Introducing…The Jewish Antiques Road Show

JEWISHLIFEJUDAICA
Introducing…The Jewish Antiques Road Show
By Jonathan Greenstein
J O N AT H A N G R E E N S T E I N ( C R O W N A N D P O I N T E R ) ;
M E N A C H E M A D E L M A N ( WAT C H A N D S P I C E C O N TA I N E R )
I
could only see the tip of
of former Union for
what was coming out of
Reform Judaism President
the woman’s shopping
Rabbi Alexander M.
bag, but I knew it was
Schindler, needed to part
going to be very special.
with two very rare pieces.
In Spring 2006 I was
The first was an 80% fine
emceeing what I call the
silver Torah crown which
Jewish Antiques Road
her husband had received
Show at Temple Beth-El in
in the early 90s as a gift
Great Neck, New York.
from the Union, and the
After a slide show on
second an exceptionally
antique Judaica collecting,
rare 18th-century Dutch
THIS 80% FINE SILVER TORAH CROWN
THIS GILDED SILVER TORAH POINTER
I invited congregants to
Parcel gilt Torah pointer
(FROM THE U.S. OR ISRAEL, MID-20TH
(FROM THE NETHERLANDS, C. 1800),
show their Jewish treasures CENTURY), A GIFT BY THE UNION OF
decorated with three diaFEATURING A HAND HOLDING A
SCRIBE’S PEN DECORATED WITH THREE
handed down from Bubbie AMERICAN HEBREW CONGREGATIONS
monds, his retirement gift.
(NOW URJ) TO ITS THEN PRESIDENT,
EUROPEAN CUT DIAMONDS, WAS
or Zayde and often buried RABBI ALEXANDER M. SCHINDLER, Z’L, ALSO SOLD IN 2009 BY THE FAMILY OF
Working pro bono, I catain their closets.
logued the items and
WAS SOLD TO THE JEWISH MUSEUM
RABBI ALEXANDER M. SCHINDLER, TO
AN ANONYMOUS NEW YORK COLLECOut of the shopping bag OF BERLIN FOR $9,000 IN 2009 AS
learned about the great
A TRIBUTE TO THE LEGACY OF THE
TOR FOR $23,000, AN ELEVATED PRICE
came a 12" silver spice
Jewish leader who had
GERMAN-BORN RABBI.
REFLECTING ITS PROVENANCE.
tower which this woman’s
been honored with these
grandfather had brought
treasures. The media
from Poland to the United States. Deco- was one of the most ornate pieces I had
caught wind of the story, and within two
rated with intricately hand-carved aniseen in my 25-year career as an appraiser weeks, Judaica collecting was a feature
mals, trees, and other organic designs, it and auctioneer of fine antique Judaica.
on CNN, Fox News, The Daily News,
“I would pay approxiTHIS RARE SILVER POCKET WATCH (MANUFACTURED IN
THIS SILVER SPICE CONTAINER (FROM POLAND,
SWITZERLAND BY LANCO) BEARS THE ENGRAVING
mately $50,000 for this
LATE 1800S) IS AN EXAMPLE OF POLISH FOLK
“THE VOICE OF CELEBRATION, THE VOICE OF HAPPINESS,
ART MADE IN RESPONSE TO A CONTEMPORARY
piece,” I told her.
THE VOICE OF A GROOM, THE VOICE OF A BRIDE” ON
EVENT—THE ADVENT OF THE STEAM ENGINE EARHer astonished head
THE FRONT AND “LITZMANNSTADT GHETTO, 12.15.41” ON
LIER IN THE CENTURY. COMMERCIAL JUDAICA HAS
THE BACK, INDICATING THAT A YOUNG GROOM RECEIVED
turned like Linda Blair’s
LONG BEEN INFLUENCED BY CONTEMPORANEOUS
IT ON HIS WEDDING DAY. IT SOLD FOR $2,000.
OBJECTS. THE PIECE SOLD FOR $1,200.
in The Exorcist.
Still, she decided not to
relinquish the spice box she
described as “part of her
family’s history.” But now
she would have it insured.
♦♦♦
Sometimes Judaica sales
can be bittersweet. A victim
of the Bernie Madoff scandal, Rhea Schindler, widow
Jonathan Greenstein was 14 years old when he found a job in an antique store in the predominately Jewish neighborhood of Kings Highway in
Brooklyn, NY. As the price of silver was at an all-time high, many people came in to sell their ancestral Judaic ritual objects, which were destined to be melted down for scrap value. To prevent their destruction, Greenstein bought the items at cost from the owner. Over time, his Judaica collection grew, and in 2004 he founded J. Greenstein & Company, Inc., the world’s only auction house solely devoted to the sale of antique
Jewish ritual objects, where he now conducts two auctions a year as well as dozens of private sales to individuals, museums, and other institutions. Today he is often called upon by museum curators, large auction houses, and major collectors to authenticate Judaica, and travels
throughout the States emceeing “The Jewish Antiques Roadshow” for synagogue fundraisers. He can be reached at [email protected].
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