Oslo-based auction house Valkyrie Historical Auctions announced Monday night that it had canceled the auction of a Torah scroll parchment looted from a synagogue in Poland by SS soldiers during the Holocaust. The decision followed a protest by Israel's Foreign Ministry.
The parchment, made from calfskin, had been used by a Nazi soldier to wrap a package sent to Germany. Details of the military unit and the recipient's address remained on the back. The auction house's website listed a winning bid of $8,500. Including the buyer's premium, the total came to $10,625, or approximately 100,000 Norwegian kroner.
Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the sale, calling it a "Nazi celebration in Oslo" and a "moral atrocity." Following the protest, the auction house announced that it was canceling the sale. A representative said the transaction had not actually been completed and that the parchment would be donated to RUTH – Remember Us The Holocaust, an organization based in San Diego, California.
According to the representative, selling such items raises significant ethical questions. However, he disputed the description of the parchment as looted property, claiming that "the Torah scroll may have been abandoned during the Holocaust."
The auction listing brazenly stated: "A large section of a Torah scroll was found at a flea market in Poland a few years ago. This page belongs to a very old Torah scroll that was probably looted from a Polish synagogue during the Holocaust perpetrated by the Germans during the occupation of Poland. It is made of leather and written in black ink in Hebrew. Unfortunately, this page is wrinkled and water-damaged, but it is completely legible. Excellent for framing. An item directly connected to the Holocaust! All items in this auction will be shipped from Europe. Shipping costs $25, regardless of how many items you purchase."
Other Jewish Holocaust-themed items up for auction
(Photo: Valkyrie Auctions website)
Israeli-Norwegian antisemitism activist On Elpeleg welcomed the cancellation, saying he hoped the auction house would take the same approach to other personal belongings that had belonged to Jews. Elpeleg added that museums around the world dedicated to Holocaust education should be given priority in acquiring historical items from World War II, allowing them to educate future generations and preserve historical memory.
In addition to the Torah parchment, the auction included tefillin, or Jewish prayer phylacteries, looted by the Nazis from a Jewish man, a dress bearing a yellow Star of David badge and Nazi memorabilia, including insignia and photographs of Hitler and senior Third Reich officials. The items also included a nude photograph of a woman intended to illustrate what a "woman of the Aryan race" was supposed to look like.