Saving a Torah Scroll

 

Every family has their stories, tales that become part of their history.  For me, one of the most important ones was how my uncle rescued a Torah scroll. I cannot say when I first heard this saga, but it became seared on my soul. In turn, it became part of my children’s and grandchildren’s legend.

And what is the story? On November 10, 1938, after spending most of the night hiding with his parents from the Nazi gang rampaging in the village he called home, Fred Katz, then nine-years-old, made his way to his small synagogue in Jesberg Germany. He wanted to find his wimple*. Instead, he found destruction.  Prayer books and shawls had been piled on the floor and a fire had been set which only scorched some of the items before it went out.  Looking through the rubble, he found a Torah Scroll which had been torn apart at a seam but was otherwise undamaged. Returning home he fetched the family’s hand wagon and brought the Torah back with him. A month later he and his parents sailed for America and the Torah scroll came with them, first to Stillwater, Oklahoma and then to Wichita, Kansas where it remains until today.

Fast forward eighty-seven years later. Last night, my Uncle Fred’s great, great nephew, my sixteen-year-old grandson, Yitzhak, was wandering around at his yeshiva high school in Itamar. He was the first to realize a fire, apparently due to an electric malfunction, had started in the study hall. Inspired by Uncle Fred he didn’t hesitate. He simply dashed in and grabbed the Torah scroll from the Ark. Both he and the scroll are fine. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the other buildings are all fine.

It was a little incident for most but for my family it’s big. We’re proud of Yitzhak and we can’t help thinking that his story happened just two days before Holocaust Day when the world recalls the horrors of the Shoah.

We all know antisemitism has not abated. Nor has the attempt to annihilate all of us. This morning my son returned to his base near Kissufim close to the Gaza border. Uncle Fred and Yitzhak rescued Torah scrolls. Yitzhak’s father, along with all our other precious soldiers, are trying to protect all the Torah scrolls along with the Jewish people and their land. 

It’s our youth like Yitzhak who give them the strength and encouragement to continue in their mission.  May the Almighty bring them success.

*There is a German custom to swaddle a baby boy in a cloth with a Biblical verse embroidered upon it when he is brought to his brit. Afterwards the cloth stays in the Holy Ark.