Kestenbaum & Company - Auction 100
Auction Summary
Kestenbaum & Company is honored to announce its 100th Auction, which will take place on Thursday, January 19th at 1pm EST. Having served a broad and diverse range of clients for three decades, the 100th Auction is an opportunity to continue offering only the highest standard of Rare Judaica and Fine Art. Below are some highlights of the celebratory event, although, as always, perusal of the full catalogue is recommended (see link below).
In Fine Jewish Art we are privileged to present a painting by Isidor Kaufmann: ‘Portrait of a Yeshiva Student Wearing a Black Beaver Hat’ (Lot 112, Est. $200,000-300,000). This offering comprises a perfect example of Kaufmann’s distinctive, inimitable style. TheArthur Szyk Haggadah, printed entirely on vellum (Lot 72, Est. $25,000-30,000) is perhaps the most sublime of all Passover Hagadahs, while the category is rounded out by a Suite of 18 Illustrations to Israel Zangwill’s ‘Der König der Schnorrer’ by Rahel Marcus-Szalit (Lot 113, Est. $14,000-18,000). These drawings were thought to be lost to posterity over the past century, only to have been discovered most recently.
Ritual Objects is a category with many noteworthy offerings. Significant among them is a rare and highly importantParcel-Gilt Silver Filigree Spice Container from 19 th century Germany / Galicia (Lot 138, Est. $50,000-100,000). A spice-tower of exquisite quality, it is a scarce fusion of competing regional styles. Comes complete with contemporary custom fitted case. The images of a remarkably decorated, heavy Silver Chanukah Lamp (Lot 140, Est. $15,000-20,000) originating in Poland, c. 1800, must be viewed in full. The same is true of the Large 19th Century Continental Silver Megillah Case (Lot 143, Est. $15,000-20,000) which depicts Queen Esther bravely approaching King Ahasuerus.
Among the many Hebrew Manuscripts contained in the catalogue, a series of Biblical Manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah (Lots 12-15) deserve special mention. The manuscripts, dating as far back as the 10th century, contain entire Torah portions and provide valuable insights to medieval Jewish scholarship. Distinctive to Kabbalistic works, a Manuscript of the Shulchan Aruch Ha’Arizal, Posen, c. 1650, may be the oldest extant record of this important text (Lot 19, Est. $15,000-20,000). Another unique sub-category contained in this auction are letters written by members of great rabbinic families, such as that of R. Samson Raphael Hirsch (Lots 16-17) and the renowned Schneersohn family of Chabad-Lubavitch (Lots 26-29). Highlighting the personal side of the lives of celebrated Jewish leaders, the letters are matchless in their ability to humanize larger-than-life figures.
One especially strong category is American-Judaica. An almost-complete 20 Volume Set of Isaac Leeser’s The Occident is a treasure trove of Jewish History, both American and foreign. The monthly was America’s first successful Jewish periodical, issued in Philadelphia between 1843-1869 (Lot 43, Est. $40,000-60,000). So too, Isaac Pinto’s Prayers for Shabbath, Rosh Hashanah and Kipur is the first complete Jewish prayer-book published in the New World (Lot 42, Est. $60,000-80,000). The highly scarce text was issued in New York, 1766. Relating to pioneers of Orthodox Jewish life in the New York area, a List of Deceased Members of the Chevra Kadisha of Ahavath Torah, Englewood, New Jersey (1912-1933) strikes a chord (Lot 36, Est. $5,000-7,000).
Throughout the pages of the catalogue, testaments of character abound. Notable among them are lots relating to20th Century Jewish Leaders. These include aLetter from Albert Einsten (Lot 10, Est. $15,000-20,000) on the necessity of moral courage, as well as the Official Birth Certificate of Theodor Herzl’s youngest daughter Marguerite Herzl (Lot 11, $3,000-5,000). Of exceptional interest is a complete collection of the c. 90 Research Patents of Chaim Weizmann (Lot 99, $10,000-15,000). Submitted in London over the course of 40 years (1905-1945), it is oft forgotten that Israel’s first president was a scientist at heart, whose innovations contributed significantly to the Allied victory in World War One. See the full catalogue description for a complete description of how Weizmann fused his technical acumen with Zionistic ambition.
