Norway Auction Canceled After Outcry Over Nazi-Looted Torah Fragment

(MENAFN- USA Art News) A Norwegian auction house canceled the sale of a Torah scroll fragment, which had been looted by Nazis, following public outcry and intervention from the Israeli government. The artifact was previously listed on Valkyrie Historical Auctions'“Historical 3rd Reich Items” online sale in Oslo, scheduled for October 18.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar asked the Israeli embassy in Norway to prevent the sale, according to a ministry spokesperson. The foreign ministry had earlier described the scheduled auction as“A Nazi celebration in Oslo.” A ministry spokesperson confirmed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) that“Thanks to the embassy's efforts, the auction was canceled, and the parchment will be donated to a Holocaust remembrance organization in the United States.”

The Torah fragment, identified as lot 83, was described in its listing as a“Very Old Piece of Jewish Torah Roll Plundered by SS German Soldiers During Soah and sent to a relative as a souvenir.” The description also noted it was“handwritten in calfskin and damaged probaby [sic] by fire,” bearing a soldier's unit feldpost and a German address. The auction house further called it a“sad and powerful symbol of the destruction of European Jews and their culture and tradition,” valuing it between $1,500 and $2,000. An unknown bidder won the item for $8,500, though the transaction was reportedly incomplete, according to Jewish News. The exact circumstances of the cancellation or whether the item was purchased before donation remain unclear. ARTnews's request for comment was not immediately returned.

Valkyrie Historical Auctions states on its website that it specializes in“WWII and Holocaust-era artifacts” and is led by historian Norbert Podlesny. Although not yet finalized, Remember Us The Holocaust (RUTH), a remembrance organization based in San Diego, told JTA that it is working to acquire and preserve the fragment using“appropriate treatment and respectful exhibition” methods. Moisés Salinas Fleitman, RUTH executive director, confirmed via email that the artifact would be donated to the organization, pending finalization.

The incident has prompted calls for further investigation into how the auction proceeded despite the item being listed as looted, and for broader efforts to prevent the sale of plundered Jewish items. Gideon Taylor, president of the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), told the JTA,“This is not simply an antique or a historical curiosity. It is a sacred Jewish object that represents a community's religious life and the devastating destruction of that life during the Holocaust.”

Source: ARTnews

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