or one of the other less well-known but just as deadly camps. Their names are also memorialized on the walls of the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague, and in our hearts.
Louny
Arnošt Abeles • Vitézslav Abeles • Luisa Abelesová • Jiří Arnstein • Anna Arnsteinová • Hermina Arnsteinová • Teodor Aschenbrenner • Valtr Aschenbrenner • Hermina Aschenbrennerová • Helena Becková • Oskar Beneš • Anna Benešová • Anna Blaskopfová • Anna Blaskopfová • Melanie Blochová • Ludvik Brunner • Blanka Brunnerová • Emilie Budlovská • Samuel Buchführer •Edvin Eckstein • Valtr Eckstein • Berta Ecksteinová • Adolf Fanta • Bedřich Fanta • Eduard Fanta • Oskar Fanta • Hana Fantová • Ida Fantová • Pavla Fantová • Truda Fantová • Kamila Fischerová • Bedřich Fleischmann • Vitĕzslav Fleischmann • Anna Fleischmannová • Anna Golleová • Hildegarda Golleová • Markéta Gottschallová • Josef Gras • Rudolf Guth • Otilie Guthová • Josef Heller • Ota Heller Pavel Heller • Zdenĕk Heller • Emilie Hellerová• Libuše Hellerová • Marie Hellerová • Marta Hellerová • Hugo Herschmann •Kamila Herschmannová • František Hirsch • Josef Hirsch • Rudolf Hirsch • Pavla Hirschová • Gertruda Juppová • Karel Katz • Jiří Kauders • Karel Kauders • Rudolf Kauders • Ludvik Kohn • Eva Kohnová • Helena Kohnová • Berta Kӧppelová • Emilie Kӧppelov • Antonin Kraus • Bedřich Kraus • Josef Kraus • Ilona Krausová • Ludmilla Krausová • Marie Krausová • Marie Krausová • Františka Kuhová • Helena Lagusová • Alfred Lewith • Alžbĕta Lewithová • Vĕra Lewithová • Max Neuberg • Helena Neubergová • Karel Novák • Pavel Novák • Marie Nováková • Ota Polák • Zdenĕk Polák • Kamila Poláková • Artur Propper • Emilie Propperová • Leo Propper • Petr Propper • Hana Propperová • Marie Propperová • Ota Pyritz • Reiner Pyritz • Bedřiška Pyritzová • Rosemarie Pyritzová • Karel Reich • Josef Reichner • Emilie Reichnerová • Irma Reichnerová • Milada Reichnerova • Hana Reichová • Herta Reichová • Hedvika Reitlerová • IrmaRubinová • Zdeňka Rubinová • Gustav Seger • Karel Seger • Rudolf Seger • Berta Segerová • Vilemina Segerová • Gustav Scheiter • Julius Scheiter • Hermina Scheiterová • Oskar Schindler • Rudolf Schindler • Marie Schindlerová • Vĕra Schindlerová • Rudolf Schӧnmann • Marta Schӧnmannová • Selma Singerová • Bedřich Sofer • Josef Sofer • Ota Sofer • Hedvika Soferová • Bedřiška Solchová • Alfred Spiegel • Jiřrí Spiegel • Olga Spiegelová • Felix Stein • Karel Stein • Kurt Stein • Anna Steinová • Hana Steinová • Hana Steinová • Olga Steinová • Karel Taussig • Helena Taussigová • Hermina Taussigová • Fredinand Traub • Beatrix Websová • Ilsa Weilová • Emilie Weissová • Hugo Zentner
Svĕtlá nad Sázavou
