Jonathan Greenstein

Last updated
Jonathan Greenstein
Greensteinspice (1).jpg
Born (1967-11-01) November 1, 1967 (age 56)
New York City, US
Alma mater Brooklyn College
Occupation(s)President, J. Greenstein & Co. (2003-present)
CEO, Mercy Home Care & Medical Supplies (1993-present)
SpouseSima Greenstein
Children5
Website www.jgreenstein.com

Jonathan Greenstein (born November 1, 1967) is an antique Judaica authentication expert. [1] [2] He is the owner, chief expert, and president of J. Greenstein & Company, an auction house in the United States dedicated to appraising and selling antique Judaica. [3] [4] [5] [6] Greenstein lives on Long Island, New York, with his wife and five children. [7]

Contents

Early life and education

Greenstein was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, to Donald and Janice Greenstein. [8] At 14, he left yeshiva in Flatbush, Brooklyn, transferred to James Madison High School, started working at The Gold Bug, and began collecting Judaica. [4] [9] [10] He visited flea markets and garage sales to add to his Judaica collection, [11] and eventually began dealing in antique Jewish ritual objects. [12] He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in health administration from Brooklyn College. [8]

Career

J. Greenstein & Company

Greenstein auctioneered a charity auction in 2002 at the Park East Synagogue in New York City. [9] He organized the pieces and made the catalog for the auction. Shortly after, he received an auctioneer's license and hosted his own auction. [9]

In 2003, he founded J. Greenstein & Company in Brooklyn, New York. [13] The Judaica retail gallery and auction house focuses on religious art from the 1600s to 1938. [14] [15] In 2010, Greenstein moved the company's headquarters to Cedarhurst, New York. [13] By December 2012, 600 people, including billionaire hedge-fund manager and antiquities collector Michael Steinhardt, received Greenstein's auction catalogs. [4] That year, he hosted Jewish Gilt, a Jewish antiques television show featured on The Jewish Channel. [16]

In December 2014, Greenstein sold a Hanukkah menorah for 100,000 USD. [9] The menorah was made in Ukraine during the eighteenth century. [6] In 2016, J. Greenstein & Company hosted an auction featuring 232 rare objects including rare Judaica items belonging to Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz. [17] [18] [19] Greenstein acquired Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky's French refugee identification card, and his company auctioned it off in June 2017. [20] [21] J. Greenstein & Company has also hosted and sold celebrity Judaica including Sammy Davis Jr.'s personal menorah, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach's piano, a Seder plate that belonged to Joan Rivers, and items from victims of the Bernard Madoff scandal. [5] [22] [23]

In November 2018, J. Greenstein & Co. held an auction at the Antique Judaica & Jewish Art Gallery in Cedarhurst that included Marilyn Monroe's personal Jewish prayer book from 1956 (the year she married Arthur Miller and converted to Judaism), with notations in the margins likely written by the actress. The prayer book was published in 1922. [24] [25] [26] It sold at the auction for 21,000 USD plus fees. [27] At that auction they also sold Judaica from the collection of Jerry Lewis, with items on view at the gallery dating back as far as a Torah binder made in Italy in the 1690s. [28]

Mercy Home Care and Medical Supplies

Greenstein is also the founder and CEO of Mercy Home Care and Medical Supplies, a medical equipment and disposables company located in Brooklyn, New York. [29] [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe DiMaggio</span> American baseball player (1914–1999)

Joseph Paul DiMaggio, nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Born to Italian immigrants in California, he is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time and is best known for setting the record for the longest hitting streak in baseball, which still stands today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedarhurst, New York</span> Village in Nassau County, New York, United States

Cedarhurst is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 6,592 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence, Nassau County, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Lawrence is a village in Nassau County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 6,483.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christie's</span> British auction house

Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Amsterdam, Geneva, Shanghai, and Dubai. It is owned by Groupe Artémis, the holding company of François Pinault. In 2022 Christie's sold US$8.4 billion in art and luxury goods, an all-time high for any auction house. On 15 November 2017, the Salvator Mundi was sold at Christie's in New York for $450 million to Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, the highest price ever paid for a painting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ze'ev Jabotinsky</span> Russian Revisionist Zionist leader (1880–1940)

Ze'ev Jabotinsky was a Revisionist Zionist leader, author, poet, orator, soldier, and founder of the Jewish Self-Defense Organization in Odessa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Legion</span> Jewish volunteer force in World War I

The Jewish Legion was an unofficial name used to refer to five battalions of the British Army's Royal Fusiliers regiment, which consisted of Jewish volunteers recruited during World War I. In 1915, the British Army raised the Zion Mule Corps, a transportation unit of Jewish volunteers, for service in the Gallipoli campaign. Two years later in August 1917, the decision was made to raise an infantry battalion of Jewish soldiers which would be integrated into an existing British Army regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanukkah menorah</span> Candelabrum lit during Hanukkah

A Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, is a nine-branched candelabrum lit during the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Eight of the nine branches hold lights that symbolize the eight nights of the holiday; on each night, one more light is lit than the previous night, until on the final night all eight branches are ignited. The ninth branch holds a candle, called the shamash, which is used to light the other eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. S. W. Rosenbach</span> American collector (1876–1952)

Abraham Simon Wolf Rosenbach was an American collector, scholar, and dealer in rare books and manuscripts. In London, where he frequently attended the auctions at Sotheby's, he was known as "The Terror of the Auction Room." In Paris, he was called "Le Napoléon des Livres". Many others referred to him as "Dr. R.", a "Robber Baron" and "the Greatest Bookdealer in the World".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Dershowitz</span> American lawyer and author (born 1938)

Alan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer and law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law School, where he was appointed as the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law in 1993. Dershowitz is a regular media contributor, political commentator, and legal analyst.

