Hanukkah menorah
A Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah,
The Hanukkah menorah commemorates, but is distinct from, the seven-branched menorah used in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Along with the seven-branched menorah and the Star of David, it is among the most widely produced articles of Jewish ceremonial art.[2]
Construction
To be
Public displays
The hanukkiah is often displayed in public around Hanukkah time in December. Elected officials often participate in publicly lighting the hanukkiah. The
In the US, the White House has been represented at the lighting of the National Menorah since 1979. This celebration of Hanukkah began with the attendance of President Jimmy Carter in the ceremony in Lafayette Park. Additionally, beginning with President Bill Clinton in 1993, a hanukkiah is lit at the White House, and in 2001, President George W. Bush began the annual tradition of a White House Hanukkah Party in the White House residence, which includes a hanukkiah candle lighting ceremony.
In the United Kingdom, the House of Commons holds a yearly hanukkiah lighting at the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster. Although John Bercow became the first Jewish Speaker of the House in 2009, the hanukkiah currently used every year had actually been commissioned in 2003 by his predecessor Michael Martin, who was a Catholic; prior to this, a hannukiah had to be borrowed for the ceremony every year.[8]
Two large hanukkiahs are in New York City, each standing at 32 feet. One is at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, and the other is at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan near Central Park.[9] A 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) structure, it is the work of Israeli artist Yaacov Agam. Because of the hanukkiah's height, Con Edison assists the lighting by using a crane to lift each person to the top.
In the United States, the public display of hanukkiahs and
Name
English speakers most commonly call the lamp a "menorah" or "Hanukkah menorah" (the Hebrew word menorah simply meaning "lamp"). In Modern Hebrew, the lamp is generally called a chanukkiyah, a term which originated among
Public collections
Many museums have notable collections of hanukkiahs, including the
There is a collection in the small Jewish Museum in Rio de Janeiro.[13]
Adaptations
More offbeat Hanukkah products on the American market include a "Menorah Tree" inspired by the Christmas tree tradition, and even a "Menorah Bong".[14] The "Thanksgivukkah" coincidence of Thanksgiving and the second night of Hanukkah in 2013 inspired a turkey-shaped "menurkey".[15]
On December 10, 1997, the Internet's first widely celebrated Interactive Menorah was the premiere greeting for the
Gallery
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A silver hanukkiah
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A Macedonian silver hanukkiah
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Hanukkiah next to the window
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U.S. President Harry S. Truman (left) receiving a hanukkiah in the Oval Office as a gift from Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (center) alongside Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Abba Eban (right), 1951
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U.S. President Jimmy Carter (right) lighting a hanukkiah with rabbi Abraham Shemtov (left) in Lafayette Park, 1979
Notes
- Yiddish: חנוכּה לאָמפּ khanuke lomp, lit."Hanukkah lamp")
References
- ^ "Hanukkah Lamp, BD, Judaica, Ceremonial Art". The Jewish Museum. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ Newman, Yacov; Sivan, Gavriel (1980). Judaism A-Z: Lexicon of Terms and Concepts. Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora of the World Zionist Organization.
- ^ Silberberg, Naftali. "What Constitutes a Kosher Chanukah Menorah?". Chabad.org. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Do the candles on the menorah have to be in a straight line to be kosher?". AskMoses.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Is a curved Menorah kosher for Hanukkah?". Judaism.About.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Laws of Chanukah". ou.org. Orthodox Union. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ISBN 978-0813553795.
- ^ "Silver For The House Of Commons". mplevene.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Lighting Largest Hanukkah Menorahs". nycgo.com. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- JSTOR 23425278.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Museu Judaico do Rio de Janeiro". museujudaico.org.br. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ Newman, Andrew Adam (21 December 2016). "From Yamaclaus to Menorah Bong: Hanukkah Goods That Can Hold a Candle". New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2018. The bong is demonstrated at "The Grav Menorah". YouTube. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021.
- ^ Ghert-Zand, Renee (24 August 2013). "Menorah + turkey = Menurkey". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
Enterprising 9-year-old creates new ritual object to mark rare — extremely rare — overlap of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah
- ^ "Cyberseason's Greetings". archive.nytimes.com. 10 December 1997. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
External links
- Yearly lighting of the Menorah at the White House
- Hanukkah Lamps from the collection of The Jewish Museum (New York)
- Hanukkah lamp collection at the Israel Museum.