Temple Adath Yeshurun (TAY) is the oldest synagogue in New Hampshire and has served Manchester and the surrounding communities for nearly 140 years. As a Reform Jewish congregation, TAY is dedicated to fostering a warm, inclusive community where individuals and families can worship, learn, celebrate, and support one another. Guided by Jewish values, the congregation embraces diversity, lifelong learning, meaningful spiritual practice, and Tikkun Olam, the commitment to repairing the world through acts of kindness, social responsibility, and community engagement.

I would like to thank the esteemed Cantor Harriet Dunkerley for her support and guidance.

The Torah scroll displayed in the lobby of Temple Adath Yeshurun is a powerful symbol of survival and remembrance. Known as Czech Torah # 1257, it is part of the Memorial Scrolls Trust of London, which preserves Torah scrolls rescued from Jewish communities in Bohemia and Moravianow of the Czech Republic that were destroyed during the Holocaust.

Dating to the late 1800s, the scroll originally belonged to the synagogue in Mladá Boleslav, where it served a thriving Jewish community until the Nazi occupation. A small group of dedicated Czech Jews worked to preserve the region’s Jewish heritage by rescuing Torah scrolls and other sacred objects from synagogues that had been closed or destroyed. These artifacts were brought to the Jewish Museum in Prague, where they were cataloged and safeguarded.

Torah Scroll # 1257 was among the thousands preserved.

In 1942, more than 1,000 Jews from Mladá Boleslav and the surrounding area were deported to the Terezín Ghetto and later to Nazi extermination camps. The curator of the Jewish Museum in Prague was also deported to Terezín and then Auschwitz. By the end of the Holocaust, more than 80,000 Jews from the Czech lands had been murdered, leaving only a small remnant of the once-thriving Jewish community.

After the war, the scroll was transferred to London through the Memorial Scrolls Trust. In 1974, Rabbi Emeritus Arthur Starr arranged for Torah # 1257 to become part of Temple Adath Yeshurun. That same year, a devastating fire destroyed much of the synagogue’s sanctuary. Because the Torah was displayed in the lobby, it survived.

Today, Torah # 1257 stands as both a sacred Torah scroll and a lasting memorial to the Jewish communities lost in the Holocaust.

At Temple Adath Yeshurun, Shabbat is a time for worship, community, and celebration. All Friday Shabbat services take place in TAY’s beautiful sanctuary and begin at 7pm except the first Friday of each month when there is a family-friendly Shabbat service which begins at 6:00 p.m. and is followed by a community potluck dinner. The service uses a Siddur that is especially appropriate for families with religious school aged children, and all who have birthdays that month are celebrated.

Temple Adath Yeshurun is honored to rejoice in life’s joyful milestones and provide comfort during times of loss. Our Spiritual Leader is available to officiate and guide families through weddings, baby namings, brit milah, funerals, B’nai Mitzvah and other significant life events.

A B’nai Mitzvah at Temple Adath Yeshurun marks an important milestone in a young person’s Jewish journey as they are called to the Torah. Students begin Hebrew studies in 3rd grade and study intensively in preparation for their Mitzvah Service, working with Torah coaches and TAY’s Spiritual leader in preparation to lead the community in prayer, chant from the Torah and Haftarah, and share words of Torah during their Saturday Morning Service.

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