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"In A Plain Brown Paper Wrapper"

The Story of the Podivin Torah
Ina Albert-Secher, Congregation Makom Shalom, Chicago, Illinois

Its History:
It arrived in a plain brown wrapper. It had not been used in over 50 years, since the Czech Jews of the village Podivin were forced onto a train bound for Terezin Concentration Camp, leaving it behind. The Torah had survived the destruction of the Podivin synagogue, the deaths of those who had cherished it the Nazi Holocaust.

It had been cast into a synagogue basement in Prague with 1,563 other scrolls, that were rescued in 1965 to be restored and rededicated by Jews all over the world. It is one of an elite corps of Torah Scrolls, each with its own history and it own voice, which carry the message of redemption and renewal and the memories of those who perished.

If this Podivin Torah Scroll could speak, it would tell us that it was scribed at the turn of the century in a small town on the Austrian-Czech border. It would tell tales of a synagogue, built in 1630 which was its home, of the 143 Jews who lived in the town when World War II began in 1938, and of the six who survived. The Torah. would describe how most of them were deported by train from Podivin to Terezin with other Jews from that region. The names of the Jews of Podivin who were sent off to Terezin are chronicled on the deportation list that traveled with the paper-wrapped Torah to Chicago. It lists the names and ages of those who boarded the train, along with many others from that region, to travel on a journey to destruction.

If the Torah could speak, it would tell of the hands of the people that held it, dressed it, studied it, chanted its verses, and who rode that deadly train. It would speak of the children who read from it for their bar mitzvahs, and recount its memories of the synagogue members that heard the parsha read from it each week and treasured its sacredness. It would describe their excitement as they heard the voices of God and of Moses, the recitation of the Ten Commandments, the words of the Prophets. This Torah was their history and their heritage. It was and is the story of the ancestors of all the Jewish People.

Its Rescue:
The Podivin Torah, which now makes its home with Congregation Makom Shalom in Chicago, began its life in a small shtetl in the southeast corner of Czechoslovakia about 30 miles from Erno. This Torah was one of 1,564 Torahs stored in the dark basement of the Michelle Synagogue in Prague from 1946 to 1965. It took almost 20 years of maneuvering for Westminster Synagogue in London to arrange for their rescue and distribution throughout the world. To do this, Westminster Synagogue formed "The Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust."

The Podivin Torah is part of this trust and has been given to us at relatively no cost save for administrative, customs and handling charges. Its proud restoration from its very damaged condition has been an ongoing delight for Congregation Makom Shalom.

Its Rededication:
We dedicated the Holocaust Podivin Torah on Oct. 24, 1997 and flew over from Prague the last survivor of the town of Podivin to attend the ceremonies. In addition, a relative of one of the families of Podivin flew in from New York. Marketa, the last survivor, brought with her the deportation list from Podivin to Terezin with the ages, dates of death, camps sent to, etc. At the Torah dedication, we made wrist bands with those names and ages on them and gave them to everyone who attended. Their instructions were to bring their spirits back to celebrate the rebirth of their Torah.

Over the past year, we raised about $10,000 for its restoration by a scribe here in Chicago. One of our congregants made a Torah cover. At the dedication, we had a Klezmer Jazz band, brought the Torah into the synagogue under a Chuppah made from cloth from Podivin, unrolled it for all the congregation to see and hold, sang, danced, and cried. It was wonderful.

If you want information about the Podivin Torah, about participating in the ongoing Torah project or about the congregation, please contact Makom Shalom, .  

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