Czech Memorial Scrolls Museum

About the museum

In 1964 Westminster Synagogue received 1,564 Torah scrolls from Czechoslovakia. They came from Jewish communities in Bohemia and Moravia that had been destroyed in the Holocaust, and the scrolls had been gathered in Prague. Ralph Yablon rescued the scrolls and donated them to the synagogue. Over the following decades most were placed with communities, museums and educational institutions around the world.

The Memorial Scrolls Trust looks after the scrolls and runs the museum on the third floor of Kent House, which is home to Westminster Synagogue. A permanent exhibition has existed since 1988 and tells how the scrolls arrived from Prague, how they were restored and how they were distributed.

The museum shows about 150 scrolls together with a selection of the Trust's roughly 500 Torah binders and wimples, some dating from the 18th century. Its guided tours also explain the work of the scribe who restores scrolls and how a Torah scroll is made, and they remember the vanished Jewish communities of the Czech lands.

Key themes

• About 150 Czech Torah scrolls on display
• Torah binders and wimples, some from the 18th century
• Guided tour on the story of the scrolls, the scribe and the binders
• Memorial to the vanished Jewish communities of Bohemia and Moravia

Permanent exhibition

• The Czech Memorial Scrolls – About 150 rescued Torah scrolls with binders and wimples tell the story of the scrolls and of the Jewish communities of Bohemia and Moravia.

Founded

1988

Operated by

Memorial Scrolls Trust

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Visits are free. Donations to the Trust are welcome.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is on the third floor of Kent House and can be reached by lift. Visitors with particular needs are asked to tell the Trust in advance.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

There is no vehicle access or parking on Rutland Gardens.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The Trust runs an online shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit