Our Czech Torah Scroll
During the Holocaust, Nazis collected gold and silver ornaments, ceremonial objects and Torah scrolls from towns all over Europe. A group of Czechoslovakian Jews was forced to arrange and catalog the items which had been assembled in Prague. After the war, the Communist Government of Czechoslovakia released the Torah scrolls.
In 1964, the Memorial Scrolls Committee of Westminster Synagogue in London arranged for the shipment of 1564 scrolls to the Synagogue, where they were cataloged and repaired and restored when possible. Each Torah was given a numbered brass plaque to identify its origin. Scrolls that could not be made fit for synagogue use were sent to religious and educational institutions as solemn memorials. Those that were repaired and could be used in religious service were sent to fulfill requests of synagogues all over the world in return for a contribution toward restoration expenses. The scroll housed on permanent loan at Congregation B'nai Emunah is Torah Scroll MST#837 which came from the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague.
The Memorial Scrolls Trust, a U.K. non-profit organization, has recently begun to reach out to synagogues and other institutions who received the Czech scrolls to gather updated information about them. More information about the Memorial Scrolls Trust is available on their website.