Yosef Goldman was a scholar of American Jewish history and the co-author of the two-volume reference work, Hebrew Printing in America 1735-1926: A History and Annotated Bibliography (2006). This work is usually cited by auctioneers and rare-book dealers. His collection of early American Judaica and Hebraica is said to be one of the most comprehensive in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Levine Books and Judaica</span>

J. Levine Books and Judaica is an independent bookstore located in Midtown Manhattan. J. Levine is a fifth-generation family business and one of the oldest standing Judaica stores in United States since it opened in 1905.

Alexander Autographs is an auctioneer of Nazi memorabilia, historic militaria, autographs, manuscripts, relics, and other collectibles. Based in Chesapeake City, Maryland, the auction house first opened to bidders in 1993. Patrons can attend auctions in the traditional floor style in the company's Maryland offices, or they can bid via a phone proxy, or use the internet to bid in real-time.

Beth Alpha is a sixth-century CE synagogue located at the foot of the northern slopes of the Gilboa mountains near Beit She'an, Israel. It is now part of Bet Alfa Synagogue National Park and managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Abramson</span> American academic, historian

Henry Abramson is a Canadian historian who is the dean of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush, New York. Before that, he served as the Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Services at Touro College's Miami branch. He is notable for his teachings on Jewish history and Judaism as a religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish ceremonial art</span> Array of objects used by Jews for ritual purposes

Jewish ceremonial art, also known as Judaica, refers to an array of objects used by Jews for ritual purposes. Because enhancing a mitzvah by performing it with an especially beautiful object is considered a praiseworthy way of honoring God's commandments, Judaism has a long tradition of commissioning ritual objects from craftsmen and artists.

Authentic Brands Group LLC (ABG) is an American brand management company headquartered in New York City. Its holdings include various apparel, athletics, and entertainment brands, which it partners with other companies to license and merchandise. ABG owns more than 50 consumer brands, as well as the likeness rights or estates of celebrities, including Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, and Marilyn Monroe.

Profiles in History was an auction house in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1985 by Joseph Maddalena, who is an auctioneer and dealer of authentic and original collectibles, including Hollywood memorabilia, historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed autographs, and manuscripts. Maddalena was the company's president and CEO. It became defunct in January 2021 when Maddalena joined former rival Heritage Auctions.

Louis M. Rabinowitz (1887–1957) was an American businessman, philanthropist and art collector. Born in Lithuania, he emigrated to the United States, where he founded a manufacturing company and became a millionaire. He established endowments at Yale University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He funded Nelson Glueck's archaeological trips to the Negev of Israel. His art collection is held posthumously at the Yale University Art Gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Split Synagogue</span>

The Split Synagogue in Split, Croatia is one of the oldest Sefardic synagogue still in use today. It was built in the early 1500s.

References

  1. ↑ Lizzie Widdicombe (May 11, 2009). "Samela's Shammash". New Yorker. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  2. ↑ Jeff Bessen (September 16, 2015). "Sustaining the faith and religious rituals". Five Towns Herald. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  3. ↑ "At Auction, the Candy Man Can't". New York Times. June 8, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Menorah's Secrets". The Wall Street Journal. December 10, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Here's Your Chance to Buy Joan Rivers's Seder Plate". New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Celebrate Hanukkah with a $100,000 menorah?". Market Watch. December 22, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Jewish Gilt". tjctv.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Silver Judaica Still Shines". Jewish Journal. January 20, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Rochelle Maruch Miller. "The $100,000 Menorah" . Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Cedarhurst Jewish antique collector". longisland.news12.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  11. ↑ "One of the World's Only Judaica Auction Houses is in Cedarhurst". March 4, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  12. ↑ "The Indiana Jones of Judaica Tracks Down Treasures". Daily Finance. May 19, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Jewish 'Antiques Roadshow' comes to life in Cedarhurst store". The Jewish Star. September 12, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  14. ↑ Vanessa Parker (November 4, 2015). "Collecting and preserving Jewish history". Five Towns Herald. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Menorah collector and gallery owner puts tradition first". abc7ny.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Judaica Antiques Road Show comes to Beth Yeshurun". November 22, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  17. ↑ Claude Solnik (January 29, 2016). "The art of the auction". Long Island Business News. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  18. ↑ Ana Veciana Suarez (February 25, 2016). "Dershowitz's Judaica pieces up for auction". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Lawyer and Avid Collector to Sell Some of His Judaica". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  20. ↑ "Jabotinsky's ID card auctioned in NY for $20,000". The Times of Israel. June 16, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  21. ↑ Amy Spiro (May 18, 2017). "A Piece of Zionist History – To The Highest Bidder". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  22. ↑ "J. Greenstein & Co to Host Special Auction Featuring Judaica Owned by Prof Alan Dershowitz". The Jewish Voice. February 17, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Madoff victims flood Judaica market with treasures". Crain's New York. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  24. ↑ "Jewish prayer book annotated by Marilyn Monroe, who converted in 1956, could fetch thousands in auction". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  25. ↑ "Auction of Marilyn Monroe's Jewish Prayer Book Puts Her Conversion Story on Display". New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  26. ↑ "Marilyn Monroe's Prayer Book Expected to Fetch $15,000 At Auction". Inside Edition. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  27. ↑ "Marilyn Monroe's Jewish Prayer Book Sells at Auction for $21,000 to 'Obsessed Fan'". Algemeiner. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  28. ↑ "J. Greenstein & Co. auction house in Cedarhurst specializes in Judaica". Newsday. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  29. ↑ "Visiting Nurse Service of NY Raises Over $1M at Gala Benefit in Pierre Hotel". thejewishvoice.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  30. ↑ "About Us". mercymedcare.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.