An auction house in Jerusalem is preparing to put up for sale a Kiddush cup they say was used by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, despite the fact that Chabad-Lubavitch representatives have provided them with evidence that they say proves the cup to be inauthentic.
According to Kedem Auction house, the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson—used the “legendary becher [kiddush cup]” during Havdalah services at the end of Jewish holidays and to pour wine to “chassidim, followers and admirers,” according to a press release from the auction house.
The house, which is preparing to auction the item in the next week with a starting bid of $18,000, points to a letter signed by a rabbi who worked directly for Schneerson as evidence that the cup, which measures 8 centimeters (a little more than 3 inches) is authentic.
“This is a magnificent historic item with profound sentimental value,” Maron Eran, owner of Kedem, states in the release. “This becher is symbolic of the great zechus [reward] acquired by those who were fortunate to bask in the presence of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and to the limitless bounty that he bestowed upon each and every member of Am Yisrael [the Jewish people].”
But Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, who served as a personal secretary and press director for Schneerson, said his signature on the letter is not real.
“The photo of the cup is certainly not of a becherused by the Rebbe,” Krinsky wrote in an email to the auction house. “I strongly advise that you remove this item from auction.”
The Rebbe apparently used a smooth, all-silver cup for such use. The item up for sale is silver-plated with an embossed pattern at the top, and has the word “Levi” engraved on it—something that would likely not be found on a cup of his using.
Rabbi Motti Seligson, a Chabad spokesman, also points to photos of the Rebbe holding a Kiddush cup that does not resemble the one the auction house plans to sell.
“There aren’t many Jewish leaders whose vast teachings and public appearances are as well-documented and studied in detail as the Rebbe’s,” Seligson told JNS. “So it is odd that anyone would try to sell something like this, while tens of thousands of publicly available photos refute its authenticity.”
Schneerson led the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y, from 1951 until he passed away in 1994 at the age of 92.
Seligson said that Kedem told him they plan to go forward with the sale in spite of Krinsky’s email. The press release states that the “expected bid is hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The auction house was contacted repeatedly, but a response was not given before press time.