The Story of the rescue of 1,564 Czech Scrolls by Westminster Synagogue, which arrived at Kent House in February 1964, has passed into history as a small but remarkable episode in the tragedy of European Jewry. As an intimate link with individual congregations that were destroyed by the Nazis, the Scrolls were a symbol of sorrow as well as hope. Over the four and a half decades since their arrival, the racks have grown emptier as one Scroll after another has been restored to its rightful place in Jewish life around the world.
Join the Westminster Synagogue Scrolls Committee
Following the first memorial service held in honour of the two Westminster scrolls from Horazd'ovice and Prestice in November 2008, Mrs Valery Rees, chairman of the committee, is seeking volunteers to join the committee to help plan the next memorial service and to undertake more detailed investigation in museums and archives.
The committee is planning a 5-day visit for adult members in Spring 2010 to the original communities from where the scrolls were rescued. We shall be staying in Prague. If you are interesed in joining the group or learning more about the committee, please contact
valery.rees@ficino.org To download the booklet produced by the committee on the communities of Horazd'ovice and Prestice, click here.
Visit the Museum – 3rd Floor Kent House
Visitors to the Museum will find a graphic account of each chapter in the story of the Czech Scrolls; they will learn something of the history of the communities of Bohemia and Moravia to which they once belonged, of their acquisition from Prague and of the long process of repair and distribution. Twice a year, Westminster Synagogue members are invited for a guided tour of the museum. For dates of these events, please email the Synagogue secretary at secretary@westminstersynagogue.org.
The Museum is open to the public, by appointment, on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 4pm and at other times by prior arrangement. To make enquiries please contact the Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust administrator, Julia Hollenbury, by e-mail at czech.scrolls@virgin.net or tel:+44 (0)207 584 3741. Or for more information about the Czech Scrolls, visit the website at www.czechmemorialscrollstrust.org.
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