The original Torah of the TJC came to Taos in 1983. It is a Holocaust survivor. When the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia during WWII, they confiscated the local Torah scrolls. They catalogued and tagged the scrolls and warehoused them in Prague, to be displayed in a museum. After the war, the scrolls fell into the hands of the British, who first tried to find their rightful communities, which in most cases no longer existed. The Westminster Project then found communities around the world and placed the scrolls. Ours originally belonged to the Pincas Synagogue in Prague.

After its arrival in Taos, the scroll was used actively for weekly services, High Holidays, B’Nai Mitzvot, teaching and other occasions. The scroll has a mantle from Jerusalem and a portable Ark of cedarwood (so it can wander in the desert of Northern New Mexico!)

In 2014, the scroll needed repairs, as some parts of the klaf (cowhide) had become wrinkled and some letters were damaged. The first to examine the scroll, Rabbi Moshe Gruin, noticed an old puncture wound that had been sewn up. He speculated that it came from a dagger or bayonet - Perhaps the congregation had the scroll out when the Nazis came and they stabbed it.

We sought out a Sofer and the scroll was examined by Rabbi Kevin Hale, who specializes in scroll writing and repair, in the restored Temple Israel in Leadville, Colorado. We discovered that the scroll was older than we believed, dating to about 1770 and written in a Kabbalistic script! With the scroll whole again, Rabbi Hale suggested that we semi-retire it due to age and fragility.

A search for a newer (used but fully functional) Torah scroll began. A beautiful 50-year-old scroll, written in Israel, was found in Los Angeles by Sofer Ron Sieger, a friend of Rabbi Paul Citrin. The scroll arrived just in time for the High Holidays and received a new mantel embroidered in Jerusalem. It is what is known as a “Vav” scroll, arranged so that every column begins with “Vav.” Finally, we have a small travel Torah. It is a great joy for our community to have these beautiful scrolls.