Phoenix synagogue returns two 16th century Jewish artifacts to Berlin
Temple Chai returned a Torah wimple and ark curtain to the Berlin Jewish Community on Oct. 22 after the items were stolen during Kristallnacht in 1938.
By Samuel Hayes ·
Two Jewish ritual textiles, stolen from a Berlin synagogue during Kristallnacht on Nov. 9, 1938, were formally returned to the Berlin Jewish Community on Oct. 22. The items, a Torah wimple and a parochet, arrived at the New Synagogue Berlin Foundation-Centrum Judaicum museum and archive on Oranienburger Strasse. Associate Rabbi Bonnie Koppell of Temple Chai in Phoenix handed the artifacts to Gideon Joffe, president of the Berlin Jewish Community.
The objects originated in 16th century Europe. The parochet is embroidered with the text of the Kiddush and bears the signature of Yitzchak Itzik ben C’harad Yehuda Leib from Rivnitz, Moldova. The wimple features a blessing for a child named Yitzchak Itzik ben Kavod Ha-rav Gistori. Experts for the Berlin community could not confirm the specific pre-war synagogue from which the curtain was taken, but it will be added to the Centrum Judaicum collection. The wimple is scheduled for display at the community center on the site of the former Fasanenstrasse synagogue.
The items entered the possession of Moishe Saksenhaus, a Holocaust survivor from Belarus, in postwar Germany. A German man who identified himself as a medical doctor named Ahgar approached Saksenhaus in a displaced persons camp in Feldafing. The man claimed he had stolen the textiles from a burning synagogue on Fasanenstrasse and threatened to destroy them unless Saksenhaus provided Crisco, coffee, flour, cigarettes, and cigars. Saksenhaus traded the goods and took the textiles to the United States when he and his wife Rosa emigrated.
After Saksenhaus died in 1993, his family donated the items to Temple Chai. The congregation displayed the parochet on its north wall for decades. In 2022, Joan Neer, an assistant to Koppell, learned the full history of the objects from Sol Saksenhaus, the son of the original owner. Neer became convinced the items belonged in Berlin and began coordinating the return.
The return process involved packing the large tapestry in artisanal paper and shipping it to Germany. The shipment was held at Cologne airport, where customs officials requested 5,000 euros in tax. The Berlin Jewish Community used its tax-exempt status to clear the package. Koppell carried the wimple in her hand luggage during the flight to Berlin.
The handover ceremony on Oct. 22 included 29 visitors from Arizona, Rabbi Gesa Ederberg, and historian Rabbi Andreas Nachama. Koppell stated the items are going home. Sol Saksenhaus, 72, described the return as a sign of love from his community. The Berlin community confirmed the items will be integrated into its public archives and displays.
The Saksenhaus family had kept the objects out of their suitcase only for special occasions. Rosa Saksenhaus removed a swastika tag from the tapestry before the donation. The items were appraised by a UCLA expert in 1993, who dated them to the 16th century.
Source: The Jewish Exponent
