Archaeologists search for lost Torah near Auschwitz

WARSAW - Hoping to find a Torah and other invaluable Jewish religious artifacts, Polish archaeologists began excavations on the foundations of a synagogue in the southern Polish town of Oswiecim, the location of the World War II Nazi death camp Auschwitz, the Polish PAP news agency reported Monday.

Once called Oswiecim's "Great Synagogue," the house of worship was burned to the ground in 1939 by Nazi forces invading Poland.

Archaeologist Malgorzata Grupa is hopeful that information provided by an eyewitness may help locate the lost Torah, apparently buried along with other religious items in wooden crates in September 1939.

Former Oswiecim resident Yariv Nornberg came up with the idea to look for the lost religious items after having learned about their existence from a witness who had seen them being hidden.

Private donors and the Claims Conference are financing the project, which is also being filmed by Israeli director Yahaly Gata.

The first Jews settled in Oswiecim in the middle of the 15th century. The community flourished until World War II, with some 8,000 of the town's 12,000 residents being Jewish.