Menorah Galleries Religious Items

Gold and silver wrapped thread on canvas, gold thread embroidery, embellished with decorative appliques and sequins; silk lining. Rare example of a magnificent cap worn on the Sabba...

Pewter passover tray, Germany, 18th century. The outer rim has wriggle- work engraving of the order of the Seder service, along with a pair of birds fl...

The backplate is cast and pierced with a central two-handled vase of flowers, flanked by fully formed birds with their heads turned outward. The side panels fitted with two servant lights, fronted by a row of eight oil fonts. Scholars theorize that these Polish Chanukah Lamps that bear two servant lights (as opposed to the singular servant light normally found on a Chanukah Lamp), served a purpose, having been used on one of the days that Chanukah fell on the Sabbath, as Sabbath Candlesticks. For another example, see page 296 of the book “Five Centuries of Hanukkah Lamps...

Brass Hanukkah Lamp, Salonika, Greece, 19th century. Openwork backplate with scrolled branches; three stylized flowers support central triangular c...

Zhumbar - large brass lamp for festive occasions. India, early 20th century. Central hoop, with a dozen curved arms (with hoops at their end) - six turning upwards and six downwards. Four rods for suspension. Such lamps served the "Bene Israel" congregation that lived mainly in Bombay, Calcutta and other towns in western India. "Oil chandeliers with thirteen arms, known as Zhumbar, were used in the synagogue on festive occasions" Literature: Orpa Slapak (Editor), "The Jews of India - Bene Israel, Cochin...

Metal school supply box sent by the South Africa Jewish Wars Appeal to the Wels displaced persons (DP) camp in Austria, 1947. Painted blue and white with th...

An Intricate Jerusalem Textile, made in Jerusalem, 1886. Double-sided large pouch. Wool thread embroidered on cotton net. One side has a lion and stag holding flags reading “Jerusalem” in Hebrew, which flank a crowned Ten Commandments. Titled in Hebrew “Swift as a deer, strong as a lion” (Ethics of the Fathers 5:20). “Jerusalem” is seen in large lettering, atop a pair of birds and flowers. Top scene of the reverse side is titled “Mount of Olives”, amongst a plethora of olive trees, and a cluster of buildings is titled “Chulda the Prophetess”, (where her and others tombs reside). Main scene is titled “The Western Wall”, which features the wall and outer structures with turrets and Cyprus trees. The Hebrew date of “1886” is revealed on the bottom corners. This delicate textile, incredibly vibrant in color after 130 years of being created, is a masterful, exceedingly rare work of art produced in Jerusalem by an unknown woman --- likely quite young, a teenager --- as a gift to an unknown individual. Too complex to be a “tourist trinket”, as we know of one other similarly-made textile that is in the collection of the Israel Museum, and is dated 1876: see the book “Jewish Folk Art: From Biblical Days to Modern Times”, page 122. A clue to where perhaps this was made is in the depiction of the lion and stag holding flags, as they are identical to those featured on the crest of Moses Montefiore. In the 19th century, Montefiore gave enormous sums of money to purchase land for Jewish settlements and establish schools in Palestine. This textile most likely hailed from a school for girls funded by Montefiore, and was made as either a gift for Montefiore himself, or another wealthy donor. As to the actual purpose of this textile, since it is in the form of a large pouch, its intended purpose might have been to hold a tallit (prayer...

An Eastern European Kethubah Strikingly Decorated in Papercut Form, and with the Central Traditional Hebrew Text of a Most Uncommon Petite Appearance. Uni...

Tanach (Five Books Of Moses) with silver binding, handmade with dedication handwritten and signed by the President of Israel, Shimon Peres. With the fiv...

Brass Shabbat lamp, India, early 20th century. A circular Shabbat lamp, with seven spaces for hanging small oil cups. The lamp is suspended with three rod...

Handcut strips of silver that have been bent into curvilinear shapes, with semicircle of candle-sockets, complete with drip-pans. A cast-made pair of birds, appearing to be ducks or geese, flank the servant light, while at top as the finial, a large casting of a hen or rooster. While this overall form of lamp is known as hailing from Iraq, we cannot locate any other Iraqi lamps featuring the animals displayed on our example. Birds such as peacocks were widely used in Iraqi and other Middle-Eastern and North African Chanukah lamps, however the usage of the animals featured on our lamp likely have more to do with the surrounding Islamic culture than revealing any meaning in Judaism, which is typical overall for many motifs found on Jewish ritual...

Silver Sabbath oil lamp, Afghanistan, late 19th century. Featuring a rimmed bowl elevated on a paneled stem, with larger drip pan below, resting on three feet. Extended piece of han...