Torah Scroll in an Original Case with Finials – Cairo, Egypt / Inscriptions Commemorating the "Olei HaGardom" ...

Torah Scroll in an Original Case with Finials – Cairo, Egypt / Inscriptions Commemorating the "Olei HaGardom" Eliyahu Hakim and Eliyahu Bet-Zuri – Lehi Fighters who Assassinated the British Minister of State in the Middle East and were Executed by Hanging in Egypt
A Torah scroll in an original case adorned with finials, with inscriptions commemorating the "Olei HaGardom" Eliyahu Hakim and Eliyahu Bet-Zuri. [Cairo, Egypt, mid-20th century].
Ink on parchment; Sephardi script; cloth-covered wood; sheet-silver plaques, embossed and engraved; glass; ink on paper.
The Torah scroll is inserted in an original case in the shape of a prism with ten facets. Surmounting the case is a pair of massive silver finials (in the style characteristic of Egyptian finials). The case's exterior is lined with red velvet, nailed to which are various decorations including silver plaques cut in the shape of palm trees with clusters of palms (also characteristic of Egypt), Stars of David, and more.
Nailed to the case's right side is a silver plaques with an engraved commemorative inscription in Hebrew: "This Torah scroll is holy unto G-d… in memory of the two youths killed in one moment here in Egypt". Inside the case are two pieces of paper set under glass with vegetal decorations and the Hebrew inscription: "Holy unto G-d in memory of the Olei HaGardom, martyrs for the G-d of Israel" (late addition; identical on both sides of the case).
Lehi fighters Eliyahu Bet-Zuri (born in Tel Aviv, 1922) and Eliyahu Hakim (born in Lebanon, 1925) assassinated Lord Moyne, Walter Edward Guinness, who served as British Minister of State in the Middle East and resided in Cairo. Lord Moyne was considered anti-Zionist, acting to limit Jewish immigration to Palestine and promote the idea of establishing an independent confederation of the "northern Arab states" under British auspices.
Hakim and Bet-Zuri spent several weeks in Cairo preparing for the assassination. During these weeks they followed Lord Moyne's routine and planned the operation. On 6 November 1944 they lay in wait for his car, and when it arrived – Eliyahu Hakim opened its door, shot Lord Moyne three times and killed him (also shooting his bodyguard) while Bet-Zuri covered. The two fled the scene on bicycles on their way to the city market, but a policeman recognized them and managed to shoot Bet-Zuri. Hakim returned to aid his friend, leading to the capture of both men by the Egyptians. They were tried in an Egyptian martial court, sentenced to death and executed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 while singing "HaTikvah" (later the Israeli national anthem).
Hakim and Bet-Zuri were buried in the Jewish cemetery in Cairo. In 1975, on the initiative of Knesset member Yitzhak Shamir (one of the leaders of the Lehi movement; he knew Hakim and Bet-Zuri personally and had ordered the operation), their remains were brought to Israel as part of a prisoner exchange agreement with Egypt. They were buried in a military ceremony in the "Olei HaGardom" section of the Mount Herzl cemetery.
Another dedication appears at the bottom of one of the silver palm tree-shaped decorations: "To the memory of… Mr. Rozin Abu Rish…", and another inscription regarding the scribal emendation of the Torah scroll: "This Torah scroll was emended by Shlomo Hamsha…".
Case height: 90 cm. Good-fair condition. Defects and unraveling to cloth lining. Color peeling. One dedicational plate missing. Partly loose decorations, with slight defects. Finial height: 24 cm. Soldering repairs. Bends. Stains. One chain and bell missing. Parchment height: 43 cm. Good condition. Stains. Faded ink in some places.