Crown of terrorism victim’s Torah retrieved after offered for sale on eBay

The ornate crown of a Torah scroll donated in memory of 2002 terrorism victim Michal Franklin, believed to have been stolen several years ago, recently was offered for sale on eBay.

By ILANIT CHERNICK
A picture of the missing Torah's crown after the listing was taken down on Ebay (photo credit: screenshot)
A picture of the missing Torah's crown after the listing was taken down on Ebay
(photo credit: screenshot)
The ornate crown of a Torah scroll donated in memory of 2002 terrorism victim Michal Franklin, believed to have been stolen several years ago, recently was offered for sale on eBay.
The Franklin family on Wednesday told the The Jerusalem Post the crown had been retrieved by police.
The Torah was donated to a yeshiva in Jerusalem in memory of Michal Franklin some 10 years ago. The crown, or keter, is the top part of the Torah’s decorations. It is a popular tradition within Judaism to beautify objects used to perform commandments and mitzvot, and one of the most well-known ornaments used to decorate the Torah are silver Torah crowns.
According to Avner Franklin, Michal’s father, the crown was discovered to be missing about a year ago. The yeshiva moved from Jerusalem to Efrat a few years ago, and last year the Franklin family asked that the Torah be returned to them because they wanted to donate it to their synagogue in Jerusalem’s Old City.
“We started wondering where the keter was, and everyone looked high and low for it. But it was nowhere to be found,” Avner Franklin said, adding that it probably disappeared while it was still in Jerusalem .
About two weeks ago, the Franklin family found out that the crown had appeared for sale on eBay. They filed a complaint to the police about the matter.
“We were very concerned about the fact that something with Michal’s name was floating around somewhere,” Avner Franklin said. “We are relieved that it has come back, but it took some time.”
Following several inquiries by the Post and after being made aware that the crown was stolen property, its seller, Luxury Fine Art, immediately took down the eBay listing. The crown was consigned to Luxury Fine Art by a store in the Jaffa flea market
Luxury Fine Art told the Post it does not own any of the items the seller had consigned to it.
Avner Franklin said the police “had not given details [about how the crown was retrieved], but the police sent a WhatsApp with a picture, and maybe they will be able to give us more details,” adding that he is not sure what condition it is in.

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The police plan to return the crown to the Franklin family next Wednesday in Betar Illit, Avner Franklin said.
“We’re waiting for it to come home,” he said.
On the night of June 19, 2002, a suicide bomber jumped out of a car at the French Hill junction, and as border policemen at the scene approached him, he ran past them toward a crowded bus stop where 22-year-old Michal Franklin was standing and detonated the bomb.
Franklin and six other victims were killed in the terrorist attack. Some 50 others were wounded.
On the day she was killed, she had completed her courses for a BA in educational counseling and history at Orot College in Elkana. She was the eldest of six children born to South African immigrants. The family lives in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Torah’s crown was described in the eBay post as “a pure silver hand-made and carved Sefer torah crown,” which was donated by Menahem and Erynne Rennert to a Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem in memory of “victim of terrorist attack Michal Franklin.”
It was also listed as being 40 by 36 cm., adding that part of the proceeds of “this lot will be donated to victims of terrorism fund.”
When contacted by the Post, the supposed seller of the item, who asked not to be identified, claimed he did not know anything about the Torah’s crown and denied having any such thing in his possession.
The Israel Police did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.


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