Israeli court bans auction of Holocaust yellow badge
The Haifa Magistrates Court has prohibited the public auction of a yellow badge and clothing insignias worn by Jews during the Holocaust, in what has been described as a first-of-its-kind ruling in Israel.
The ruling followed a lawsuit against an auction house by Dr. Shimon Sabag, chairman of Yad Ezra LeHaver and director of a Holocaust remembrance museum in Haifa. Sabag called the decision “groundbreaking,” saying it could significantly change how Holocaust artifacts are treated.
“Until now, we encountered items that were sold in auction houses and we had to provide prices,” Sabag said. He argued that selling such artifacts to the highest bidder harms living Holocaust survivors and that they should instead be preserved so future generations can see them firsthand.
Sabag cited a recent auction of more than 800 items belonging to Jews murdered in the Holocaust, including documents, clothing, yellow badges and personal belongings. Neo-Nazi organizations bid on some of the items. His association ultimately purchased the collection and transferred it to the Haifa museum.
Three weeks ago, people from Poland told Sabag some items had belonged to Polish soldiers. He investigated and confirmed they belonged to soldiers executed by the Nazis. He gave the items away for free, saying that just as Jewish artifacts should not be commercialized, neither should items belonging to non-Jews murdered by the Nazis. They were transferred to the soldiers’ families, with some displayed at a museum near Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Sabag said the principle should apply regardless of the buyer, including private collectors. “There is no place for this,” he said. “Why should a tattoo that was inked on Jews’ hands be with some collector? It belongs where teenagers can see it.”
The ruling cited numerous sources on preserving Holocaust memory. Sabag said it establishes, for the first time since Israel’s founding, that Holocaust artifacts cannot be publicly auctioned except to museums dedicated to Holocaust remembrance.
Survivors who learned of the planned sale described it as cruel and an unacceptable commercialization of their suffering. “In court, justice was served,” Sabag said.
The Attorney General’s Office had previously issued an opinion opposing such auctions, but there had been no judicial ruling establishing the principle. Sabag said the decision now gives it legal backing.
He also believes it could influence other countries. Authorities abroad had previously told him that Israel had no court ruling prohibiting such sales. “From today, I will be able to present the Israeli ruling and demand that other countries issue rulings like this,” he said.
