Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith, acting on the request of the White House, has persuaded Prime Minister Nehru of India to order the release of 300 Ancient Torah scrolls, for which export licenses had previously been denied.
Indian authorities had refused to allow export of scrolls, citing restrictions on “export of silver.” The scrolls are encased in ornate, vertical silver containers. They were used by former Jewish communities of Calcutta, since dispersed to Israel and elsewhere. The National Council of Young Israel, in New York, learned of the presence of the unused scrolls. The White House alerted Ambassador Galbraith.
This weekend, the Ambassador reported that success had been achieved. The Indian Ministry of Finance instructed the chief controller of imports and exports and the Reserve Bank of India to release and allow the export of the scrolls–silver and all. The National Council of Young Israel is arranging shipment. The scrolls will be distributed to various synagogues throughout America, where they will be placed in a position of honor.
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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.
