They envisioned a synagogue that was about the people, the congregation, with a commitment to “Tikkun Olam,” repairing the world. CBI is now considered one of the landmark reform congregations in the country, and we continue to grow and meet the challenges of a vastly changing world, using the traditions of Judaism to keep us together.
MST#1403 was written in the latter part of the 18th century and comes from the town of Kostelec nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, where a Jewish community flourished until the 1940s, when all its citizens were deported by the Nazis. Historians believe Jewish communities were allowed to bring scrolls and over 200,000 other items of Judaica to Prague for safe storing.
In 1987, the Torah was made available by the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London to Congregation B’nai Israel on “permanent loan.” Our generous members, Ira Futeran (z”l) and Phyllis Malmuth went to London and brought the Torah back to CBI.
Since then, our congregation has cherished this historic scroll that connects us to the Jews of the Czech Republic, who perished during the Holocaust. It lives in a beautiful case donated by the L’Dor V’Dor Seniors and has been an integral part of our synagogue’s spiritual life, especially during B’nai Mitzvot of grandchildren of Holocaust survivors.