Menorah of Marilyn Monroe sold for $112,522 at auction
Sale of Menorah highlights personal connection Monroe had towards Judaism
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFAn employee poses with ten screenprints of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol(photo credit: REUTERS)
The menorah candelabra of Marilyn Monroe, the legendary Hollywood icon who passed away in 1962, recently fetched $112, 522 when it was auctioned by Kestenbaum & Co in New York.Monroe was known as a prominent 1950s sex symbol, model and star of numerous Hollywood films, including “Some Like it Hot” and “The Seven Year Itch.” Monroe’s contact with Judaism came when she married famed playwright Arthur Miller and converted in 1956.According to historical accounts given by the Jewish Museum of New York, upon her conversion to Judaism, Monroe took time to study Judaic texts with Robert. E. Goldburg, Arthur Miller’s rabbi.The brass-plated menorah, which can play the Israeli national anthem via a wind-up mechanism, was originally given as a gift from Miller’s parents. Monroe was still in possession of the menorah when she died, in addition to other Judaica items.Following her death, the menorah was sold to a private collector at an auction of Monroe’s personal possessions, and later showcased as part of an exhibition at the Jewish Museum of New York and National Museum of American Jewish History, located in Philadelphia.
