Page 403 - The Secret Museum

the opening celebrations were muted because of 11 September. The curtain did not

stay on display for long – just six months – then it was put away, in a secret location
in the museum, hidden in complete darkness. The museum would love to display the
Torah Ark curtain, made from the dress of the bride of one of the most important
figures in Jewish history, but its job is to preserve its treasures. The quality of the
silk and the colours of the thread would degrade and fade in daylight.

Michal Friedlander, curator at the Jewish Museum, took me to see it. We went
into a room filled with grey cabinets, and she pulled open a large, grey drawer. As
the drawer rolled open, more and more of the soft silk fabric was revealed. The most

striking figures on it are the two lions. They symbolize Judah, one of Israel’s 12
tribes. They have their paws up on a crown, the Keter Torah, or Torah crown.
Around the lions is an arch with two columns adorned with wreaths of flowers, and
across the top I could see several small motifs, which Michal told me symbolize the
Temple in Jerusalem. An inscription was sewn on to the curtain saying that it was a
gift from the couple and asking for their protection.

It is quite amazing that such a fragile object has survived in such good condition –
with a lot of help from conservators – for so many centuries, and in so many

incarnations: first as a roll of silk, then as a wedding dress, a Torah Ark curtain and a
displaced refugee in exile, until it was rediscovered and reborn, brought back to life
by collectors and conservators at the museum.

It was briefly on show in June 2012 for a weekend to celebrate the 250th wedding
anniversary of Moses and Fromet, so that their descendants could see it. It won’t be
displayed again. It will remain tucked away, a testimony to love, and to survival
against the odds.