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Nazi-looted Torah auction cancelled following Israeli protest
Norwegian auction house donates historic scroll to Holocaust museum in California after Israeli Foreign Ministry slams 'moral atrocity' of sale of parchment stolen by SS soldiers
A Norwegian auction house has cancelled the sale of a Torah scroll parchment looted from a synagogue in Poland by SS soldiers, following a furious protest by Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
Made from calfskin, the fragment had reportedly been used by a Nazi soldier to wrap a package sent to Germany during the Holocaust. Details of the military unit and the recipient’s address remained on the back.
Describing itself as offering “authentic historical artifacts for collectors and museums worldwide, researched by experts and backed by a lifetime guarantee of authenticity”, Oslo-based auction house Valkyrie Historical Auctions initially listed a winning bid of $8,500 (£6,350). Including the buyer’s premium, the total came to $10,625, or around £7,938.
Posting on social media, Israel’s Foreign Office condemned the sale, calling it a “Nazi celebration in Oslo” and a “moral atrocity.” Their statement in full reads:
“A Nazi celebration in Oslo. Today in Oslo, the auction house “Valkyrie Historical Auctions” is expected to hold an auction of a fragment of a Torah scroll that was looted by German SS soldiers during the Holocaust. It is a parchment sheet from a Torah scroll that was desecrated, looted and defaced by the SS, and was even used as wrapping paper by SS soldiers. At the same time, the Norwegian government is expected to cancel its financial support for visits by Norwegian students to extermination camps. Auctions of sacred texts looted by the Nazis: IN. Visits to extermination camps: OUT. Israel expects the Norwegian government to put an immediate stop to this moral obscenity.”
Following their vocal and public protest, the auction house announced that it was cancelling the sale. On Monday evening, 19 October, Valkyrie Historical Auctions said whilst the transaction had not actually been completed, the parchment would be donated to RUTH – Remember Us The Holocaust, an organisation based in San Diego, California.
Jewish News has discovered that both the Facebook and Instagram pages of the auction house are currently unavailable.
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