RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
A Torah ark that Romanians say was stolen sells in Israeli auction house for £38,000
ROMANIA’S JEWISH federation this week launched an extraordinary attempt to block the sale of a large wooden Torah ark in Israel, saying the structure was fraudulently removed from their Great Temple in Siret.
The aron kodesh, measuring 5.4 metres (17 feet) in height, was sold on Wednesday by the Moreshet Auction House in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv to an undisclosed buyer for $50,000 (£38,200).
British buyers were rumoured to be among those interested in bidding.
But the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania (Fedrom) told the JC that it learned of the proposed sale only last week.
It said it has since conducted an emergency inspection in Siret and discovered the aron kodesh currently in place — which it believed had only been restored in 2016 — was an unauthorised replica and not the original.
Fedrom president Aurel Vainer said it filed a criminal complaint with local police in Siret to prevent “the sale of a valuable piece belonging both to the Jewish and Romanian national heritage.”
David Mena, a lawyer representing the auction house, said the replica was agreed with authorities in Siret and that the original was legally brought into Israel three years ago.
Recent photographs of the synagogue in Siret published by the website Jewish Heritage Europe showed the replica’s sloppy woodwork and crude, simplified lettering above the doors of the ark.
Earlier images of the synagogue from 2006 showed a more ornate wooden structure in the building. New photographs of this ark appeared on Moreshet’s website ahead of this week’s auction.
The description of the aron kodesh provided by the auction house states, somewhat mysteriously: “A few years ago… it became clear that the ancient Holy Ark was meant for some reason to be dismantled. …In a complex operation and after great efforts, the ark was brought to Israel.”
Mr Mena disputed Fedrom’s charge that they were robbed or defrauded, claiming the aron kodesh was found in a damaged condition “at the court near the synagogue” in Siret. He declined to name the Judaica specialist who made the discovery or share paperwork with the JC that he claimed established the legality of the sale.
The local authorities in Siret said the agreement to restore the ark had been agreed with a “German-speaking individual” and that a replica was never part of the deal. Several sources close to the case in Romania added that Israeli Charedi businessman Dudi Zilbershlag had arranged this week’s auction.
Mr Zilbershlag denied he was responsible for the ark’s removal from Romania, saying he was contacted as a member of Israel’s Siret Chasidic community after the ark arrived in the country.
“It began when someone went to Siret to take care of a geniza [storage area for worn-out books] there,” he said in a telephone interview.
“The aron was in pieces and someone there asked what can be done with it. He offered them to build a new one and take the old one back to Israel.
“The accusations are now arising because someone of the old leadership of Fedrom is worried that their part will come out.”
Mr Zilbershlag added that if the case came to court in Israel it would “cause a lot of shame to the community in Romania and people will also start asking who has been taking care of Jewish heritage and buildings there.”
Romania’s Jewish community today numbers only 8,000. Based in Bucharest, Fedrom is tasked with maintaining 83 synagogues across the country.
Siret, a town in the historic Bukovina region on Romania’s northern border with Ukraine, is 12 hours away from Bucharest. It no longer has a resident Jewish community, the last member having died in 2002, and a caretaker maintains Siret’s synagogue.
Earlire this week Moreshet said it had no plans to delay the auction but would halt the transfer of ownership to the winning bidder until the dispute with Fedrom was resolved.
Mr Mena added he believes the restored aron kodesh would soon be installed in a synagogue and that a bidder from London was already interested in the piece.