Thank you to the Lastorias for their generous support in obtaining our Holocaust Torah.
From our member, Geri Armin-Klein
On August 17, 2022, Neil Yerman, renowned sofer and authorized scribe for the Westminster Trust, assessed all our Torahs with special emphasis on our Holocaust Memorial Torah Scroll from Tábor, a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Neil declared that our Memorial scroll is in excellent condition but needs a cleaning to remove the schmutz, a technical term of art in his trade. With stories and illustrations, Neil shared deeply from his 40 years of experience and knowledge as a sofer. During his examination, Neil told us a bit of the story of the how, why, where and when of our Scroll. During his examination, Neil keenly observed several different styles and fashions of writing attributable to scribes from Eastern Europe and more specifically the Czech Republic, Germany and Romania. By the intensity of the ink and the color and “feel” of the vellum, Neil was able to approximate when certain panels had been replaced and aged the original panels as over 140-160 years old. Neil encourages our Congregation to read from, study Torah and pray from our Holocaust Memorial Scroll as a worshipful way to treasure our Scroll, our heritage and to honor the memories of all who suffered, perished and survived the Holocaust.
Note: Additional thanks to Linda and Steve Hill who donated the repair and rededication of one of our Torahs that came from a synagogue that closed its doors and to Amy Gadol and Robert Deak who created a fund in 2022 for the assessment and repair of all our Torahs.