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Sotheby’s auctioneer Benjamin Doller takes bids for the Codex Sassoon at the auction house’s Manhattan headquarters on May 17.

Jackie Hajdenberg and Asaf Shalev | JTA.org
A 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible became the
most expensive book ever sold on May
17 when it drew a price of $38.1 million at
auction at Sotheby’s in New York City.

The buyer of the item, known as the Codex
Sassoon, was revealed to be the American fundrais-
ing group on behalf of ANU — Museum of the Jewish
People in Tel Aviv. The museum said attorney Alfred
Moses, a former U.S. ambassador to Romania, and
his family provided the funds for the purchase.

The manuscript is the world’s oldest nearly
complete copy of the Hebrew Bible. It was handwrit-
ten in Syria or the Land of Israel roughly 1,100 years
ago on 792 pages of sheepskin. It includes all 24
books of the Bible and is missing only about eight
pages. Its writing and layout recall those of Torah
scrolls read in synagogue.

The seller, Swiss financier and collector Jacqui
Safra, had owned the volume since 1989. Speculation
about where the book would end up led to anxiety
that it might be sold to a private collector rather than
a public institution that could put it on display.

Those doubts were put to rest when the museum,
formerly the Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, said
the book would be part of its core exhibition.

“The Hebrew Bible is the most influential book
in history and constitutes the bedrock of Western
18 MAY 25, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
civilization. I rejoice in knowing it belongs to the
Jewish people,” Moses said in a statement. “It was
my mission, realizing the historic significance of
Codex Sassoon, to see that it resides in a place with
global access to all people.”
Just a handful of buyers competed for the book
— in person at Sotheby’s and by phone — and the
auction took less than six minutes. Ahead of the
auction, Sotheby’s estimated that the item would sell
for anywhere from $30 million to $50 million. The
“gavel price” was $33.5 million, but with fees and
premiums, the final price tag reached $38.1 million.

Since no book or historical document quite like
it has been sold at auction for decades, the Codex
Sassoon has earned comparisons to other foundational
texts of civilization that have also commanded tens of
millions of dollars. A copy of the first printing of the
U.S. Constitution’s final text sold for $43.2 million in
2021. The Codex Leicester, a journal with writings by
Leonardo Da Vinci, fetched $30.8 million in 1994. And
a copy of the Magna Carta sold for $21.1 million in 2007.

“This is one of the rarest, unique, uniting documents
that ever existed,” said Irina Nevzlin, chair of ANU’s
board of directors. “For us to have it in the museum
where it will be available for all those millions of
people — this is something that can strengthen our
roots and our identity, because it’s something eternal.”
She added, “We are the right home for it for so many
reasons. Also for the fact that we’re based in Israel.”
The in-person auction attracted a standing-
room-only crowd of onlookers, many of whom said
they felt compelled to witness a transaction of
immense significance in Jewish tradition.

“This is a historic moment,” said Elinatan Kupferberg,
a scholar and writer from Lakewood, New Jersey.

“This is the oldest Torah in existence. Whoever is
going to own it next is going to change history.”
Kupferberg, who said his most precious books
were those containing the handwritten notes of great
rabbis, said he sometimes regrets when Jewish texts
are bought by collectors because they will not be
used in everyday study. Not so, he said, with this
item. “It doesn’t make me feel sad to see it behind glass
because it was meant to be a reference work,” he
said. Sandra Gogel, who was in town from Paris, said
she had hoped the Codex Sassoon would draw a
higher price, and was surprised that bidding had
closed so quickly. “Thirty-three point five is nothing
to scoff at, but 50 would have been nice,” she said.

Gogel said she had traveled to London to see the
Codex when it was on display there and was relieved
that the book will end up on public display.

“I went to London to see it because I thought I
might not see it again,” she said. She added, “I’m
happy it will be Israel where everyone can see it…
Everyone goes to Tel Aviv.” ■
Philissa Cramer contributed reporting.

Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty via JTA.org
Codex Sassoon Acquired for ANU
Museum of the Jewish People for $38.1M



bonus digital content
wonderful weddings
Big Jewish Weddings are Back,
with a Personal Touch
M Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
ore than just brides and grooms are saying
“I do” this wedding season. Vered Asta,
principal event planner at Vela Events
serving the Virginia, D.C. and Maryland areas, has
noticed guests saying “Yes” to attending more
weddings, too.

“People have been using weddings as an opportu-
nity for reunions of sorts,” she said. “People haven’t
seen each other in a few years.”
Rather than intimate ceremonies with laid-back
dress and modest receptions, weddings are big, bold
and tailored to the whims of the couple. Asta shared
her wedding trend observations ahead of a busy
summer season.

Bucking Tradition
Working with a diverse Jewish clientele, Asta
has seen new takes on the wedding traditions of
old: Rather than just the groom circling the bride
seven times, the couple circle each other. Similarly,
once-gendered language in a couple’s ketubah is
altered to be more egalitarian and eliminate clauses
that feel dated or irrelevant.

While she’s familiar with planning interfaith and
LGBTQ weddings, Asta has noticed clients choosing
to spotlight different parts of their respective cultures,
such as Sephardic and other non-Ashkenazi traditions.

In an interfaith wedding between a couple with
respective Indian and Jewish backgrounds, the
couple chose to have an Indian ceremony, but said
brachot over the wine and food in Hebrew. The
tradition of the couple circling one another seven
times is shared in both cultures.

“It’s been really nice — a new and exciting challenge
to talk to our couples about, what is the right fit? And
what are the traditions going forward that will mean
the most to you?” Asta said.

Photos courtesy of Vela Events
Personal Touches
Picking meaningful traditions is part of a greater
trend Asta has seen: Couples want to incorporate
parts of their story into their reception.

One couple served milkshakes at the end of the
evening, an homage to their first date. Asta said some
clients choose to incorporate favorite or memorable
restaurants into the evening through a giftcard giveaway.

Another bride and groom, instead of a guest book,
had guests enter a phone booth and leave a voice
message to wish the couple well. Shared personalized
Couples today are interested in big weddings with customized components.

sentiments go both ways. One pair of clients wrote
personalized notes on each guest’s name placard.

Personalized ceremonies and receptions are in part a
result of parents, once insistent on having a hand in their
children’s wedding, taking the backseat in the planning
process. Gone are the days of someone’s father inviting
his business partner to his child’s wedding.

“Couples are speaking up for themselves, but also
the parents are being more open to recognizing that
it means more if these are people that they know, and
it’s a more meaningful celebration if it’s people they
know,” Asta said. “So it’s really more of a collaborative
planning process.”
Sustainable Solutions
Clients not only want to be creative, but eco-friendly
as well. Vela Events, as well as other event planning
companies around the country, have found ways to
accommodate that desire.

“Couples are certainly more conscious of what is
happening after the event,” Asta said.

If clients want to have compostable plates and
silverware made of bamboo or other organic materials,
Vela Events will compost them, along with food
scraps from uneaten plates. Extra food and unused
ingredients will go to shelters or local food pantries.

Vela Events donates flowers and floral arrangements
to women’s shelters as well.

Staying in the Budget
After years of COVID-impacted weddings, couples
have been pulling out the stops for their celebra-
tions, but Asta is aware that some clients may not or
cannot break the bank for their special day.

To still make the day feel special while saving some
cash, Asta recommends hiring a DJ instead of a live
band, or switching out a multicourse meat meal for
a dairy or vegetarian catering option. Couples will
often opt to provide beer or wine for guests at the
reception, instead of an open bar. Of course, a small
guest list means lower costs, too.

Considering an appropriate venue that accommodates
these budget restrictions can help the wedding keep
its charm and elegance. If you have a beautiful outdoor
venue, you may be able to save money on decor or
dress the event down, if you have little interest in
spending money on a gown or tuxedo.

Making some sacrifices may be necessary to
planning the big day, but Asta recommends having
three core components to prioritize: “Great music,
excellent lighting, really great food. I think people
always remember those.” ■
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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