Torah shield. [Germany, first half of the 19th century].

Silver, cast, cut and repoussé (marked with a maker’s mark, apparently Schönfeldt or Schönfeld, and an “S” mark).

Small shield, adorned with delicate cast ornaments in the form of flowers, cornucopias, and leaves, affixed with silver pins. At center appear the Tablets of the Law (engraved with the Ten Commandments), above a rectangular compartment for interchangeable plaques (four double-sided plaques included). Three pendants hang from the bottom (uninscribed). Suspension chain attached.

Height (including pendants): 29 cm. Width: 16.5 cm. Overall good condition. Small break at upper edge, with minor loss. Minor breaks and bends to one of the lower appliqués.

Torah crown. Munich, Germany, [1750s or 1760s].

Silver, repoussé, pierced and engraved (marked with the city mark of Munich with an indistinct date, and an unidentified maker’s mark – the initials WN or NM within a wavy frame); parcel-gilt; green glass stones.

Small round crown, open at both the base and top, tapering toward the base. The upper rim is undulating, and the top section is adorned with rocaille and vegetal motifs characteristic of the 18th century. Ten green glass stones are set along the base within delicate silver petal-like mounts; between them are engraved the initials כ"ת (for Keter Torah – Crown of the Torah). A rectangular silver mount is soldered to the interior of the base for affixing the crown to a Torah scroll.

Height: 12 cm. Base diameter: 13 cm. Upper opening diameter: 20.5-22.5 cm. Overall good condition. Some breaks in the silver, with minor losses. Bends. Two glass stones missing. Several small holes.

Six small Torah pointers. Central and Eastern Europe: Czechoslovakia, Poland, Austro-Hungary, and Germany. [19th and 20th centuries].

Silver, cast, repoussé and engraved (some marked, see below).

1. Parcel-gilt Torah pointer, probably Germany or Austro-Hungary, 19th century. Marked with fineness mark "13". Decorated cuff, with remnants of a worn dedicatory inscription.

2. Small Torah pointer, likely Germany. Inscribed with the year 5587 [1827].

3. Heavy, massive Torah pointer. Engraved dedication:
“Donated by the brothers R. Nachman and R. Henoch Ferber / Engraved by the brothers Pash in memory of their father R. Baruch Aryeh…".

4-5. Pair of Torah pointers, Czechoslovakia, [ca. 1930s]. Both marked with Czechoslovakian fineness marks, used after 1929. One inscribed:
“Made by the gabbaim of the community”; the other inscribed: “R. Zvi Faries / R. Menashe Ungar / R. Michael Kreuss”.

6. Small Torah pointer, probably Austria, [ca. 1920s]. Marked with small fineness mark and maker’s mark.

Length: 15-18 cm. Overall good condition. Minor cracks and worn inscriptions on some pointers.

Torah shield. [Hoorn], the Netherlands, 1933.

Silver, cast, stamped and engraved (marked with maker’s mark J. van Straten, active in Hoorn 1901-1938; Dutch date-letter Y – 1933, and Dutch fineness mark); gilt.

The center of the Torah shield depicts the Tablets of the Law, engraved with the Ten Commandments, surmounted by a large crown and supported by two upright lions with crowns on their heads. The lions and tablets stand upon a ribbon-shaped ornament incorporating a rectangular compartment with a hinged lid (the silver plaque inside inscribed “for Rosh Hashanah”). Lower section of the shield is ornamented with a vegetal decoration and a medallion, with an engraved inscription:
“Keter Kehunah / Yehuda ben David Yaakov”.

Shield affixed with a suspension chain.

Height: 30.5 cm. Width: 28 cm. Good condition. Some screws and nuts missing. Bells missing.

Torah crown and matching pair of Torah finials. [Designed by Oscar Segal. Tel Aviv, ca. 1980s].

Silver, repoussé, cut, pierced, soldered and engraved (unmarked).

1. Large Torah crown, with a round base and twelve double arms extending from the base to an upper ring, engraved with a dedicatory inscription:
"Donated by R. Aharon son of R. Chanoch Boda in memory of his wife Rachel daughter of R. Menachem Mendel of blessed memory, of Piotrkow". Topped with a crown-shaped ornament formed of the words: Kevodo Male Olam [His glory fills the world] in pierced letters. Decorated with symbols of the Twelve Tribes and bells. Base inscribed in pierced letters: "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem". Fitted inside with two thin silver rods and two rings for mounting on the Torah scroll staves (Atzei Hayim).

2-3. Matching pair of Torah finials, of similar design, decorated with symbols of the Twelve Tribes. Each topped with a crown-shaped ornament formed of the words: "Blessed be the name of the Lord", in pierced letters. Bases inscribed in pierced letters with verses: "For out of Zion shall go forth the law" and "and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem".

Engraved dedication on the base of the Torah finials, indicates that they were donated by Azriel Chaim Ackerman in memory of his parents, R. Avraham Yosef and Chava Miriam, and his wife, Frimet, in memory of her parents, R. Yonah Yaakov and Sarah, and their families, who perished in the Holocaust.

R. Azriel Chaim Ackerman (1911-2005), shochet and chazan in Beregszász and New York; follower of the “Minchat Elazar” of Munkács].

Crown: base diameter: 18 cm, max. height: 37.5 cm. Overall good condition. 
Finials: height: 31.5 cm. Max. width: 10 cm. Fair-good condition. Minor blemishes and bends. Foot of one finial partially detached.

For comparison, see: Center for Jewish Art (CJA), item 37185 (Gross Family Collection).