A prayer shawl (tallit), which was found in Pacov synagogue during its archaeological assessment, has now been renovated and placed in a prestigious spot at the very beginning of the temporary exhibition “Throwaway – the History of a Modern Crisis” at the House of European History in Brussels. The exhibition continues until January 2024.
Further information on the exhibition is available here:
https://historia-europa.ep.eu/en/throwaway
https://historia-europa.ep.eu/cs/nepotrebne-vyhodit
All photographs taken 11th to 13th November 2022 by Karen Koblitz, Alan Friedenberg and Sheila Pallay.
Photos from the Pacov and Černovice Jewish Cemeteries Tours, Pacov Synagogue and Rabbi’s House Tour, Michal Foršt’s concert and a live show of the Schimmerle Klezmer Kabaret, all taking place during the Jewish Heritage Day and the previous Saturday on 13th and 14th August 2022. All photos by Karen Koblitz.
The Tikkun Pacov Synagogue Association wholly supports Ukraine as an independent and sovereign democratic nation. Our objective is to revive the memory of the lost Jewish community and renewal of their place in history, lest they be forgotten. The atrocities happening in the Ukraine and the mass exodus of refugees bring to mind the targeting of Jews and others in the Holocaust.
Tikkun Pacov warmly welcomes the Ukrainian refugees to the Czech Republic and to the Pacov community.
Photos by Jaroslav Nekovář
Photos by Marie and Daniela Orlando
Dear Friends of Tikkun,
It‘s with great pleasure that I’d like to draw your attention to the rich programme of events we’ve put together to celebrate Jewish Heritage Day in Pacov and environs on 7-8 August, in cooperation with the nearby Cernovice Jewish Memorial.
For a full overview, please refer to the programme published on our website.
We hope that many of you will join us this coming weekend, and take advantage of this opportunity to meet, to learn and to remember Jewish culture, which for hundreds of years was an integral part of the region‘s history.
Pavel Tychtl
President of Tikkun
Sunday 8 August
10:00 – 12:00 Guided tour of Radenín Jewish cemetery
13:00 – 14:45 Guided tour of Pacov synagogue and Jewish school/former rabbi’s house and plans for the renovation of both buildings. Jan Autengruber ulice 318, Pacov
14:45 – 16:00 Interpretation into English/French on request
15:15 – 17:00 Guided tour of Jewish Memorial to the Victims of the Holocaust and Černovice Jewish Cemetery by Michael Deiml, sculptor of the monument, and Tobiáš Smolík, Hebrew scholar and ethnologist. Access from Vodní ulice, Černovice u Tábora
16:45 – 18:00 Interpretation into German/English on request
19:00 – 20:30 Schimmerle Klezmer Cabaret – outdoor Klezmer Concert
Pacov Community Centre, Španovského ulice 319, Pacov
(Free entrance – contributions welcome)
Saturday 7 August – Evening programme, Náměstí Svobody, Pacov
19:00 – 20:00 Official inauguration of Restlicht (Remains of the Light) temporary memorial exhibit, presented by Werner Mally, German sculptor of Czech origin
Visitors are advised that the best time to visit Restlicht memorial exhibit for maximum effect is at noon on a sunny day
Organisers: Tikkun Pacov and Černovice Jewish Memorial
All events are free of charge – everyone’s welcome!
Donations: www.tikkun.cz (overview)
If you’ve been in the vicinity of Pacov synagogue recently, you will have noticed the busy renovation works that are happening right now! As reported earlier this year, we foresaw the complete reconstruction of the roof, in case it proved necessary. And indeed, according to a recent structural survey, the rafters were infested with woodworm, the roof was leaking and collapse was imminent. While reconstructing the roof, we will also remove a non-original extension to the southern wall, where an industrial lift was annexed to the synagogue in its warehouse days.
The reconstruction works are made possible thanks to the financial support of the Czech-German Future Fund, the Vysočina (Bohemian-Moravian Highlands) Fund, the City of Pacov, the British Friends of Czech Heritage foundation, and donations by private individuals, including a generous contribution by Julian J. Hradecky, a Canadian of Pacov ancestry.
The reconstruction works are in the hands of Mr Jaroslav Nekovář of the Stavneko company, who has experience of similar renovations. If everything goes according to plan with no complications, this part of the renovation should be completed by the end of the summer. If you visit us in August, you can witness the reconstruction first hand.
