A torah originally presented to Czar Nicholas II of Russia by the Bobruisk Jewish Community of Byelorussia a half-century ago, was today formally presented to Israel President Ben Zvi at a ceremony in his office.
The Torah, one of the finest and rarest examples of the religious art of Russian Jewry, was presented by W. N. Williams of London who purchased it in 1930 when the Soviet authorities placed the Tsar’s art treasures on sale in London. The Scroll is written on the finest parchment, covered with a richly embroidered cloth and kept in a small wooden ark built especially for it.
Present during the ceremony today, beside Mr. Williams and the President, were Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog, Minister of Religion Moshe Shapira, Rabbi Zeev Gold of the Jewish Agency and other leaders in Israel’s religious life. The ark will be kept permanently in the President’s office.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
