Save those seats! UPDATE

Synagogues often hold interesting collections of member records, memorial plaques, weekly newsletters and commemorative journals - all can be useful research tools for Jewish genealogists searching for details about relatives.

Here's an item that could make future generations of a family happy. The Associated Press reports that Conservative congregation Temple Emanu-El in the trendy South Beach area of Miami Beach, Florida, has placed two seats on eBay. Bidding on the lifetime front-row seats starts at $1.8 million; the winner's family name will be engraved on Seats 1 and 2, Row 1, Section DD.

The package includes free parking, two custom-made prayer shawls and kipot and a nice tax write-off. The winner can pass the seats down to his or her children.

Said Rabbi Kliel Rose - in a confirmation of Jewish genealogy - "It's a gift that goes from one generation to another."

Founded in the 1940s, the 1,400-seat congregation once had thousands of members but, when Rose arrived a few years ago, there were only 200 families.

For more, click here.