Objects

Hanukkah is the eight-day Festival of Lights, commemorating the victory of Judah Maccabee's insurgents over the Syrian army in 165 BCE. After the Jerusalem Temple had been cleansed of pagan worship and the altar had been rededicated, only one vessel containing the ritual oil used to light the tabernacle was found. Thanks to the miracle of the cruse of oil, as tradition tells, the oil lasted for eight days, until a new batch could be produced. During Hanukkah, one more candle is lit each day in an eight-branched candelabrum called a hanukkiah, which is placed in the windows or in front of the doors of Jewish homes. The candles are lit by the eldest male in the family. During the holiday, one should not work or even study Torah. Fasting is also forbidden (A. Unterman, Żydzi. Wiara i życie, Lodz 1989, pp. 223-225).

The Hanukkah lamp from the collection of the Przypkowski Museum in Jędrzejów is supported

by four acanthus-shaped legs. It has a contoured, elongated base with wavy edges and rounded corners. The base has seven small vase-shaped oil burners (one is missing). The backplate is decorated with applied plaques – in the centre there is a menorah, and on the sides there are palm trees supported by lions. The backplate is topped with a triple arch. The additional oil burner, called a "shamash," is missing.

The item is marked: "LURIA I KRONGOLD W WARSZAWIE".

The hanukkiya was acquired for the collection of the Jędrzejów Museum from Piotr Maciej Przypkowski.