Donated by Witold Malesa-Boniecki, the candleholder and two Hanukkah lamps are mementos of the Beckermann (?) family living at 61 Leszno Street in Warsaw. The Beckermanns (?) had two children, the older Esterka and the younger Shmulk. The mother, a devout Jewish woman (wearing a traditional wig), ran a shop on the ground floor of the tenement building. His father, also a pious Jew, taught at a cheder (a Jewish primary school with a religious curriculum) and ran a small Jewish print shop in the annexe of the building where they lived.
| The donor's mother (née Boniecka) lived with her parents on the first floor of the same building. She was friends with Esterka – the girls were of a similar age. When the German occupation began, Esterka's father asked the donor's grandfather to take over his print shop for fear of it being taken over by the German authorities. The man disagreed, however, fearing for his family. He did, nonetheless, agree to keep the most valuable items that the Beckermanns (?) owned – two Hanukkah lamps and a seven-branched candlestick. Yet the man was afraid to keep items related to Jewish religious worship in his house. After some time, he took them to the annexe print shop, which was already closed, and walled them up in a recess in the wall. After the war, the man returned to the tenement house in Leszno. The building was burnt down, but the Hanukkah lights and a candlestick where still there in the hiding spot in the wall. The items had been stained by the smoke from the fire. The Boniecki family took with them memorabilia of their Jewish neighbours (in the hope that they would claim them in time) to every place they stayed. When the Boniecki family moved into one flat for good, they placed the items in a cubbyhole. As the donor recalls, "back in the 1960s and 70s, there was no talk of Jewish affairs, which is why the Bonieckis completely forgot about the lamps and candlestick. The donor found them in the 1980s. He realised the items were valuable during a later business visit to Israel (he worked for Polish Radio), where he saw a similar candlestick presented in a display case at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. When the POLIN Museum was established, the man decided to donate the memorabilia to the collection.
MF