Kiev, Ukraine — As their Torah scrolls were packed into black plastic garbage bags and carried out of the Jewish school, the students and adults continued to pray, many with tears in their eyes.
Pictures and Video in the Extended Article
Torah Scrolls Confiscated from Ukrainian Community
Kiev, Ukraine — As their Torah scrolls were packed into black plastic garbage bags and carried out of the Jewish school, the students and adults continued to pray, many with tears in their eyes.
Pictures and Video in the Extended Article
The scrolls originally belonged to the Jewish community of Zhitomir in central Ukraine, but were acquired by the local state archives through communist and Nazi looting.
Since then, in the absence of a restitution law, the archives had lent the scrolls to the community — but on shaky terms.
On February 14, the community was forced to return 10 scrolls it had received more than two years ago.
Representatives of the archives carried them out of the Ohr Avner Jewish Day School, leaving the community without any scrolls.
“This was like the medieval times, this was like a nightmare,” said Oleg Rostovtsev, a spokesman for the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, the country’s leading Jewish umbrella group.
The seizure was the result of a controversy that was triggered a few months ago when the officials at the Zhitomir Regional State Archives demanded the return of the scrolls, citing concern over their safety.
In 2004, the archives handed over 17 out of 290 Torah scrolls in its possession to be used by the local Jewish community run by Chabad.
The scrolls had been the property of the many synagogues and private Jewish households in Zhitomir, and were confiscated by communist authorities during anti-religious campaigns or seized by the Nazis during the occupation of Ukraine in World War II.
For two-and-a-half years, the scrolls were kept in a specially designated room at the Ohr Avner school.
Without a restitution law, many Jewish communities in the post-Soviet Ukraine were allowed to temporarily use Torah scrolls confiscated by the Bolsheviks, while most of the scrolls remain the property of state-run museums and archives.
Such loans do not always satisfy the Jewish community.
The Zhitomir community had previously expressed its concern that in the absence of a proper restitution act, they could not repair the borrowed scrolls in accordance with Jewish law.
In addition, representatives of the community had to submit a petition every three months that would allow them to keep the scrolls.
In October, representatives of the archives checked the scrolls kept in the Zhitomir school and demanded their return, claiming that at least seven of the scrolls may have been damaged while in the community’s possession.
Archive Deputy Director Natalia Shimchenko said that the archive’s curators had established that the “number of units” registered with the archives “did not correspond with those in the community safe.”
Local Jewish leaders deny the accusations of improper care or alterations and said the scrolls — some of them fragmented — were improperly catalogued in the archives.
But the community chose not to argue, and last month returned the seven scrolls in question to the archives.
The archives then refused to prolong the loan agreement on the remaining 10 scrolls and confiscated them Wednesday despite protests from the Jewish community and the local governor.
“We are law-abiding citizens of Ukraine and we have not violated any laws,” community leader Vladimir Rozengurten said, adding that allegations of improper care and damage were “slander.”
“The statements that we have damaged the scrolls are outrageous,” Zhitomir Chief Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm said. “This is a groundless accusation, and we still have no results of the examination” of the scrolls.
But community leaders said they had to back off, apprehensive of possible use of force by representatives of the archives.
“I’m sure we are not saying goodbye for a long time to the Torah scrolls,” Rozengurten said.
He and other community leaders are hoping that legislation will be adopted in Ukraine dictating the return of the scrolls that were confiscated by the Bolsheviks and the Nazis.
Rediculous
Time to get an international Law Firm after all 217 Torahs belonging to the jewish Comunity. Even at $5,000 ea were talkinking about $500,000. This is like the Chabad Siforim being held back in the russian Library.
Israeli soldeir (chabadnik)
simply outrageous!!!
meir
where is the powerful chabad community with all of its connections? where is moshe azman and rabinovich? what about the chabad economic clout. uri laber and korf? with all of shouting that we are the power in the ukraine when the time comes we have no voice.
Very upset
Can’t Rabbi Cunin help? President Bush? Putin?? Diplomacy???
What about some powerful Jews from that region like Leviev (don’t know if he’s from the Ukraine, but you get the idea)
this is terrible, the pictures are heartbreakng.
