Teaneck Man Tries Selling His Spot in Heaven

NORTH JERSEY -- Online auction site eBay has nixed a local man's effort to sell his spot in Jewish Heaven after bids reached nearly $100,000, according to the Jewish Forward.

Ari Mandel, 31, of Teaneck, posted the eBay sale "My Portion in Olam Habaah (Heaven)" on Tuesday with an opening bid of 99 cents, but the auction shot up to $99,900, Forward.com reported. Mandel, who grew up in a Hasidic upstate New York area, said the sale was only a joke.

Mandel said in the report he secured a prime spot in the afterlife through good deeds and offered to return the winner’s money if he slipped up.

According to the report, eBay pulled his sale citing its policy blocking “non-tangible” items. The online auction giant was reportedly flooded with complaints.

“To those of you who took this seriously, chill out. It was just a joke,” he said in an interview with the Forward. “Whether or not you’re a believer in this sort of thing, chill out."

A representative from eBay's media relations office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

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