A Sacred Scroll, A Story of Survival
Holocaust Museum to dedicate historic Torah and unveil new exhibitions exploring antisemitism during a special open house November 9.
The Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center is hosting a dedication of the Torah on permanent loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London, England and to formally unveil two new sections to the Museum’s permanent exhibition focused on antisemitism.
The dedication will be held during an open house-style reception scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, November 9, at the Museum, 975 Imperial Golf Course Drive. Refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is recommended, using this link.
About the Torah
Thousands of Jewish communities were destroyed during the Holocaust, often with few objects remaining to tell their story. The Torah scroll housed at the Museum is one of the few pieces that speak to the history of Žamberk, a Czechoslovakia town along the Northeast border with Poland. While Jewish people had lived in the town since the 17th Century, by 1930, only 31 remained. In 1942, the Nazis deported those Jewish residents to the Theresienstadt ghetto, and from there, to killing centers in Poland. As the Nazis committed genocide against the Jews of Czechoslovakia, they collected Jewish objects, bringing Toroth (plural of Torah) to the Jewish Museum of Prague for storage, study, and monetary evaluation. These ultimately became part of a new Jewish Museum of Prague after the war. In 1964, over 1,500 scrolls were purchased from the museum and given to Westminster Synagogue in England. These Toroth were assessed, repaired, and when possible, restored by a team of sofrim (scribes) for use in religious ceremonies. Scrolls that could not be made fit for religious use are loaned to institutions for display, education, and memorialization.
The Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center was chosen to care for Memorial Scroll Trust Torah number 643 from Žamberk. This scroll is one of four taken from the town’s Jewish community and now helps tell its history to the world.
About the New Permanent Exhibitions
The first new area features the History of Antisemitism which explores the time period from the Roman occupation of the region that is now the state of Israel until the early 20th century. Also included is a short introduction to the history of the Jewish people.
The second new section addresses Contemporary Antisemitism, explaining what it is and offers examples of recent antisemitic attacks/events tying what we are seeing today with historical examples. This section includes a call to action on how the everyday visitor can be an ally to the Jewish community.
Also available to Museum visitors is the recently opened Dimensions in Testimony from the USC Shoah Foundation, an interactive survivor biography. It was developed to ensure that the voices of these witnesses to history can inform generations long into the future. A collection of interactive survivor biographies, Dimensions in Testimony enables people to ask direct questions of Holocaust survivors and other witnesses to genocide and receive responses from pre-recorded video images.
For those unable to attend the Torah dedication, the Museum is open 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $15 for adults, with discounts for seniors, students and military/veterans.
About Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center
Founded in 2001, the Holocaust Museum and Education Center is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It was inspired by a local Collier County middle school’s classroom project on the Holocaust. The Museum’s mission is to “teach the lessons of the Holocaust to inspire action against hatred and to promote mutual respect.” Programs offered include student Holocaust education programs, teacher workshops, special exhibitions, and public lectures, film series, and events. Museum tours are available including self-guided audio tours, docent-led tours, private group tours and student field trips.
The Museum’s permanent collection has over 5,000 unique artifacts, photographs, and documents, donated by local SWFL residents who are Holocaust survivors, liberators, their families and others. Through oral testimonies and museum exhibitions, the personal stories of local SWFL Holocaust survivors and liberators, as well as other stories related to the Holocaust, other genocides and Human Rights issues are preserved for the next generation. The Museum’s recent expansion added new galleries, updated exhibitions, a larger classroom and meeting space for community use. More information is available at HMCEC.org.
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