Hanukkah Lamp

Morocco, 18th century
Cast and pierced bronze
B’nai B’rith Klutznick Collection of the Cincinnati Skirball Museum; donated by Dr. Leanore K. Feine; gift of Joseph B. and Olyn Horowitz

In North Africa–Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia–Chag haBanot or Festival of the Daughters is celebrated during Hanukkah. The festival occurs on Rosh Hodesh Tevet (a name of a Jewish month), which is usually on the seventh day of Hanukkah. This night commemorates the heroic women in our Jewish tradition who stood up to tyranny. Hannah, who sacrificed her sons instead of abandoning her religion under Greek pressure, and Judith, who aided in Jewish military victory, are the women remembered on this night. Chag haBanot is celebrated in different ways. Women might go to the synagogue and pray for the health of their daughters. Daughters are given special gifts by their parents. Some engage in a passing down of inheritances from generation to generation of women. The festival entails dairy foods, singing, and dancing. Sermons are given at the celebration, honoring the heroic women in Jewish history. It is a time to remember not only the heroic women of the past, but also the present impact of  women have on the world.

Used in the celebration of Hanukkah, this eighteenth-century, Moroccan Hanukkiyah is made of cast and pierced bronze. The backplate of the lamp is pierced with horse-shoe arches surmounted by a foliate upper section with trefoil (three-leaved) finial. The side panels are topped with birds. Many lamps manufactured in North Africa are made of brass and bronze. Two ewers adorn the lamp, which alludes to the containers that held the oil for kindling the Hanukkah lights.