The Israeli government has been trying to reclaim historical artifacts from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for years after he was lent them for a Hanukkah party. Among the antiquities are ancient ceramic oil lamps, which are part of Israel’s "national treasures" collection. The Hanukkah lamps were sent to the US in 2019 for a festive event attended by Donald Trump and millionaire Saul Fox, who is a major donor to the Israeli Antiquities Authority.
The lamps were sent with approval from the Authority on the provision that they were returned within weeks. They were intended to be displayed briefly at the White House. The antiquities were neither displayed nor returned.
Israel Hasson, the director of the government body at the time, told Haaretz: “We wanted our man to go and bring [them] back, but then COVID broke out, and everything got stuck”. Saul Fox, who, according to Hasson, was meant to keep the candles in his possession, is a long-time donor to the Israeli Antiquities authority. He helped establish a national center for antique coins, as well as an archaeological garden at the Knesset.
Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate and private club had once illegally housed a large volume of presidential records, which Trump stole from the White House after his departure. In 2022, FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago as part of an investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents. A source told Haaretz they wouldn’t be surprised if “the items Israel seeks are also eventually found in some bathroom there”.
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