Known as Ner Tamid (Hebrew: "eternal light"), the lamp symbolises the presence of divine light and as such should be kept aflame in a synagogue at all times, regardless whether the temple is open. This tradition is a reminder of the everlasting menorah in the Temple in Jerusalem (also known as The First Temple), which interestingly, before the Jewish diaspora, was the only synagogue of Judaism, a place of worship, and a sanctuary where the Ark of the Covenant was stored. At present, synagogues serve as places of prayer rather than as temples. The famous Wailing Wall or Western Wall is what remains today of the Second Temple, destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE. The lamp on display was discovered, alongside other objects, during archaeological excavations conducted in 2004 on the site once occupied by the Great Synagogue in Oświęcim, before it was razed to the ground by the Nazis in November 1939. The excavations in Berka Joselewicza Street were carried out by a group of archaeologists from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń led by Dr Małgorzata Grupa. The work was initiated by Yahale Gat and Yariv Nornberg, residents of Israel. During the dig over 400 elements of the synagogue interior were found, a selection of which has been digitised and is on display in the VMM collection. In preparation for digitalisation, the lamp underwent conservation in 2019 and was restored as part of the "Virtual Małopolska" project, funded by the European Union within the remit of the Małopolska Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020, and co-financed by the Małopolska Voivodeship.
