The first of 3,000 Torah scrolls rescued from Jewish communities in Rumania that were obliterated during World War II, were presented to recipients in Israel today as a gift from surviving Rumanian Jewry. The presentation was made by Rumanian Chief Rabbi M. Rosen to H. Trobe, director of Malben, the Israel welfare agency maintained by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The scrolls are between 50 and 200 years old.
Rabbi Rosen dedicated the scrolls to the memory of the late Charles Jordan, executive director of the JDC, who was drowned in Prague last summer under mysterious circumstances. The ceremonies were attended by the chief rabbis of Israel and by the Minister of Religious Affairs.
Most of the scrolls are badly damaged. The task of restoring them has been assigned to a group of 40 yeshiva students who will work under the supervision of scribes. It is expected to take at least five years and will cost about $300,000.
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