A Hannukiah Menorah That Celebrates an Event on Christmas Day 165 years Before the Birth of Jesus.
The monumental Hanukkah was made in 1753 by Pieter Robol II (1733-1769), who based his design on Exodus 25: 31-40 for the forms. Exodus describes the seven-armed candlestick in the Tabernacle with flower twigs and blossoms on the shaft and the arms. Restored Height In 2018 a new foot was to a design by Piet Cohen, so that the candlestick can be exhibited again at its original height.
A HANUKKIAH IN HOLLAND
At the top of the arms there is a rococo ornament dedicated to the donor’s fmaily. Because of the size of the candlestick, it needed large candles, made from beeswax in order to be kosher.
Rintel Hanukkiah. Photo: Erik van Rosmalen (JHM Collection, M014776)
In 1753, Sara Rintel donated this precious silver candlestic for use in Amsterdam’s Great Synagogue .
In 1898 a copy of the candlestick was made for use in the Dritt Sjoel, the smallest synagogue of the synagogue complex on Jonas Daniël Meijerplein. Both candlesticks were preserved during the Second World War and kept in use until this century. The original Rintel Menorah was on loan at the Jewish Historical Museum and included on the list of the Law for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage.
In 1955 the Rintel Hanukkiah became a showpiece in the postwar reopening of the Jewish Historical Museum.
Prime Minister Willem Drees and the president of the Jewish community EA Rodrigues Pereira at the candlestick. National Archives collection.
