Q Ð Menorahs` Gallery

Gallery:
Menorahs at the Temple,
at the Knesset, and at Home
King Antiochus plunders the Second Temple Menorah, 169 BCE
(Courtesy of the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America)
The Arch of Titus — 70 CE
The Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem after a four-year battle ending in 70 CE and carried off the Temple utensils
including the menorah to Rome. The stolen menorah was probably the one fashioned by Judah the Maccabee in 164 BCE
for the first Hanukkah, since the earlier menorah had been plundered by Antiochus IV.
The Arch of Titus was built in honor of Titus in 81 CE after he had already become the Roman Emperor.
(An engraving by Francois Perrier 1695,
after the bas-relief on the Arch of Titus)
The Menorah —
Into Exile
and Back Home
The Symbol of the New State of Israel, 1949 CE.
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Ben-Gurion and the
Cabinet Return the
Menorah to Jerusalem
Cartoonist A. Navon, portrayed the
transfer of the Knesset from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem, 1949, as a reversal of the
famous procession of Titus removing
the menorah from Jerusalem two
thousand years ago. David BenGurion, identifiable by his balding
head and bushy white hair, and Golda
Meir, the only woman in the picture,
are carrying the new symbol of the State
of Israel, a menorah designed to
resemble the captured menorah on the
Arch of Titus in Rome. Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion’s pose recalls King
David who brought the ark up to
Jerusalem (circa 1000 BCE)
accompanied by musical instruments
like the shofar and the flute.
Declaring Jewish Sovereignty from the Rooftop
The menorah atop the Israeli Knesset with the traditional blessing for miracles, “in those days and in our own era.”
(December, 1950, Central Zionist Archives, Jerusalem)
MENORAHS’ GALLERY
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The Persian Rose Menorah
This circular menorah, made of stone, was used for
Hanukkah and for everyday use in 19th century Persia.
Traditional Menorahs
at Home
Ancient Oil Menorahs/Lamps
(from the Schlesinger Collection of the Archeology Institute
and the Hebrew University, displayed in and photographed
by the Israel Museum)
The German Jewish Menorah
For use on Shabbat and Hanukkah
(Germany, 18th century)
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The New Knesset Menorah
The New Knesset Menorah
This Menorah was given to the State of Israel
by the British Parliament in 1956.
The relief panels review significant Jewish moments
such as the exiled Jews weeping in Babylon, Ezekiel’s
vision of the dry bones revived, the Maccabees’ Revolt,
and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Zechariah’s prophecy about the golden menorah is
inscribed on the menorah: “Not by might and not by
power, but by my spirit, says the Lord.”
(The artist was Benno Elkan.)
MENORAHS’ GALLERY
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“In the mountains the question arises: ‘Whom will I send?’ Send me! To serve
the good and the beautiful! Will I be able to do this?” “God, if you have
given me fire in my soul, let me be able to burn and to provide a worthy
light in my home, the House of Israel! And let these words be not just
flowery formulas but a mission for my life. To whom are these words
directed? To the goodness in the world, of which there is a spark in me.”
— CHANA SZENES, DIARY
Chana (Anikó) Szenes,
aged sixteen, ready for her first ball,
in Budapest, Hungary, 1937.
(Courtesy of the Senesh family)
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