Page 16 - HANUKIYA

Silent Bidder

Yaakov Hoffman doesn’t want to talk about himself — not even about when and why
he became a collector of Judaica. We’re here to talk about Chanukah menorahs, he
tells me. Period. Full stop. So don’t expect a story rich with Jewish geography: who
married whom, who learned with whom, who went into business with whom, who has
grandchildren who married the grandchildren of whom. The only yichus we’re going
to talk about is the yichus of the stunning 14-karat gold Chanukah menorah sitting
on his dining table, as well as a few other pieces in his collection.
Along the way, I will learn that Mr. Hoffman collects Judaica because he enjoys nice
things — some of which are on display on the walls of his Jerusalem apartment, and
some of which are sitting in the breakfront. (Needless to say, he employs various
security systems.)
For several decades he has been a visitor to world-class auction houses such as
Sotheby’s, although private art dealers come to him too.
And what perhaps delights him most is not to outbid every other bidder in the auction
room, but to run across an item that is in some way unusual — perhaps even unique.
But again, we’re not here to talk about Mr. Hoffman. We’re here to talk about
menorahs that are unusual. And one made from gold surely qualifies.

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