Our Czech Torah Scrolls
Living Memorials to History, Faith, and Resilience
A Sacred Legacy Held in Trust
Among our most precious possessions at Hertfordshire Progressive Synagogue are our Czech Memorial Torah Scrolls. On loan to us from the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London, these sacred scrolls survived the devastation of the Holocaust in Bohemia and Moravia. Today, as our merged congregation comes together, these scrolls stand at the heart of our sanctuary, testimonies to Jewish survival and enduring faith.
The Journey of the Scrolls
During World War II, as Jewish communities across Czechoslovakia were destroyed by the Nazi regime, thousands of Torah scrolls and ceremonial objects were confiscated and sent to the Central Jewish Museum in Prague. Against all odds, officials and curators worked in secret to catalogue and preserve these sacred artifacts.
In 1964, 1,564 of these surviving scrolls were brought from Prague to London, where the Memorial Scrolls Trust was established at Westminster Synagogue. Restored with great care, the scrolls were distributed on permanent loan to congregations across the globe to serve as living memorials to the lost communities of Europe.
Our Scrolls at HPS
Both Radlett Reform Synagogue and The Elstree Liberal Synagogue were privileged to care for Czech memorial scrolls. Brought together into our united home at HPS, these scrolls hold a place of profound honor in our community.
- Scroll #755 (Radlett Reform Legacy): Originating from the historic Jewish community of Písek, Bohemia.
- Scroll #1178 (Elstree Liberal Legacy): Originating from the community of Klatovy, Bohemia.
Honoring the Past, Guiding the Future
Our Czech scrolls are not museum pieces meant to sit behind glass. They are actively integrated into the spiritual and educational life of Hertfordshire Progressive Synagogue:
- Liturgy & Worship: Read from during High Holy Days, Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), and significant communal services.
- Life Milestones: Used on the bima during B'Mitzvah ceremonies, connecting our young adults directly to generations of Jewish history.
- Education & Remembrance: Serving as focal points for learning in our religion school, teaching children the vital importance of memory, resilience, and Am Yisrael Chai (the People of Israel Live).
By holding these scrolls in our arms and chanting their sacred text, we ensure that the voices and memories of the communities from which they came are never forgotten.
The story of our Czech scroll, from Pardubice
“These scrolls are precious, holding a profound spiritual and educational significance. They speak a defiant message of hope, continuity, and resilience.”
The Memorial Scrolls Trust
The Memorial Scrolls Trust has a sacred responsibility for nearly 1600 Czech Torah scrolls. The scrolls were rescued from the Holocaust by the Prague Jewish community, which largely perished, and were brought to Westminster Synagogue almost 50 years ago.
Today, thanks to the work of the Memorial Scrolls Trust, these scrolls take a message of hope, continuity and resilience to every corner of the globe from North America to South Africa, from Britain to New Zealand. They can be found in Windsor Castle and the Holocaust Museum in Washington, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and the US Naval Academy in Maryland, as well as in over a thousand synagogues around the world including Radlett Reform.
The Memorial Scrolls Trust
You can find out more about the scrolls, their journey and the trust from the Memorial Scrolls Trust website.