In 1963 the "Pinner and District Liberal Congregation" was formed and within a few years had become Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue. In 1965 our founding Chairman, Alan Lewis, arranged for the fledgling congregation to borrow its first Scroll on long-term Loan from Westminster Synagogue, and made a donation of £100. The Scroll was collected by President of the Synagogue. Bertram Jacobs, in January 1966. By 1970 the congregation badly needed a second Scroll and after an appeal the necessary sum, now £125, was raised. A successful application was once again made to Westminster Synagogue and the second Scroll was collected by Rabbi Andrew Goldstein in June 1971.

For some years we used the Scrolls with reverence but without any consideration as to their origins. We knew only that they came from a collection held by the Westminster Synagogue. According to the paperwork, the first Scroll had come from Trebon and the second from Kolin in what was then Czechoslovakia.

On Yom Kippur 1978 Rabbi Goldstein gave a sermon, prompted by a Religion School project, based on what was known about the origin of the Scrolls. Concentrating on the one from Kolin, he outlined the history of the Jews of that town. In an unscripted remark at the end of the sermon he asked if anybody in the congregation happened to travel to Czechoslovakia, even though in Communist times not many people from the West travelled there. Our member, Michael Heppner, came forward and said he made regular business visits and would go to Kolin to see what was possible.

And that was how it all began

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