Objects

A lamp with an openwork, centrally uplifted back plate and a symmetrical decoration in the form of two antithetically arranged lions and columns, above them a two-headed bird. Eight candle sockets placed in one row on a horizontal bar, each socket touching the adjacent one(s). Additional branches are led out from the side walls –one on each side– finished with additional sockets with broad bobeches, one on each branch. The candlestick is a gift from the Jewish Historical Institute Association.

The ritual of lighting candles is the culmination of the Hanukkah holiday, bringing the whole family together. The lamp, most often placed in the window, is lit by the oldest man in the house (the rite cannot be performed by mourning people). During the holiday, one should not work or study the Torah; fasting is also forbidden. Hanukkah is associated with the metaphor of divine light illuminating the way for people and giving them strength in moments of doubt. Hanukkah is alternatively referred to as the 'Festival of Lights'.

Hanukkah, which falls in the month of Kislev (November-December), coincides with the Christian Christmas. This is why nowadays, in the Jewish community in the United States for example, the element of chanukagelt (traditional Hanukkah gifts) has gained the rank of an equivalent of Christmas gifts. Oil-fried pancakes (latkes) and doughnuts prevail among the Hanukkah dishes as they symbolise the miraculous multiplication of oil.

Natalia Różańska