"I will give them in My house and within My walls, a monument and a name...
I will give them an everlasting name which shall not perish." Yishayahu (Isaiah) 56:5

It has now been more than five decades since the full and horrifying revelations of the wanton slaughter of almost 6,000,000 Jewish men, women, and children -- not to mention more than 20,000,000 others -- were first brought home to us. Daily, we continue to be assaulted by the Shoah [Holocaust], due in large measure to the veritable flood of books, articles, exhibits, and films which are produced. The television special "Holocaust" continues to rank among the most impressive viewing audiences in the history of that medium. The President's Commission on the Holocaust called for the creation of a "living memorial museum" as a fitting and appropriate tribute to the sacred memories of those innocents who perished during the Second World War. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, is the response to that visionary call.

Pain-filled questions of "How did it happen?" and "Why did it happen?" remain exposed in our collective consciousness much like a searing wound which refuses to heal. Humanity stands condemned by the silent dries of those whose only crime was their desire to live at peace in this world. Redemption can only come about by our grasping of that hope which faith and religious tradition have to offer, and by our willingness to perpetuate the memories of those martyred millions through our commitment towards insuring that the Shoah remains an historical event and not the prelude to future repetitions.

This Sefar Torah [Torah Scroll] which now joins two others in our Aron Kodesh [Holy Ark] comes to us from the now-decimated Jewish Community of Czechoslovakia; its specific congregational home we know not. It has found a resting place in the holy precincts of our Congregation, and is concrete evidence of our own willingness and commitment to a present and future sensitive at all times to the tragedies of the past and our determination in the words of our Siddur [Prayer Book] "to build a world of peace for Your children."

It is, therefore, both fitting and appropriate that we as a congregational family accept this Sefar Torah on "permanent loan" to us from the Memorial Scrolls Committee of the Westminster Synagogue in London, England, in memory of Julie Ann Weiner, beloved daughter of Dr. Louis B. Weiner. And may the memories of all our beloved children remain a blessing among the living.

Dr. Steven L. Jacobs, Rabbi
of Temple B'nai Sholom (1990-2001)

A Special Note: The rescued Sefar Torah that now resides within Temple B'nai Sholom's Aron Kodesh has no adornments. It's cover is a reminder of the traditional tallit in tribute to the community from whence it came. Other than adding the yad, any attempt to repair this Sacred Torah and/or add rimmonim and/or breastplate would beautify that from which beauty has been robbed, while its holiness is not diminished. Therefore it would be inappropriate to beautify it in any way.

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