Aliyah Auction Sign

To raise operating funds for the synagogue, some congregations auctioned off aliyot (literally, "going up"), the honor of standing at the bimah (podium) and reciting prayers over the Torah.

Place of origin: Hungary

Audio transcript:

The honor of going up to the bimah and reciting a blessing over the Torah is called an aliyah. Congregants are called upon for the aliyot based on various reasons and in some congregations, the aliyot is used as a fundraiser.

This aliyah auction sign comes from Hungary, where the concept of auctioning off aliyot to raise funds for the congregation began in 1859. This particular auction sign was dedicated to the synagogue by David Wolf Grosvardin.

The practice of auctioning off the aliyot went out of style very quickly in Hungary and was pretty much non-existent by the early twentieth century. The arguments for discontinuing it included worries that the auction process was disrespectful to the synagogue service or allowed unworthy men the opportunity to buy their way into participating in a holy act. Although aliyot auctions were taboo for many years, some synagogues have returned to the practice to raise funds.

Numbers for bidding and donation in present-day aliyot-auctions often hinge around multiples of eighteen. This comes from gematria, the kabbalistic practice of determining a numerical value of words based on the numbers assigned to their constituent characters. The value of the Hebrew word chai meaning “life” is eighteen, so the number eighteen is considered to be good luck and donations are often given in increments of eighteen.