America's Largest Catholic Newspaper
At a ceremony on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, Calvary Hospital in the Bronx dedicated a restored 135-year-old Torah scroll that is itself a Holocaust survivor.
The Torah scroll—dating from 1880—is originally from the town of Taus-Domazlice, in what is now the Czech Republic. Since 1988, the scroll has been on permanent loan to Calvary from the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London.
On hand for the historic event at Calvary on Nov. 9 were Jeffrey Ohrenstein, executive chairman and trustee of the Memorial Scrolls Trust, and Rabbi Levi Selwyn of Sofer On Site, the company that handled the restoration.
“Calvary could have easily commissioned a brand new sefer Torah,” Ohrenstein said. “Instead they chose to take the time, effort and considerably more expense to breathe new life into this historic scroll. Now, all Calvary patients, families and staff will be able to benefit from this effort.”
Since its earliest years, Calvary has embraced the opportunity to care for patients from all religious backgrounds, said Frank A. Calamari, president and CEO of Calvary Hospital. “Once we found out that this scroll needed extensive repairs, there was no doubt that we would do whatever was
needed to complete this important task,” he said.
With significant support from the Charles R. and Winifred R. Weber Foundation, Calvary launched the restoration in November 2015. To date, the initiative has raised more than $100,000. Once all restoration expenses have been covered, remaining funds are to benefit all patients and families under Calvary’s care.
During World War II, Nazis confiscated Jewish ritual items and sacred Torah scrolls from Jewish communities of Bohemia and Moravia, then known as Czechoslovakia.
The collection of Jewish cultural and religious artifacts bears witness to the horrors of the Holocaust.
In 1964, Westminster Synagogue in London agreed to receive 1,564 Torah scrolls from Prague.
The Memorial Scrolls Trust was established to restore the scrolls and distribute them to communities throughout the world.
Torahs are on permanent loan to more than 1,400 congregations globally, including an estimated 1,000 in the United States. The majority have been loaned to recipients in the Jewish community, such as synagogues, camps, yeshivas, day schools and community centers.
Calvary’s scroll, No. 515, is one of 20 in the Greater New York area today and one of a handful that have gone to non-Jewish recipients.
Jewish patients and families at Calvary have many amenities at their fingertips. Three rabbis at Calvary care for hundreds of Jewish inpatients and home hospice patients annually. In addition to kosher food upon request, Jewish inpatients and their families can expect a daily visit from a rabbi, food from an expanded Kosher Hospitality Room, dedicated Shabbos Lounge, Kabbalat Shabbat service, and celebrations of all major holidays.
The hospital’s outreach to the Jewish community, and the Torah restoration, have been spearheaded by Dr. Michael J. Brescia, executive medical director.
Information:www.calvaryhospital.org/torahrestoration and www.memorialscrollstrust.org.
