Preserving the Past · Enhancing the Present · Ensuring the Future
The Czech Torah is championed by six generations of the Goldstein Family in memory of Betty and Leon Goldstein z"l and their love of Torah and learning.
Preserving the Past
When Jewish communities were being wiped out during WWII, many Torah scrolls were left in synagogue basements until their discovery in 1964 when 1,800 scrolls were collected around Bohemia and Moravia and moved to London where they could be checked, repaired (if possible), and cataloged. The Memorial Scrolls Trust was formed to help care for scrolls and loan them out to communities around the world. Scroll #1339 came to Atlanta in 1977 after Ruth Singer z"l made a request on behalf of Ahavath Achim Synagogue (AA). The scroll, originally from 1800s Plzeň, Czech Republic, has been prominently displayed in our Sylvia G. Cohen Museum for more than 55 years.
Enhancing the Present
Every Jew is obligated to help write a Torah scroll sometime in their life. Now you have the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of writing a sefer Torah by participating in our Czech Torah's restoration.
Over 200 years ago, the Czech Torah was born, and, throughout turbulent times, it endured. Its history is central to our history. Restoring this Torah will bridge the Jewish communities of the past with our own AA community and preserve it for AA's future. With your participation, it will continue to sustain the power of l'dor v'dor, from generation to generation.
Ensuring the Future
Once placed in the ark of our new sanctuary, AA voices will read the Czech Torah, echoing voices from over 200 years ago. It will inspire us and generations to come to be life-long learners of Jewish wisdom. This remarkable Torah starts with the story of Creation, narrates our earliest history, and returns us to our Promised Land. With your support, it will continue to enrich our community and enlighten our future. The Czech Torah will be dedicated in August during our Sanctuary dedication.
For more information on participating in this fundraiser, please contact Jackie Nix (jnix@aasynagogue.org; 404.603.5743).
