Holy books buried after surviving Shoah

Ynet

By Matan Tzuri

A unique Jewish burial was held Sunday for pages of Torah scrolls and the remains of other holy books that survived the Holocaust almost 70 years ago.

The ancient scrolls were kept in the Holy Ark of a synagogue in east Romania, which was bombed and completely destroyed by the Nazis.

In their last hours, before the Nazis led them to their death, many Jews hid the Torah scrolls in their possession so that they wouldn’t be damaged. Some of these scrolls were found in Europe after World War II and handed over to the different countries’ authorities or Jewish communities.

The Menorah association, led by Moshe Moskowitz, collects these scrolls from all around the world and attempts to restore them. But some of the relics have sustained so much damage that there is no choice but to bury them.

On Sunday, the ruined scrolls were placed in earthenware vessels and buried in the Masu’ot Yitzhak cemetery in a unique ceremony.

„This is historical closure in honor of Yom Kippur,” said Moskowitz.