Save a Torah is a charitable foundation dedicated to rescuing and restoring Torah scrolls hidden, lost or stolen during the Holocaust and other world upheavals and placing them in Jewish congregations.[1][2]
It was founded by Rabbi Menachem Youlus, co-owner of the Jewish Bookstore of Greater Washington, located in suburban Wheaton, Maryland.[3][4]
Congregations that have acquired Torah Scrolls from Save a Torah include New York's Central Synagogue and Congregation Kol Ami of Frederick.[5]
In January 2010, the Washington Post reported that many Torahs purportedly rescued from Holocaust sites in Eastern Europe appeared to be old Torah scrolls mostly acquired when American congregations closed, and resold at high prices because of Rabbi Youlis's unsubstantiated assertion that they were rescued form Holocaust-related sites.[3] Similar questions were reported in a April 14, 2010 New York Times article concerning a Torah at New York's Central Synagogue.[6]
On August 24, 2011, Youlus was arrested and charged with fraud. According to prosecutors, he made up the stories about the Torahs' origins. Youlus was also accused of taking more than $340,000 of the $1.2 million raised by Save a Torah, including $145,000 or more for his personal use. Through an attorney, Youlus denied the allegations.[7][8]