In honor of Chanukkah, I am posting a photo of a menorah. The menorah is a very popular motif in Jewish art “then and now.” However, the menorah represents the menorah used in the Beit Hamikdash or Temple rather than the Hanukkah lamp used during Hanukkah. Note the difference in the number of lights (seven versus nine.) There are lots and lots of articles on the web that speak about iconography of the Menorah in manuscripts, synagogue mosaics etc. This menorah comes courtesy of my mom who had the opportunity to visit Uzbekistan this September. The Menorah is cut into the drainpipe of the synagogue in Tashkent. Neat, no?
Birkat Chaverim Blog
Birkat Chaverim
Thanks for this photo! I know very little about the Jews of Tashkent, but they have definately chosen a creative way to display their Jewish pride. Don’t think I’ve ever seen anything similar, but I’ll have to start paying attention on my visits to synagogues when I travel.