The synagogue and also the nearby house of the former rabbi will be open to the public on Czech Jewish Heritage Day, Sunday 8 August, 1pm – 4pm.
In case you are interested in the next steps, an architectural study has been drawn up, and we have a building permit for the entire renovation of the exterior and part of the interior. How quickly this proceeds depends entirely on securing additional funding. Hopefully it will not take too long for this important Pacov monument to regain its original appearance and open to Pacov residents and all those interested in the culture and history of the Czech Jews.
Finally, I would like to mention two important anniversaries:
November 2022 marks 80 years since the tragic event of the transport of the Pacov Jews to the Terezin ghetto, and from there to the Nazi extermination camps. Together with our colleagues and friends from the Jewish Memorial in Cernovice, we are preparing a programme of events to mark this anniversary, which we will share with you nearer the time.
The second date is more joyful: the year 2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the completion of the (modern reconstruction of the) synagogue in 1823. We very much hope the synagogue will be in decent shape by this anniversary, so that we can take pride in our collective efforts.
Pavel Tychtl
President of Tikkun Pacov
“Light Beyond the Shadows: The Legacy of the Czech Torah Scrolls and the Renewal of Jewish Life in Czechia,” by Sheila Pallay and Julius Müller
The book weaves a beautiful pictorial history with stories of Jewish heritage in Bohemia and Moravia, connecting the reader with places that once had vibrant Jewish communities. It details a thirteen-week tour through the Czech Republic by Sheila Pallay, photographer, and Julius Müller, genealogist and guide, documenting current and mainly former synagogues, Jewish cemeteries and memorials commemorating their lost Jewish citizens.
In 1942, the Central Jewish Museum in Prague contacted every Jewish community in Bohemia and Moravia, asking that they send all of their remaining possessions to Prague. As a result, a treasure of 212,822 liturgical items survived the Holocaust, including 1,800 Torah scrolls. In 1964, the scrolls, many terribly damaged because of inadequate storage conditions, were offered for sale by the Czech communist government. 1,564 of them were delivered to the Westminster Synagogue in London, purchased by a philanthropic British lawyer.
Shortly thereafter, Westminster Synagogue established the Memorial Scroll Trust, MST that has since cared for the scrolls. Over the following 30 years about 12 soferim, Torah scroll scribes, evaluated and repaired over 1,200 scrolls. These were then sent on permanent loan to caring congregations and communities in North and South America, Europe, Israel and South Africa.
There are 7 Torah scrolls, attributed to the Pacov synagogue on permanent loan to congregations in the US and the UK.
Jeffrey Ohrenstein, chairman of the MST wrote in the book’s Foreword that the MST is in communication with the congregations with scrolls, and “encourages their use in meaningful ways.” The hope is that the community will document the Jewish history of the place their scroll came from, along with the fate of their former Jewish residents, ensuring that their lives are never forgotten.
Rabbi Joseph Meszler, Spiritual Leader of Temple Sinai in Sharon, Massachusetts writes about Temple Sinai’s precious Torah scroll from Přeštice. The scroll is between 200 and 250 years old and he reflects on how the scroll was used throughout the years before the Shoah, and how it has continued to be in use 75 years afterwards. Another testimonial is from Rabbi Emeritus Norman Patz of Temple Sholom of West Essex Cedar Grove, New Jersey, writes a touching story about how the Dvůr Králové Torah came to their congregation.
Throughout the book we hear from others affilifated with the MST in the US, Lois Roman and Susan Boyer, as well as Rabbi Kevin Hale, torah scribe. and others with personal stories about their connection to former Bohemian and Moravian Jewish communities.
Watch the panel discussion, LIGHT BEYOND THE SHADOWS with authors Sheila Pallay and Julius Müller and MST Trustee Lois Roman. Hosted by Rabbi Joseph Meszler, Temple Sinai, Sharon, Massachusetts.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzZQy3jD5Gk
The book preview is available at http://toledot.org/SZS3.pdf
You can purchase the book through the following vendors:
In the UK, the book is available in English through the Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust. 18 pounds, link through the MST Trust Shop. https://mstshop.org/collections/books/products/light-beyond-the-shadows
In the USA, the English edition is available through Temple Sinai in Sharon, Masssachusetts, on the Paypal link below. It is $25 plus shipping.
The Czech version is available in the Czech Republic, 540 Kč by contacting Julius Müller: jmuller@toledot.org