In Land of Israel, we are privileged to present the First Telephone Directory Produced for the Land of Israel (Lot 87, Est. $3,000-5,000). Printed in Jerusalem, 1921, it is a symbol highlighting the achievements made by contemporary Israel’s high-tech prowess. Another item of tremendously significant importance is an Archive of Documents Pertaining to the Yemenite-Jewish Community of Kfar HaShiloach, Jerusalem (Lot 8, Est. $12,000-18,000). The archive contains much information on legal ownership of properties in the original neighborhood, as well as on efforts of the deportees to return or receive compensation. Intersecting Land of Israel with Photography (Lots 130-136) is Photographies de Terre Sainte (Jerusalem, late 19th century), with 48 Prints of Scenery Across the Holy Land by Felix Bonfils (Lot 132, Est. $3,000-4,000). Another important category of the auction is Holocaust materials (Lots 75-83), containing a diverse range of materials.
Finally, within Philately & Numismatics, a Set of Three Imperforate Full Sheets of 50 Stamps (250m, 500m and 1,000m) from Israel, 1948 comprise the Ultimate Israel Philatelic Rarity (Lot 102, Est. $100,000-150,000). Similarly, the First Stamps Issued by the Nascent State of Israel, five full sheets (Lot 103, Est. $25,000-30,000) are highly rare. So too is a Rare Full Set of British Mandate-Issued Coins from 1927-1946 (Lot 100, Est. $7,000-9,000).
Kestenbaum & Company is proud to continue its tradition of quality, service, and commitment. As we mark our 100th Auction, we look forward to engaging with our clients, sharing our mutual passion for Jewish Tradition, History and Culture.
Questions and comments about the sale, as well as general inquiries may be directed to Shaya at Jack@Kestenbaum.net.
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LOT 24:
(LUBAVITCH).
more...
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Start price:
$
1,000
Estimated price :
$2,000 - $3,000
Buyer's Premium: 25%
sales tax: 8.875%
On the full lot's price and commission
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(LUBAVITCH).
(MOISHE ELIEZER KRAMER).
The Life of Morris L. Kramer. A Biographical Sketch of a Jewish Scholar and Businessman. Compiled and Arranged by a group of his Friends and Admirers. Text in English (pp. 138) and Yiddish (pp. 130) with photographic plates and facsimiles of letters. Original boards. 8vo.
New York, Pinski - Massel, 1926.
* ACCOMPANIED BY: Archive of papers, mostly stemming from Attorney Sam Kramer, relating to the above biography (pre- and post-publication) c. 55 pages; as well as dozens of typed and autographed letters of condolence written to Kramer and his family upon the passing of his father in 1925, c. 65 pages.
With the original folder in which these papers were stored, containing written information from Kramer or his staff that may be useful in reconstructing provenance. etc.
New York, c. 1924-26.
Biography written in Yiddish by Jacob Mark and translated into English by Harold Berman of: Moshe Eliezer (Morris L.) Kramer (1864-1925).
”FEW NAMES CARRY MORE SIGNIFICANCE IN THE STORY OF THE LUBAVITCH MOVEMENT IN THE 20TH CENTURY THAN THAT OF THE KRAMER FAMILY.”
“Incorporated in 1924 as the umbrella organization for the Chabad movement in the United States, Morris L. (Moshe Eliezer) Kramer was he first president of Agudas Chassidei Chabad of the United States and Canada. Subsequently his sons remained dedicated and energetic supporter of the sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn.
Successful American Jews, the Kramer family’s roots in Lubavitch ran deep. In the old country, Moshe Eliezer’s father had been a scholar and prominent citizen of the shtetl of Kurenitz, then in the region of Vilna. “He would make frequent pilgrimages to the Rebbi of Liubawitsch [sic]” notes the 1926 biography of Morris Kramer, “first to Reb Mendele [Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, known as the Tzemach Tzedek (1789-1866)], and later to his successor Reb Shmulke [Rabbi Shmuel, the Rebbe Maharash (1834-1882)], and on these occasions would give generously of his means to all worthy causes.”