Aldolf Bloch • Berta Blochová • Terezie Bondyová • Robert Feuerstein • Hedvika Feuersteinová • Anna Getzlová • Jiří Herrmann • Jiří Herrmann • Rudolf Herrmann • Alice Herrmannová • Božena Herrmannová • Eduard Holzer • Miloslav Holzer • Teodor Holzer • Anna Holzerová • Herminá Holzerova • Vlasta Kratochvil • Augusta Kohnová • Helena Kohnová • Olga Kohnová • Josef Kraus • Žofie Krausová • Jaroslav Mahler • Jiří Mahler • Robert Mahler • Anna Mahlerová • Františka Mahlerová • Klára Mahlerová • František Margulius • Gertruda Margoliusová • Anna Mautnerová • Eduard Müller • Rudolf Müller • Anna Mühlerová • Hermina Müllerová • Jana Müllerová • Marta Mullerová • Rudolf Pick • Hilda Picková • Kamila Picková • Hugo Popper • Ota Popper • Milada Popperová • Jiří Schmolka • Leo Schmolka • Miloš Schmolka • Augusta Schmolková • Marie Esther Skalla • Mořic Skalla • Arnoštka Skallová • Elisa Skallová • Ervin Stern • Hana Sternová • Ruth Sternova • Marie Žatečková
Tábor
Emil Allina • Zikmund Allina • Marie Allinová • Karel Aschermann • Herta Aschermannová • Alois Bӧhm • Jakob Bӧhm • Rudolf Bӧhm • Bedřiřka Bӧhmová • Mořic Eisenstein • Berta Finková • Olga Fischelová • Josef Fischer • Markéta Fischerová • Zdeňka Fischerová • Bedřich Glücklich • Vilém Glücklich • Terezie Glücklichová • Jarmila Goldsteinová • Hermina Gottliebová • Berta Grimmová • Arnošt Grünstein • David Grünstein • Alžbĕta Grünsteinová • Aranka Grünsteinová • Antonin Guttmann • Hynek Guttman • Karel Guttman • Ota Guttmann • Vitĕzslav Guttmann • Zikmund Guttmann • Alice Guttmannová • Alžbeta Guttmannová • Emilie Guttmannová • Hermina Guttmannová • Ida Guttmannová • Klára Guttmannová • Pavla Guttmannová • Pavlina Guttmannová • Štĕpánka Guttmannová • Marta Hartová • Josef Heller • Gustav Hoffmann • Jiří Hoffmann • Františka Hoffmannová • Olga Hoffmannová• Ružena Holá • Gusta Huschaková • Bedřich Jessler • Petr Jessler • Adolf Justic • Oldrich Justic • Zdenĕk Justic • Aloisie Justicová • Hana Justicová • Marie Justicová • Helman Klauber • Berta Klauberová • Josef Kummermann • Hugo Jan Langschur • Arnošt Lӧwy • Karolina Lӧwyová • Marta Lӧwyová • Evžen Mahler • Hana Mahlerová • Marta Mahlerová • Jiří Meisl • Joserf Meisl • Julius Meisl • Františka Meislová • Hermine Meislovaá • Egon Mendl • Jiří Mendl • Ema Mendlová • Emilie Mendlová • Karolina Mendlová • Olga Mendlová • Berta Pelikánová • Hugo Penižek • Marie Penižková • Josef Pick • Leopold Pick • Helena Picková • Hermine Picková • Včra Picková-Jesslerová • Ema Podvincová • Jiří Podvinec • Petr Podvinec • Josef Poláček • Jaroslav Pollak • Jindřich Pollak •Irma Pollaková • Ela Popperová • Hedvika Popperová • Ida Popperová • Marketa Popperová • Ota Presser • František Rein • Karel Rein • Zikmund Rein • Žofie Rosenzweigová • Marie Rožanková • Markéta Sedláčková • Ružena Steinová • Arnoštka Šterková • Emil Stern • Hanuš Stern • Karel Stern • Oskar Stern • Ota Stern • Adela Sternová • Anna Sternová • Augusta Sternová • Helena Sternová • Jety Sternová • Valeria Sternová • Olga Susslandová • Pavla Švarcová • Hana Vesecká• Zdeňka Vesecká • Pavel Vesecky • Emanuel Vodička • Ferdinand Vodička • Karel Vodička • Max Vodička • Zikmund Vodička • Arnoštka Vodičková • Hermina Vodičková • Arnošt Vrkoč • Hana Vrkočová • Olga Vrkočová • Pavel Zemánek
