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There is a confusion on the terms that some bloggers use here. A Menorah (Lamp) can have any number of branches were lights are placed. The Temple Menorah consisted of 7 branches. The Hanukkah "menorah" is called "Hanukkyah" and has 9 lights, one distinguished from the others by location is called the Shemesh or shamesh (assistant) that helps to light the daily celebrating lights (Nerot). The Menorot shel Shabbat (Saturday's candelabras) have different number of lights depending on family customs. Those that light olive oil lamps do so to comply closer to the Mitzvah (obligation) to do so accordingly to the original custom.
There is a confusion on the terms that some bloggers use here. A Menorah (Lamp) can have any number of branches were lights are placed. The Temple Menorah consisted of 7 branches. The Hanukkah "menorah" is called "Hanukkyah" and has 9 lights, one distinguished from the others by location is called the Shemesh or shamesh (assistant) that helps to light the daily celebrating lights (Nerot). The Menorot shel Shabbat (Saturday's candelabras) have different number of lights depending on family customs. Those that light olive oil lamps do so to comply closer to the Mitzvah (obligation) to do so accordingly to the original custom.
I was born and raised in East Germany into a religiously sensitive Christian family. During Communism, it was hard enough to be actively Christian, but Jewish families and customs, synagogues, and general knowledge on Judaism was virtually non-existent. To my knowledge, in the 1980s, there were only 19 Jewisj families in East Germany! Even worse is the fact that, as a theology student in the late 1980s, I inadvertently embarrassed a seasoned and tenured theology professor when asking him to please explain how, exactly, the Passover Meal/Jesus' last meal with his disciples was understood and practiced differently from how Christians view the Eucharist! To this day, I can only shake my head in disbelief, sadness...and shame. I am mentioning this to illustrate just how horribly unknowing people were about all things Jewish and most things Holocaust, and I presume the situation in West Germany wasn't a whole lot better either, thus I am convinced that the person who threw away the menorah in question had absolutely no idea what this item was. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and Communism, Jewish faith and congregations moved in very slowly, mostly from Eastern Europe. I am so glad that the menorah in question was saved and came, if not in Jewish hands into those of a person respectful of others' faith and the Jewish roots of Christianity.
Now I would like to add my own question to the mix: I have the honor to have in my house a heavy antique brass menorah, standing maybe 2.5 feet tall and having seven arms. My grandparents offered a place of rest to Jewish and Russian Orthodox refugees who left behind the menorah and original icons, respectively, asking for safekeeping of the treasured objects until they could reclaim them...only nobody ever returned, tragically. In our home, these items had a place of great honor, and when my mother died last Fall, my sister asked to inherit the icons while I wanted to bring the menorah to America some 10 years ago. Sometime in the early 1990s, Christies of London came to my home town and, for a fee, offered to assist in assessing origin, age, and insurance value of antiques. Our mother brought menorah and icons, but in either case, Christie's were surprisingly lacking trustworthy knowledge, and our mother got no satisfactory answers. Until reading this thread, it never occurred to me to re-try Christie's, hoping for better luck in the choice of staff. -- "My" menorah shows dragon-type creatures at the tripod base of the candelabra, and the seven candles are arranged such that the height increases from the outside candles to the middle one, with the middle one the highest. This threw off Christie's completely. Does anyone of you know whether the ascending and descending position of the seven-arm menorah has a particular meaning??? As a theologian, I am dying to find out and solve this riddle that existed as long as I can remember.
I would like to add, that my mother and I tried to clean the menorah sometime around 1975, but with little success. While it resided in Germany, it actually developed patina at a very slow pace. However, during the decade in Virginia, the menorah has tarnished significantly, so much so that I pondered the cleaning question again just recently. Thanks to the earlier comment, I will leave things alone for now, though. While reading this thread, it occurred to me that the menorah really should "go home" to a Jewish family and be used in faith regularly, rather than being "only" cherished as a symbol of the roots of my own faith. It suddenly became crystal clear to me that this would make the item's history come to a full and complete closure, and that my grandparents would be most pleased if I could end the safe-keeping phase by bringing it into a Jewish home or congregation. While the menorah might be valuable as antique art object, its primary purpose was to enlighten and keep together people of Jewish faith. Not only do I not have children thus inheritance is a moot point, I feel enlightened by the realization that I can return it to it's purpose; for that, I gladly forgo any monetary value but rather feel that God is making me into an instrument of God's peace, indeed, and I will joyfully oblige. And I immediately knew whom I will give it. Talk about a moment of divine inspiration! Thank you, thank you, precious responders, for facilitating this revelation! I am merely sad that my mother didn't live long enough to experience this, but I know with every fiber of my being that she would support me. (But before I "return" the menorah, ever-curious me would still like to learn more about the menorah, if possible - grin).
Why not take a photo of it and upload it here (or upload to a public-access website and link us to it)? Maybe someone will recognize it and be able to help you further.
Today 8/17/2016 in Spokane, I just found a solid brass 7 stick menorah (weighs about 5 pounds) in the trash at a park. Not sure how old it is, all it has stamped on it is the number 60 or 69. It looks like the same 7 stick menorah (the first picture) shown on this site
Hi it looks like this is an old post, but id be interested to hear if you found any info on the menorah?? I just found one at the thrift store and it looks antique and is solid brass..trying to gather info on it
Hi Kathryn!! I have that SAME menorah. my uncle Samuel had it and he was indeed from poland!! if you're still on here, reply and i'll send you a picture! it gives me chills to find another one in the world!
My Jewish friends bought a house from a Catholic and in the backyard there was a statue of the Virgin Mary. They cogitated about what to do with it; you can't very well throw Mary into a trash can even if you don't believe in Christ. Fortunately they were able to find someone who wanted it.
I wish the people who find themselves in possession of a menorah would have that much sensitivity.
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menorah found in trash can
