Highlighting: “The Spice of Life,” by Thomas Gelb. drew design & printing Company. 2023. ISBN: 9798218317515.
Thomas Gelb is an electrical contractor by profession, but also owns one of the—if not the largest—antique besamim holder (Havdala spice box) collections in the world. He has long dreamed of publishing an illustrated “coffee-table book” showcasing his collection. And he woke up one day recently to find that he wasn’t just dreaming: his dream had become a reality.
Gelb’s book, “The Spice of Life,” is so much more than a pictorial tour of besamim artifacts. It includes an overview and some history of Havdala traditions, touching on the deeply spiritual meanings and significance of the ceremony.
This past Sunday, Chabad of Fort Lee hosted a book signing and beautiful breakfast co-sponsored by the Gelb family to honor the occasion. Gelb was joined by Sonia, his wife and book co-producer/artistic director, and their children and grandchildren.
Rabbi Meir Konikov spoke about the significance and history of the Havdala ceremony, and displayed some of the collection. The rabbi related one of the special attributes of the collection, noting that each has its own unique history. Having been passed from person to person as part of decades or centuries of Havdala services, each has probably touched hundreds, maybe thousands of hands over the course of its existence. Many of the spice boxes are hundreds of years old, and Gelb has learned a lot about the history of many of them, including their origin, their makers and their community, along with their basic material value.
Gelb also displayed a very special spice box, one which he commissioned himself in 2013, with the talents of “King Solomon,” a silversmith artist in Yerushalayim. Gelb had served as the purchasing agent for the electrical contractor of the Freedom Tower, including the technology for the memorial beams, so it holds a special place in his heart. He now has a stunning sterling silver spice box replica of the Freedom Tower, which has been displayed in numerous museums and locations around the world.
Gelb would like to donate much of his besamim holder collection, and currently seeks a worthy recipient. If you know of a museum or institution that would treasure the collection, please reach out to him. Gelb explained: “The pieces are reflective of the centuries-old trail of our rich Jewish history. Displayed in a museum, the collection could serve as a great guide and a subject lesson into an integral part of our heritage: surviving enslavement, pogroms, wars, the Holocaust and culminating in the establishment of the State of Israel.”
To purchase copies of Gelb’s beautiful book, contact him at [email protected]
