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Over the years, Calvary Hospital has cared for many Holocaust survivors as patients. Now the famous Bronx Catholic hospital that specializes in end-of-life palliative care is painstakingly restoring to life another Holocaust survivor, a 135-year-old Torah scroll that was once stolen by the Nazis. When complete, the Torah will be “kosher” for liturgical use for Jewish patients.
In Jewish law, the Torah is literally considered a living document. When a Torah is no longer fit for use it is given a formal Jewish burial. So returning this Torah to life has special resonance for Rabbi Rachmiel Rothberger, Jewish community liaison at Calvary, who is helping oversee the restoration.
“It’s a living testimony that the Jewish people will always survive,” said Rabbi Rothberger of the scroll. “The Torah is called the book of life. There is more to it than just ink on parchment. It’s God’s Word, and it is eternal. What this Torah has seen.”
This particular Torah is one of 1,584 Torahs that were rescued by the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London at the end of World War II. The Nazis looted the scroll from a synagogue in the town of Taus-Domazlice in the present day Czech Republic. Scroll 515 is on permanent loan to Calvary from Memorial Scrolls Trust. It is being repaired by Sofer On Site, which has helped restore hundreds of Torah scrolls throughout the world. Work began in November and is expected to be complete by next November.
A team of specially trained “scribes” is doing the work letter by letter on the scroll, which when fully unrolled approximates the length of a football field, according to Rabbi Rothberger. The rabbi explained that in order to be considered kosher, a Torah must be in unblemished condition. No letter can be missing, damaged or obscured.
“A Torah scroll needs to be maintained constantly,” he explained. “When they are used constantly, of course, there is a little wear and tear over time. There’s a little fading of the letters. Things need to be corrected here and there. We don’t know exactly what happened to this particular Torah over time. But we know that extensive work will need to be done to repair it.”
Calvary obtained the scroll in 1987 as a way to symbolize to its Jewish patients and their families the Catholic hospital’s commitment to their care.
“From the hospital’s earliest years, Calvary has always welcomed patients from all religions,” said Frank Calamari, Calvary’s president and CEO. “We did not have a Torah and our rabbis at that time said this would be something that would be a demonstrative way of reaching out to the Jewish community. So we did a little research and we saw this group in London that had rescued Torahs. We were given the Torah; I guess they called it permanently on loan. But we have to care for it, maintain it and use it according to proper Jewish religion and law.”
Calamari stresses the hospital’s commitment to its Jewish patients and their families, as symbolized by the Sacred Torah, is firm, enduring and demonstrable. The hospital offers a Shabbos Lounge, which allows families who wish to remain close to their loved ones from Friday through Saturday a place to stay on its Bronx campus. The lounge sleeps four. There is a kosher pantry that is stocked every week by Chesed 24/7 and Satmar Bikur Cholim. The hospital also entered into collaboration with Yeshiva University in November to provide end-of-life counseling. Calvary now has three rabbis on staff.
“The Jewish community that comes to Calvary are a gift to all of us,” said Dr. Michael Brescia, Calvary’s executive medical director. “We are honored by them coming to our hospital and allowing us to care for them.” Cardinal Dolan has been strongly committed to this program.”
For Rabbi Rothberger, the residence of this Sacred Torah at a Catholic hospital is not only symbolic but entirely appropriate.
“The beauty of having this Torah here at Calvary, where Calvary’s philosophy is ‘life continues,’ has a very special significance to us,” he said. “Especially where countless patients who have been cared for at Calvary are Holocaust survivors. This a good way to perpetuate honor to those who perished and those lucky ones that have been fortunate—and I say it wholeheartedly, fortunate—to experience the love and wonderful care that Calvary gives.”
