Synagogue unfurls piece of Jewish historyI'm glad the scroll was rescued, but I'm astonished to hear that a four-hundred-year-old parchment does not count as an antiquity and can be taken from the country so easily. Still, I assume the Foundation and the Synagogue have checked over the legal situation thoroughly before making this announcement. I don't know the details of international antiquities laws about such things. Does anyone out there who does want to comment? Drop me a note at my "jrd4 at st-andrews dot ac dot uk" address.
400-year-old Torah, found in Iraq and restored, finds a home in Howard County congregation
By Liz F. Kay | [Baltimore] Sun reporter
October 28, 2007
A 400-year-old Torah, saved from the sands of Iraq, has found its way to a synagogue in western Howard County.
The scroll of Hebrew scripture, containing the first five books of the Bible, was found by U.S. soldiers among the ruins of a synagogue in Mosul, Iraq.
A Jewish expert in Torahs who leads a worldwide effort to rescue scrolls like this got it out of the country and repaired it. Now, that piece of history has landed in Fulton, housed in an ark at Temple Isaiah.
The Reform congregation plans a year of educational events centered on this Torah and the Jews of Arab nations, beginning today with presentations by Rabbi Menachem Youlus, who is a sofer, someone trained in the transcription of Torahs. The year will conclude with a Torah dedication service.
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One of the oldest known copies of the Torah is on exhibit at a Baghdad museum, Youlus said - and more than 360 scrolls are in its basement. Youlus, who lives in Cheswolde, said he has saved five scrolls in Iraq through his Rockville-based Save A Torah Foundation. The organization has rescued 557 Torahs and estimates more than 2,000 remain to be saved in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.
The organization says it researches the history of the scrolls before it buys them and returns them to their owners, if possible. In this case, Youlus said, he consulted international lawyers and Iraqi government officials to ensure the parchment was not covered by antiquities laws. As for an item such as this one, which was found in a severely bombed building, "anybody who wants to take it, takes it," he said.
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Youlus said the Torah was found by an American soldier who came under fire in Mosul and ducked down in the ruins of a building. He spotted what he believed were some Hebrew words on the floor and walls.
Later, the soldier returned with friends, who confirmed the words were Hebrew. Then two of them discovered the Torah beneath the floor, Youlus said. He believes it had been hidden there.
In June, he said, he called Panoff, who had told Youlus that he was interested in bringing a special Torah to his synagogue. Panoff met with Temple Isaiah's board members, who pledged much of the $20,000 needed for restoration right away, the rabbi said.
Youlus, who declined to elaborate on how he got the Torah out of the country, soon set to work repairing it. He said the scroll, about 180 feet long, was in good condition despite being four centuries old. During a recent visit to Temple Isaiah, Panoff pointed out several patched parts of the gazelle-hide parchment.
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UPDATE (8 November): More here.