A wall filled with the mezuzah collection of Miriam and Robert Rothman is impressive.

Antiques, Vintage Art, Artifacts, and More

When the world-traveling widow of a prominent traveling Rabbi downsizes, her impressive globally-sourced collection of Judaica heads to an online auction.

Many Mezuzahs

If you've ever watched the epic classic, “Ben Hur,” the heart-rendering "Schindler's List," the endearing musical "Fiddler on the Roof," or even the more contemporary "Defiance," there's a good chance you've noticed the main characters, who are Jewish, touching a mezuzah whenever they enter their homes.

If you’re wondering why Jews hang a mezuzah on the doorpost, you’re not alone. It’s a long-standing tradition for people of Jewish faith to place a mezuzah and mezuzah case in the doorway of their homes.

What is the mezuzah? It is a piece of parchment (“klaf”) with scripture verses written upon it. The verses are taken from the Torah. The parchment is contained in a decorative case which is affixed to the right side of the door jambs in a doorway.

Since the mezuzah holds a parchment containing a scriptural text, the tradition is that whenever someone passes through the doorway, they touch the mezuzah as a way of showing respect to God. Some will even kiss their fingers before touching the mezuzah as a more reverent way to show their respect.

The Rothman collection of mezuzahs stems from their many travels. The collection’s humble start began as a way for the couple to commemorate their anniversary or birthday. Each year, while on vacation or a trip, Miriam and Robert would find a mezuzah from that destination.

This eventually blossomed into a full-fledged passion for the hunt … dare we say ‘obsession’ … to find the most unique mezuzahs for sale in the most obscure shops. All created by artisans worldwide.

After many decades, this is surely one of the largest private collection of mezuzahs in the northeast (if not the largest). These mezuzahs are currently available in the Judaica-filled Lifetime Collection of Miriam and Rabbi Robert Rothman Auction.

This collection includes antique mezuzahs and vintage mezuzahs which make ideal Jewish gifts for weddings, anniversaries, or even housewarmings. You may even be proactive and consider a mezuzah if you’re always left wondering, “what's a good gift to give to a Jewish family for Yom Kippur” when fall comes around.

Stunning Sterling Silver Kiddish Cups

For the non-Jewish who may be wondering, what is a kiddush cup, we have the answer. Simply put, a kiddush cup is a cup used during prayer before the Sabbath meal or other Jewish holy day. Most often, the cups hold wine, although grape juice or other fruit juices may be used.

Kiddush cups are traditionally crafted in gold or silver, but you might find some made from pottery, fine china, or other metals. Many Kiddush cups are decorated with fantastically ornate filigree work, repousse, engravings and other embellishments..

There is a wonderful variety of sterling silver kiddush cups in the Lifetime Collection of Miriam & Rabbi Robert Rothman that would be welcome in any Jewish home. Any of these would make beautiful wedding gifts, housewarming gifts, Yom Kippur gifts, or even host or hostess gifts for a seder meal.

Avraham Gofer (Israeli, 20th C.) Studio Art Pottery Collection

Avraham Gofer originally began his career designing Jewish jewelry in the early to mid-1950s in the newly established country of Israel. He quickly segued into other Jewish art, particularly studio art pottery. He began making extremely attractive and collectible ceramics. His Judaica pottery has an exceptional mid-century modern appeal, which makes his works highly collectible in the current market.

During their many trips to Israel, Rabbi Robert Rothman would be busy with work, conferences, and the like. Miriam, who was an art enthusiast, has an eclectic passion for all arts, particularly Flemish Renaissance art and studio art pottery. She was first introduced to Avraham Gofer through a colleague of hers at Boeing. She immediately felt a kinship with Avraham Gofer and his work.

Miriam became such an avid collector of Avraham Gofer studio art pottery that Avraham once said to the couple, “After me, Miriam has the best collection.”

Any of the Avraham Gofer works in this collection would make for unique and cool Jewish gifts for any Jewish holidays in the Jewish calendar, whether Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur or the Jewish New Year. If you’re wondering where to buy Jewish art online, always consider estate sales and online auctions.

Unique Yads (Torah Pointer)

What is a yad?

The word “yad” literally translates to “hand.” In the Hebrew world of Judaica, it is a hand-held pointer rod or stick used in ritual or public readings of the Torah (scripture). Yads are often referred to as Torah pointers.

Typically, the yad consists of the thin rod that has a fist with an extended pointer finger at the end. Usually the yad is made of sterling silver or fine silver, but it is sometimes made of other precious materials such as bone, ivory, brass or even gold.

