Rabbi Krinsky Disavows His Signature For Sale of Rebbe Items

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, who served as secretary to the Rebbe for over 40 years, says that notices in his handwriting that authenticate items associated with the Rebbe and sold by auction houses are fraudulent.

Rabbi Krinsky, Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch and executor of the Rebbe’s estate, released a notarized letter on Thursday disproving the use of his name for any manuscripts and items.

“In response to inquiries I have received regarding items promoted for sale by various auction houses (mostly in Israel) claiming such items supposedly belonged to and were used in the home of the Lubavitcher Rebbe… let it be known that any letter of authentication accompanying any of these items bearing my signature are fraudulent.”

In recent years, private auctioneers have been offering items said to have been originally from the Rebbe’s house. It is believed that some of them come from the estate of a Jewish woman who received them as a gift from Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, the wife of the Rebbe.

“There is really no way to know which were from the Rebbetzin and which were her own family’s inheritance,” one person familiar with the matter told COLlive.com.

The latest such item was a silver-plated double salt cellar with two purple glass saucers and matching spoons. Each saucer stands on three lion-shaped pedestals and it had a silver-plated handle in the center for picking up the salt cellar.

“The salt cellar came from the Rebbe’s home and was used by the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin,” the Winner’s Auctions and Exhibitions, a branch of Judaica Jerusalem, announced and pointed to the letters M. S., the Rebbetzin’s initials, that are engraved on them.

Winner’s said it had “confirmation by the Rebbe’s secretary attesting to the fact that this salt cellar was used in the home of the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin.” Rabbi Krinsky’s handwriting was used in the authentication notice, which he says is a lie.

The salt cellar was sold for $4,400.

Rivka Moore, Customer Relations Manager of Winner’s Auctions LTD, responded with the following statement: “It looks like to us that the copies and documents that were presented to us are the handwriting of Rabbi Krinsky, who acknowledges that the salt seller was in the Rebbe’s house. We understand there were all sort of rumors that he indeed signed and retracted but we do not want to go into this.”