Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Torah Scroll (fragment) and Torah Mantle
Object numberMO 1944.132.1
Name
Torah
Maker
Unknown
Dateca. 1700s (Torah); 1939 (Mantle)
Mediumpaper, velvet, metallic thread, satin, wood, mother-of-pearl, brass
Dimensionspart a (cover) H 26 1/4 in x W 16 in x D 8 in (66.7 cm x 40.6 cm x 20.3 cm )
part b (scroll closed) H 30 in x W 14 in x D 7 in (76.2 cm x 35.6 cm x 17.8 cm )
part b (scroll closed) H 30 in x W 14 in x D 7 in (76.2 cm x 35.6 cm x 17.8 cm )
Descriptiona) A partial Torah scroll. Two wooden shafts (atzei chayim) with mother-of-pearl and brass inlay and brass caps on the upper sections are attached to either end of the Torah scroll, around which it is rolled. Each shaft is made long enough to extend beyond the top and bottom of the scroll, and is used as a handle with which to hold the Torah scroll and to scroll from portion to portion.
b) The Torah scroll comes with a blue velvet cover (mantle) with metallic fringe along the top and bottom edges, a white satin and metallic thread image of a Torah on the front, and an inscription in metallic thread below: PRESENTED TO HIS EXCELLENCY / FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT / BY THE NATIONAL COUNCIL / OF YOUNG ISRAEL.
Label TextThis manuscript scroll of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament) was removed from a synagogue in Czechoslovakia for safekeeping after the 1938 Munich Crisis and brought secretly to the United States. The overwhelming majority of Czechoslovakia’s Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. b) The Torah scroll comes with a blue velvet cover (mantle) with metallic fringe along the top and bottom edges, a white satin and metallic thread image of a Torah on the front, and an inscription in metallic thread below: PRESENTED TO HIS EXCELLENCY / FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT / BY THE NATIONAL COUNCIL / OF YOUNG ISRAEL.
On March 14, 1939, the National Council of Young Israel presented it to President Roosevelt to "inspire thousands upon thousands of young people with deeper respect and reverence for the eternal values contained therein." Under Jewish law, a sacred Torah scroll must be deemed unfit for synagogue use before it can be exhibited. A Jewish religious scribe (known as a sofer) has examined this scroll and confirmed that a portion had been removed before it was given to FDR.
The Torah mantle was made by the National Council of Young Israel and presented to the President with the Torah scroll in 1939.
The Torah scroll and Torah mantle are on display in THE GATHERING STORM exhibit in the Museum’s NEW DEAL gallery.
Additional Details
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGift Items and Commemorative Artifacts (National Archives Identifier 782690)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.Wird angezeigt
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