On May 12, [1981] important Hebrew and Samaritan manuscripts from the famous collection of David Sassoon were auctioned off in Sotheby Parke Bernet on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
This was the third time in recent years that items from this collection were offered for sale. The first two sales were held in Zurich, in November 1975 and in November, 1978, respectively.
The late David Sassoon was an avid collector of Hebrew manuacrips and rare books. A scion of the Sassoon family, the Jewish merchant princes of the Far East, he was born in Bombay and grew up and lived in London, where he died in 1942 at the age of 62.
He was both a scholar and collector. He wrote much about the Jews of Iraq, the country where the Sassoons originated. He published from manuscript, poems by Shmuel HaNagid, the eleventh century Hebrew poet, Talmudist and vizier of the Berber kingdom of Granada.
Sassoon traveled widely in search of books and manuscripts. He journeyed through Europe and visited the Near and Far East.
Some years ago, his son Rabbi Solomon Sassoon told me at length about his father’s zealous search for books.
Once while he was traveling to India, his boat made a brief stop at Aden. A local Jewish peddler came aboard to offer his wares to the passengers.
“I am looking for Jewish books and manuscripts,” David Sassoon told the peddler. “Go back to the city and see whether you can find some for me. In the meantime I will sell your merchandise here,” The peddler did as he was asked.
That Jewish peddler of Aden must have made a splendid business. Who of the boat’s passengers would have turned down wealthy David Sassoon peddling the merchandise of a poor Jew?
In addition the peddler must have earned commission from the owners of the manuscripts and books he sold to Sassoon. Needless to say that it was David Sassoon who got the best deal of all. He was a great connoisseur of books and knew what and how to buy.
David Sassoon succeeded in amassing great literary treasures and in 1932 published the two volume “Ohel David” which contains a detailed description, including extensive quotations of the near 1200 manuscripts he owned.
At the recent auction one hundred and seventeen of these manuscripts were offered for sale. They were from many countries and from diverse periods and comprised works from every field of Jewish knowledge.
A descriptive catalog of these mansucripts was published by Sotheby Parke Bernet. It was compile by Chimen Abramsky, Goldsmid Professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University College of London and son of the late Rabbi Yehezkel Abramsky.
Chimen, who came here to serve as consultant at the auction also compiled the catalogs of the first two sales.
Collectors, librarians and dealers of several coutnries attended the sale. There were also scholars and bibliophiles who had come to watch the proceedings. It was, indeed a worthwhile experience even for those who had no part in the bidding. Listening to the incredible prices being offered for some of the manuscripts one thought that the saying “Toireh iz di beste Schoireh” (Torah is the best merchandise) might nowadays be true in more than one sense. The “battle for the books” was fascinating. Hezkiel Toporowitch, a collector’s representative and consultant from Bnei Brak was without doubt one of the stars of the “show.” He offered top prices. In a fierce bidding match, he acquired a manuscript of “Halachot Pesukot“. When his $110,000 (One hundred and ten thousand) bid, gained him the volume, those present burst into applause.
Mr. John Selford from London, the lawyer of the Sassoon family was all smiles. He had reason to be satisfied. It had been a successful sale. Within two and a half hours it had netted one and a quarter million dollars.
The buyers, too were happy. “I obtained all I wanted,” Dr. David Goldstein told me. He is in charge of the Hebrew manuscripts and printed books at the British Library (formerly British Museum) in London. His acquisitions included two prayer books of the Bene Israel of India, one prayerbook of the Jews of Cochin in Southern India, as well as marriage documents and circumcision lists of India Jews. Why was the British Library interested in these items? Because they relate to the life of the Jews in Indie when that subcontinent was still part of the British Empire. “It’s British history,” Dr. Goldstein said.
Only after the auction did I learn that among those who had come from abroad to participate in the bidding was Victor Klagsbald from Paris. I was sorry that I missed him.
I met Victor in Paris early in 1946. and have not seen him since. During World War II he was in the French resistance and after the war was active in the organization of “illegal ” immigration into Palestine. At that time Victor told me that he collected coins of jewish interest. Today he is one of Europe’s leading collectors of Judaica and the proud owner of an extraordinary collection!
He and his wife stayed for a few days at the Pierre. I contacted him there by phone. He told me of his treasures, which include many manuscripts. He gave me his Paris telephone number and we agreed that on my next visit to Paris I would come to see him and visit his amazing collection.
The Jewish Press, Friday, May 29, 1981 p.26