Czarist Russia’s infamous 1882 May Laws forbade Jews living within the Pale of Settlement from settling in villages unless they had previously lived there, making it nearly impossible for Morris to reside near his parents once he was married. In 1895 he struck out alone for America, leaving behind his wife, Rochel Elka, and six children. Fortunately, Morris took to Di Goldine Medina almost immediately. Morris’ family followed him to the United States in 1899, and by 1906 he was doing so well financially he buildt a synagogue behind his new home in Bath Beach, Brooklyn, where he could pray Nusach Ari, the Chabad prayer liturgy compiled by the movement’s founder, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi.
As Kramer’s pants business, M.L. Kramer & Sons, grew, Morris became known as a generous philanthropist. He was also a scholar in his own right, rising early each morning to study Talmud with a group of businessmen and workers. It took them ten years to finish the entire Talmud, and just six months before Morris passed away they celebrated a Siyum HaShas on the 19th of Kislev, 1924, at the Tzemach Tzedek Nusach Ho’ari Synagogue on Henry Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a grand event attended by hundreds of rabbis and lay leaders of New York’s Jewish community.
The Tzemach Tzedek synagogue on the Lower East Side, of which Morris served as president for a time, was one of hundreds of Lubavitch-affiliated synagogues in the United States, all of which were disconnected from one another. The fifth Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch, passed away in the spring of 1920, and was succeeded by his only son, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak. Not long thereafter Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak wrote to his followers in America directing them to formally organize the disparate Chabad congregations spread throughout the country.
At the Rebbe’s direction, Rabbi Eliyahu Simpson, Rabbi Dovid Schifrin, and Morris Kramer started what was initially called Agudas HaChasidim Anshei Chabad of the United States and Canada, which was later shortened to Agudas Chassidei Chabad of the United States and Canada, incorporated in New York State in July of 1924. Kramer became its first president.
“Among Agudas Chassidei Chabad’s achievements during this time was developing the network of Nusach Ari synagogues in America, supporting the Lubavitch organizations and community in Russia and Eretz Israel. Chabad’s first offices were in Morris Kramer’s clothing factory at 643 Broadway, New York City.
“I thank you very much, my dear friend, for occupying yourself so much with our affairs, which you do well to consider as your very own, ” Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak wrote to Morris in Yiddish from Leningrad in January of 1925. “It is true beyond a doubt that we are all seeking the identical aims.” (Facsimile of letter included in biography here).
The Kramer family were the financial pillars of Chabad in the United States. They utilized all the might of their wealth and political connections to free the Friediker Rebbe from prison and from danger, not once - but twice. In 1927 from unlawful Soviet arrest and in 1939-40 assisting his flight ffrom Nazi-occupied Poland for freedom in the United States.
In Out of the Inferno (2002), a compilation of original documents detailing the strenuous efforts to rescue Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak from Europe, the editors, Rachel Altein and Eliezer Zaklikovsky, write that “as we sorted and read and reread these pages, Mr. Kramer emerged as a remarkable figure, whose wisdom, selfless, unceasing efforts, and ability to focus on, and clearly state, the essence of every issue, all proved crucial to the success of the rescue.”
In 1975, on the occasion of the 50th yahrtzeit of the Kramer family’s patriarch, Morris, the last surviving child, Sam, came to the Rebbe’s synagogue at 770, as was his tradition, to lead a minyan and say kaddish for his father. The Rebbe told Sam that he wished to see the entire family, and shortly thereafter some 20-25 Kramers gathered for a unique private audience.”
MUCH OF THE SAMUEL L. KRAMER PAPERS ARE FOUND IN THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM, WASHINGTON DC.
See: https://collections.ushmm.org/findingaids/2016.467.1_01_fnd_en.pdf
