Objects

Fragment of a Hanukkah lamp decoration (zaplecek) in the form of a metal relief, depicting two lions holding a seven-branched candelabrum (menorah). The lions are shown in profile, standing on their hind legs, with their front paws supporting the shaft of the candelabrum. The candelabrum is mounted on a round, stepped base. The shaft is straight with a spindle design, from which seven arms extend, each ending in a burner. At the bottom, there is a floral ornament in the form of an acanthus leaf. The lions touch the noses of the lowest arms of the candelabrum.

Using two metal screws, the fragment of the lamp is attached to the central part of a transparent, rectangular plastic display case. Inside the display case, beneath the lamp fragment, there is a piece of black paper.

The object was found, after the war, by Jerzy Goldhar (1919-2006, father of the donor) in the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto. He preserved the fragment as an important memento of the Holocaust.

The Goldhar family experienced repression due to the intensification of antisemitic sentiments in Poland after March 1968. Jerzy and his family were excluded from work and school. Seeing no possibility of continuing to live in the country, the family decided to emigrate to Israel.

Among the keepsakes the Goldhar family took with them was a fragment of the lamp found in the ruins. The memento was so precious that the family decided to permanently attach it to a plastic display case to present it in the most honourable way possible.

This object was also discussed and presented by Janina Goldhar in the POLIN documentary film Survivors (premiered 8 April 2021). The POLIN collections also include documents relating to the family’s emigration to Israel, as well as an oral history interview with Janina Goldhar (conducted in 2018).

Marta Frączkiewicz