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Shalom Shaarei Kodesh,
On Monday evening, our congregation gathered together to mark Yom HaShoah U’Gevurah, Holocaust Remembrance and Heroism Day. We began with a special Mincha/afternoon service, followed by the lighting of six yahrzeit candles, representing the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, and a seventh candle to represent the victims of October 7th and the hostages still being held. One of our past presidents, Marty Radnor, who was instrumental in bringing our Holocaust Torah to CSK introduced our speaker for the evening, Lois Roman, a trustee of the Memorial Scrolls Trust, and US East Coast representative for the Memorial Scrolls Trust. Ms. Roman has a Masters degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Yeshiva University and a Masters degree from Columbia. The Memorial Scrolls Trust is a London based organization that rescued 1526 Sifrei Torah from Moravia and Behomia (present day Czech Republic and Slovakia).
I urge you all to read Marty’s speech, which relates the Shoah to the current moment Jews are facing around the world after October 7.
CLICK HERE TO READ MARTY RADNOR'S REMARKS ON MONDAY EVENING
Our speaker, Lois, shared the story of the rescue of the Sifrei Torah, and the story of our
Sefer Torah in particular, rescued from a Jewish community in the town of Uherski Hradiste, which has no Jews today. Some of the Torahs rescued were stained by blood, pierced by bullets or burnt by fire. They also sometimes found notes hidden in the Torahs written by the Jews of the towns: “Please remember us.”
At the end of her remarks, we went into the sanctuary in front of our new Aron Kodesh, which teaches a lesson through art: when we gather together for holy purposes, we can make space holy. Our Torahs are at the center of this holiness. It is the document that ties us together as Jews, and the Torah scrolls remain unchanged in synagogues around the world as they have been for thousands of years.
We stood in a circle in silence, and each person held this special Sefer Torah, a Torah with history, a story, and a Torah whose former readers cry out to us: remember us. One of the unique things about our Holocaust Torah is where it is held and how it is used. When we sought to acquire the Holocaust Torah, Marty was adamant that we find a kosher Sefer Torah that we can read from. Thankfully, the Sofrim (scribes) in London were able to restore this Sefer Torah from Uherski Hradiste so we can use it for ritual purposes. Our Holocaust Torah is not held in a lucite box, rather, in an ark. Our Holocaust Torah is not just looked at, it is read and used by Bnai Mitzvah students, congregants experiencing life cycle events, and read from the bimah on special holidays and Shabbatot.
Please join us this Shabbat as we pray with our new ark and sacred furniture! The pictures do not give the beautiful and unique creations justice! Our Beautification and Sanctification Committee, led by Karen Katz and Judy Richman, was instrumental in bringing this new addition to our congregation. We are so grateful for everyone's help and support!
I wish you all a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Baum
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