About 30 minutes west of downtown St. Louis, in the suburb of Chesterfield, resides the United Hebrew Congregation, St. Louis’s first Jewish congregation and the oldest congregation in the United States west of the Mississippi. The United Hebrew Congregation is a historic and vibrant Reform community in Greater St. Louis and is defined by its warmth, deep tradition, and progressive inclusion.

I would like to thank Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg and Communication Manager Jenifer Newmark for their support of this article.

Memorial Scrolls Trust Holocaust Torah

Among the many treasured Torah scrolls housed at United Hebrew Congregation, none carries a more profound story than our Czech Torah, a sacred survivor of the Holocaust and a powerful symbol of Jewish resilience.

Our Torah is one of 1,564 scrolls rescued from the Jewish communities of Bohemia and Moravia in former Czechoslovakia. It is known as an “orphan scroll” because, when it was brought to Prague in 1942, the identity of the congregation from which it originated was never recorded.

The scroll’s journey is extraordinary. During World War II, the Nazis confiscated thousands of Jewish ritual objects, including Torah scrolls, as part of their plan to create a museum documenting what they believed would be the “extinct race” of the Jewish people. Following the war, these sacred scrolls were preserved in Prague before being transferred to Westminster Synagogue in London, where they were restored and delivered to Jewish communities throughout the world.

In 1978, Rabbi Grollman, together with a United Hebrew member family, petitioned Westminster Synagogue to receive one of these Memorial Scrolls and the request was granted. Today, this remarkable Torah serves as a living testament to the the strength of the Jewish people in the aftermath of the Holocaust and occupies a place of honor in the Holy Ark.

United Hebrew’s commitment to Jewish burial traditions dates to 1840, when the congregation established its first cemetery. In 1866, the congregation purchased land at the corner of North & South Road and Canton Avenue, creating what became known as Mount Olive Cemetery. In 1960, the cemetery was renamed........

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