On February 13th, the Warsaw Ghetto Museum's collection was enriched with a unique exhibit: a monumental bronze hanukkah, 162,5 cm tall. The candlestick's shaft is supported by three lions, and the top is topped with an eagle.
Hanukkah is a joyful eight-day holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt. Each day, a new candle is lit on an eight-branched candelabrum called a hanukkiah.
According to our scholarly expert, Rabbi David Berman , only ten hanukkiahs of this type remain extant in the world. "They are part of the collections of the Jewish Museum in New York and the Jewish Museum in Budapest, among others. Most importantly, however, the chandelier acquired by the Museum is almost identical to the one from the famous Great Synagogue on Tłomackie Street, which is currently on display at Heichal Shlomo (the former seat of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel) in Jerusalem."
Based on its strong resemblance to other objects, visible, for example, in the eagle figure decorating the candlestick, experts date the hanukkah to the late 18th century. Today, it is of immense value to our collection of sacred art and one of the most impressive artifacts from Poland.
