Torah that survived Holocaust is in the Springs

The Colorado Springs Jewish community was given an incredible opportunity this past week, as a Torah that survived the Holocaust was brought to the Chabbad Jewish Center.

On the evening of “Kristallnacht”, otherwise known as “the night of broken glass” Nazi’s raided Jewish stores and synagogues, destroying everything in sight. The night was November 8, 1938.

14-year-old Isaac Schwartz, who had just celebrated his Bar Mitzvah only a month earlier, plunged into one of the burning temples, taking hold of one Torah (the scroll made up of the five books of Moses).

“This courageous boy, acting on his deeper conviction of faith and on his inner Jewish adrenaline, was able to save this Torah and his family was able to keep it safe throughout the Holocaust,” said Rabbi Moshe Liberow of Chabbad Colorado Springs. “Its a tremendous story of a miracle on its own.”

That very same 111-year-old Torah is here in Colorado Springs. Thursday night, the Chabbad Jewish Center was packed, as people came to pay their respects to this incredible survivor of the Holocaust.

The Torah will be here for another week before it is sent to its next international destination.