If the community can’t afford an international lawyer, make an appeal, American Jews will help.
a concerned sofer
unfortunately if u look at the state of these torahs they arent in very good shape and are not worth much as they are however for sentimental value there is no price and for this we should be fighting to get them back, it belongs to us not to some goyim who dont know the first thing how to treat a torah. we must fight to get them back asap
a yid
It is not Putin, it is Yustchenko there… some time ago in the news I saw him attending some Chabad (?) event – if I remember correctly – in Kiev. Maybe those Jews in Ukraine who are close to local powers would explain that STOLEN seforim do not belong to archives; and if there is the law granting the rights for archives to hold on to the scrolls – the is should be dropped since this law backs thivery… On the other hand, ukraininans remained true to their anti-semitic rites…
We need Moshiach!!!
ugh!!
the guy that is the mane one taking the scrolls away with the black hat and shaven, you can see cruelty in his face! look at him looking at the scrolls with a face as if he’d never seen such a thing like it before, look hwo they are handling it! why do they clame they need it anyway?
ugh
looka like the russians in communist russia!! ugh look at his face!
ash
this is clearly an act of illogical antisemitism – i agree – we need moshiach!
Shimon
Since when is the value of a Sefer Torah firstly judged by its market value and “sentimentality?”
Putin and Ukraine? That would be like asking Jesse Jackson to use his “influence” with the KKK.
The “Evil” Ukrainian soldier? I see a very concerned expression on his face, and he even lets the boy walk with him holding the Etz Chayyim. Who will listen to the complaints of a community of such judgmental “racists?”
Maybe such old Sifrei Torah should not be working scrolls? The archive who for whatever reason had custodianship of, responsibility for the torahs lent them for a few years to give time to buy/write new ones. With all the money being spent in the FSU on Judaism(see any issue of Lubavitch.com) they expected new Torahs to be put into service by this time. And all that happened is that they continued to deteriorate because of use.
As pre world war II Torahs, there is archival, historical, cultural importance to the Torahs. For regular reading they should write new ones for the community of Kiev. Every week it seems there’s another Siyyum Sefer Torah, why not a few for Ukraine?
People who think they are going to march in there, kick *** and take down names may find that in Ukraine they aren’t impressed with such showboating. They have different ways of doing things. Maybe if there was some study of the Ukrainian mindset, not lumping them all into one Baal Shem Tov era peasants, some prgress could be made.
AD MUSAI!! Stop This Golus!!!
What are they ding with the Torahs??Where are they bring them to??
Can’t anyone help stop them??
Who are these STRANGE people??
WE NEED MOSHIACH NOW!!!!
AD MUSAI AD MUSAI!!????
chrup!
this country has gone to the pits a long long time ago. Why anyone continues living there, even non jews is beyond me! Such a backwards country!
anonymous
just like purim, we(they)should daven to hashem and then go to high officals
a shlucha
What a terrible sight. It brought tears to me eyes. The seeds of anti semitism are alive and well in the Ukraine!! is this really happening in 2007?
Tearful
the pictures are heart breaking. its like the communists all over again taking what does not belong to them. Yimach shemam! how dare they even touch the holy sefer torah let alone stuff it in a garabge bag and haul it off to who knows where! this is a tragedy – please let us know how we can help!
;(
that is really sad….call the rich people (aka: bill gates?)
Tupperware
I’m not taking the Ukraine govts side, but the scrolls don’t look too good piled in the green cabinet (bottom shelf) and sitting on the rusty open shelves. These pictures support the govts position that they are not being stored right.
I’m just wondering if that local chabad could have stored them in a better way. NOT that the Ukraine govt is going to store them any better, BUT the case for the local chabad caring for them would be stronger.
I’m just saying and I am NOT supporting the ukrainians.
disgusted
Ukraine is nisht undernish, all these many years later and after glasnost, we are still seeing ugly abuse and anti Semitism from a country steeped in a history of anti Jews.
mark
how about your own anti- ukrainianism
perhaps you need to helped
Again
Heartbreaking anti semitism.
Hannah Laine
We are sadly still in a dark golus. May Hashem send Moshiach NOW!!!! Who would believe that with all the publicity the Ukrainians would not be intimidated to leave the Sifrei Torahs where they belong; in the hands of Frum Jews!!!
May Hashem help our Chabad Shluchim wherever they are to continue their holy work without interference. Henya