When Nottingham Progressive Jewsish Congregation was founded in 1965 it applied for, and received, a scroll from the Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust in London. The scroll came from the small Moravian town of Slavkov, better known by its old name of Austerlitz; scene of Napoleon's famous battle.
During WWII 1,564 Torah scrolls were taken by the Nazis from synagogues all over Bohemia and Moravia. They survived the war and were stored in an old dilapidated shul in Prague until, in 1964, they were purchased and brought over to London's Westminster Synagogue and thus the Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust was formed. These scrolls were repaired and distributed to communities in all parts of the world as, sadly, there were very few communities left in Czechoslovakia to give them back to.
In 1990, NPJC conducted some research about the community from where its Czech scroll came. A small pre-war community of 93 people which was all but wiped out in the Shoah. Since then our shul's Nottingham Friends of Austerlitz Group have ensured that the memory of that community is not forgotten. We have had several visits to the town and have forged strong links with the town's people and particularly with its only surviving Jewish resident, Ruth Matiovska, who is an honorary member of NPJC.
Over the years NPJC has contributed to the restoration of the town's old synagogue, a Jewish museum and also a memorial stone in the Jewish cemetery to those Jewish residents who were murdered in the Holocaust. Each year we sponsor an essay competition in the regions high school where pupils are encouraged to contribute a piece relating to their town's former Jewish residents.
Due to the research carried out by members of NPJC, a worldwide network of people with links to Austerlitz ' the 'Austerlitz Connection' - has been established. The material collected over the years has been collated and put into a book called 'The Jews of Austerlitz'.
Each year we hold a special Shabbat service, our 'Austerlitz Shabbat' on which we will remember the former owners of our scroll and also affirm the survival and continuity of the Jewish people.
NPJC's 'Friends of Austerlitz Group' meet both to organise the Austerlitz Shabbat and also to promote the congregation's links with Austerlitz-Slavkov.
For further information relating to the Austerlitz Scroll or the Nottingham Friends of Austerlitz, please contact the secretary.