The ultimate Hanukkah gift: Elizabeth Taylor’s menorahs are up for auction
The Platonic ideal of “holidays at home.”
By Irene Katz Connelly December 7, 2020
This year, those of us who are both in need of a menorah and interested in spending thousands of dollars on vintage Judaica are in luck.
Two hanukkiot that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor, who converted to Judaism in 1959, are on display at the J. Greenstein Gallery in Cedarhurst, N.Y, and will be up for auction in January.
Bidding for the ornate, tree-shaped menorah from old-school Judaica purveyor Godinger starts at $15,000. You can also nab a more contemporary sterling silver piece, gifted to Taylor by her head of security, for as little as $7,000.
If that seems pricey, just consider that a menorah belonging to Marilyn Monroe, another member-by-choice of the tribe, sold at auction for $112,522 in 2019.
For the rest of us, there’s always the dinosaur menorah.
Irene Katz Connelly is an editorial fellow at the Forward. You can contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @katz_conn.
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