Norwegian auction house withdraws sale of SS-looted Torah fragment following Israeli outcry

A Norwegian auction house withdrew the sale of a Torah scroll fragment looted by SS soldiers during the Holocaust, following intervention by Israel's Foreign Ministry. The item, listed at $1,500-$2,000, was withdrawn 10 minutes before the auction began. It will be donated to a Holocaust nonprofit in California.

A Norwegian auction house, Valkyrie Historical Auctions, withdrew the sale of a Torah scroll fragment looted by Nazi SS soldiers during the Holocaust, following a strong reaction from Israel's Foreign Ministry. The fragment, described as a "Very Old Piece of Jewish Torah Roll Plundered by German SS Soldiers During Shoah," was listed with an estimated price of $1,500-$2,000. The auction house stated the fragment was sent as a souvenir by an SS soldier, used as wrapping paper. The Foreign Ministry called the sale "a Nazi celebration in Oslo" and criticized the Norwegian government's proposal to cease funding for school trips to concentration camps. The auction house withdrew the item 10 minutes before the auction began, placing its own high bid to prevent a sale. The fragment is to be donated to RUTH – Remember Us The Holocaust, a nonprofit in California. A Norwegian-Israeli activist called for all such items to be returned to owners or donated to the Jewish Museum in Oslo.