After a court halted its sale of a Nazi tattoo kit, Tzolman's Auction house is now offering a compromise that would both honor the memory of the Holocaust and reimburse the seller for his expenses.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The auction house garnered the ire of Holocaust survivors and Jewish leaders last week after it announced the sale publicly. The auction was supposed to take place on Tuesday, but was temporarily halted by the Tel Aviv Court District after a request from the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel.
Meir Tzolman, director of the auction house said: "Following the publication of the sale, many philanthropists approached us asking to purchase the item and donate it to the Yad Vashem museum, so that they could use it to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive for future generations, just as it was done with similar items in museums around the world."
Items similar to the tattoo kit in question can only be found in two other locations, one at a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and another at museum on the site of the Auschwitz camp in Poland.
Zolman stressed the sale of the items was never meant to "hurt the memory of the Holocaust" and has vowed to only sell the tattoo stamps to an individual who would donate them to Yad Vashem. "We believe this is a compromise that will allow both the seller and the State of Israel to put the affair behind them," he said.
A petition has been filed against the auction house and the seller, who remained anonymous, with the Tel Aviv District Court, that is scheduled to convene on Nov. 16 to decide whether the auction should be allowed to take place.
"It is unfathomable how someone is willing to sell a historical item for monetary gain," the petitioners said.
The Justice Ministry said in a statement that Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit was considering appearing in the Tel Aviv District Court in person in an attempt to halt the sale of the items.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
