The most sacred object in the Jewish faith is the Torah scroll. It contains the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch) and is wound on rollers called the Trees of Life. For protection the scroll is put in a rigid case or covered by a cloth mantle. The rollers are topped with a single crown or a pair of finials called rimmonim ('pomegranates').
The scroll is kept in the Holy Ark (Aron ha-Kodesh), the focal point of the synagogue. On Sabbaths, Mondays, Thursdays and holy days it is taken out and read in front of the congregation.
This magnificent Torah mantle probably comes from the Sephardic synagogue in Amsterdam.