Holocaust-Era Torah Fragment to Be Donated to San Diego's Remember Us: Preservation Secured Within 48 Hours After Oslo Auction Was Canceled
Remember Us The Holocaust (RUTH), a Holocaust remembrance organization in San Diego County, California, announced on October 22 that a Holocaust-era Torah fragment at the center of an international outcry will be donated to the organization for preservation and Holocaust education. Valkyrie Historical Auctions in Oslo, Norway, had planned to sell the fragment, but canceled the sale after widespread condemnation.
According to RUTH's release via ACCESS Newswire, citing reporting by Ynet, the parchment fragment was taken from a Polish synagogue during the Holocaust and was used by an SS soldier to wrap a package sent to Germany; military unit information and the recipient's address reportedly remain on its back. Israel's Foreign Ministry called the planned sale a "moral atrocity" in a post on X, and the World Jewish Restitution Organization urged Norwegian authorities to intervene and secure the fragment.
"We recognized the importance of this fragment and the urgency of helping secure its donation," said Sandra Scheller, RUTH's founder, curator and president. "Once it has been inspected and appropriately restored, we will be honored to display it alongside the histories of Holocaust survivors." Executive director Moises Salinas Fleitman said the organization will care for the fragment as both a sacred Jewish text and historical evidence. Working through collaborators, RUTH secured the donation within 48 hours. The organization is growing from an exhibition into a museum and hopes the effort will open doors to collaboration with institutions worldwide dedicated to preserving Holocaust artifacts. (GSM, based on the Remember Us The Holocaust release)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 托拉经卷（示意）。照片：Davidbena，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons（File:Two Torah scrolls.jpg）
