Tas (Torah breastplate)

The Torah plate is attached to the two wooden sticks at the upper end with a chain so that it lies centrally on the Torah mantle. It is a reminder of the high priest's breast plate in the Temple. This unique piece was acquired at auction in 1996 by the Friends of the Historical Museum. Cäcilie Königswarter donated this shield for the largest synagogue in Vienna, the Leopoldstadt Temple in the year of its inauguration in 1857. Franz Zeitler, the silversmith, like most of his colleagues, was not Jewish. The Torah plate is designed in the form of a Torah shrine that can be reached via three steps. In the centre are the commandment tablets with the beginning of the Ten Commandments. A lion watches over the rectangular cut-out for the interchangeable holiday indicators. These holiday indicators function like "bookmarks" that indicate where the scroll is currently being read.