/Question of the Week: Movie star Mel Gibson had little

interest in becoming an actor until he became a devoted fan of
what Jewish trio?

helping

Jewish

One
Sefer
Torah'
Stor

You cannot miss
with this remarkable
new book of a
Torah scroll lost
and found.

Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor

families grow

.

saBools Gana Gull_ :Jeivisuy

scroll taken from the village of Kosovo
Hora, just outside Prague. The Torah
remembers" the synagogue where it once
AM
resided and the rabbi of the congregation,
Reb Davie!, "a hands. ome man with fiery
blue eyes and a beautiful black beard ... a
very gentle man. His every act was one of
love and kindness.
"When he chanted, his voice rang
melodically throughout the small wooden
synagogue, thrilling the congregation,
making the people feel very good. When
he spoke from the pulpit, his message was
always inspiring. He did not chastise, rep-
rimand or insult anyone."
But then the sefer Torah is absconded by
the Nazis, and it must wait, with the other
stolen scrolls, for many years. "We became
accustomed to the darkness and dankness.
We talked, even as we lay on our sides.
I am a Holocaust Torah: The Story
We told each other the stories that were
of the Saving of 1,564 Torahs
written on us — of Abraham, Isaac and
Stolen by the Nazis by Rabbi Alex J.
Jacob,
of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and
Goldman (Gefen, S 12.95).
Leah, and of Joseph."
Finally, two men come and find the
What a treasure.
scrolls. One is Czech and the other British.
I am a Holocaust Torah, written by the
"Here they are," one man said. His
rabbi emeritus of Temple Beth El in Stam-
accent was Czech.
ford, Conn., is the remarkable story of one
After a pause, the British man comment-
sefer Torah that was saved from a collection
: ed, "Incredible! They look so forlorn!
of 1,564 scrolls stolen by the Nazis.
Packed like sardines."
As the Nazis rampaged eastern Europe,
At last the sefer Torah is repaired, and
they often looted Jewish homes and syna-
watches
a new, young rabbi approach. As
gogues, taking with them sefrei Torah to be
the text says, "He doesn't have a beard like
placed in their "museum of the extinctjew-
Reb David'!, but he looks like a rabbi. HiS
ish race." The scrolls were held in Prague,
face is clean-shaven and round, his cheeks
forgotten until 1964, when a British-Jewish
ruddy. He is wearing a beautiful, colorful
philanthropist and an art dealer arranged
kippah. His eyes are searching. I can see
for them to be taken to London. They were
his chest moving." The rabbi takes the sefer
then examined by scribes, with the kosher
Torah and lovingly holds it. The sefer Torah
scrolls being lent to Jewish communities
says, "Inside, I feel myself crying."
throughout the world. (The unusable, dam-
Readers will be doing the same as they
aged scrolls remain on exhibit at the West-
finish
this astonishingly beautiful book.
minster Synagogue in London).
am a Holocaust Torah is the story of a

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