The yads in the Miriam and Rabbi Robert Rothman Collection are exquisite and hail from all over the world including Hungary, Russia, and Israel.

Handsome Hanukkiah & Memorable Menorah

Perhaps the most recognizable and iconic Judaic symbol is the menorah. Did you know that there are two types of menorah? The most commonly recognized is the hanukkiah (also spelled chanukiah or hanukiah) menorah which is used during the Jewish feast of Hanukkah.

According to chabad.org, the hanukkiah consists of nine candles … a “helper candle” and eight other candles. Each night during Hanukkah (Chanukah), a candle is lit until all eight candles are aglow on the final night.

The other is the Temple menorah which has seven lights (or candles). This menorah was lit throughout the year and kept in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. This menorah had seven candles.

There is such a fun and eclectic variety of hanukkiah menorahs available in this collection that collectors of Judaica and faithful Jewish alike are certain to find styles that suit their tastes.

About the Couple: Miriam and Rabbi Robert Rothman

Members of our team had the opportunity to chat on various occasions with Miriam Rothman, widow of the prominent traveling Rabbi Robert Rothman. Miriam jokingly stated that she and her husband were self-proclaimed hoarders of Judaica, coins, stamps, and art.

Miriam was born in Israel but spent much of her childhood and early adulthood in the Belgian Congo and South Africa. She was an art major in college and still loves to travel to experience the beauty of art. Her passion is Flemish and Renaissance art. In fact, during many of their joint trips, Rabbi Rothman would do his scholarly work while Miriam would venture off to tour the churches and museums in the areas they visited.

"My husband was allergic to the churches,” Miriam joked. “I can spend hours inside churches admiring the works of art inside them. My husband wanted nothing to do with them.”

Robert was born in the Bronx of Romanian parents who were part of a very orthodox Jewish family. (There were 39 rabbis on his side of the family.) He became a rabbi and served in the U.S. Marine Corp as a chaplain in Okinawa.

Miriam met Robert in Israel and eventually settled in the U.S. over 40 years ago.

He was a rabbinical scholar, earning multiple doctorate degrees. He loved reading and learning. It was always Judaism that excited him.

“Judaica rocked his maracas,” quipped Miriam during a conversation with one of our team members.

With time, Rabbi Rothman’s attitude towards Judaism shifted and he wanted to follow a more modern path. He joined a reformist rabbi movement to meet the changing needs of the world. He was a senior rabbi at the Community Synagogue in Rye, NY for 31 years. After he retired, he continued to work as a fill-in rabbi on Long Island, in South Africa, and even in Florence, Italy.

Over the course of their marriage, the couple made it a point to take an annual vacation. Each year they chose their destination which included various parts of the U.S., France, Germany, England, Tanzania, Russia (the U.S.S.R. at the time), the Serengetti, and beyond. All the while, Rabbi Rothman would seek to help Jewish causes in those places.

During one conversation, Miriam told a story about a trip to Moscow for an “under the table” Jewish book fair. The couple were very careful because they were “under the noses of the KGB.” This was during the Soviet Era. She, almost wistfully, mentioned how challenging it was for Jewish people in the Soviet Union to find anything related to Judaica.

“We met quite a few people who literally traveled four or five days just to see books with Hebrew letters in it,” explained Miriam. “It was really quite something to be a part of and witness.”

Rabbi Robert Rothman passed away in 2020 at the age of 89. Miriam doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. In fact, this octogenarian was recently planning a vacation abroad as a birthday gift to herself.

About the Auction: Lifetime Collection of Miriam and Rabbi Robert Rothman Auction

BRG is pleased to offer this impressive lifelong, globally-sourced single owner collection hailing from the meticulously kept White Plains, New York home of Miriam and Rabbi Robert Rothman. These unique items are the product of their extensive worldwide travels and international residences, which included Israel and South Africa.

Miriam is a strong supporter of the arts all over the world, as evidenced by the contents of this sale. Since the death of her prominent Rabbi husband two years ago, she has increased her collections tremendously. Highlights include a wonderful collection of sterling silver, antique to modern Judaica (you should see the extensive array of mezuzahs), and art pottery.

You may view the entire auction collection here. Bidding ends on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

UPDATE (MAY 18, 2022): The Lifetime Collection of Miriam and Rabbi Robert Rothman Auction closed on Tuesday, May 17 with bidders participating from all over the world. Pieces in this collection will find new homes throughout the U.S. and as far as Israel.