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Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales
Torah mantle (scroll cover) donated by the Pontypridd Hebrew Congregation in 1979. Wine coloured velvet embroidered with Star of David and crown in silk and gold. Fringed with yellow silk. Two holes at top to hold handles of scroll. One of pair with F79.243.19.
Every synagogue has copies of the Torah Scroll – the Jewish Holy book. Hand written in Hebrew, it teaches Jews how God wants them to live. Jewish people believe that the scrolls are so precious they never touch them with their hands.
300 years ago Judaism was the oldest non-Christian faith to be established in Wales. Villages and towns named after Bethlehem, Bethesda and Hebron give the impression that Wales has always warmly embraced Jewish culture. However, many Jews living in Wales have endured insults, offensive graffiti and occasional race riots. South Wales has contributed a disproportionately high number of the UK’s rabbis. Observance could have been influenced by the fervent nonconformism in Wales. Today, Jewish communities in Wales echo the experience of the chapels - communities keeping the faith despite dwindling numbers. Today there are 2000 Jews in Wales.
