Our dear friend, Dr. Aaron Feingold made headlines with the White House, when his ‘Liberty Bell Menorah’ (which is housed all year in our Regency Heritage museum).
From the White House Blog:
Last month, the White House called on readers to help us find special menorahs for this year’s White House Hanukkah receptions, asking, “what’s the story behind your menorah?” The announcement stated that we were looking for recommendations for menorahs to use for the candle lighting ceremonies that told a story – a story about family, community, or continuity of Jewish life here in the U.S., in Israel or around the world.
Within one week, we received 54 submissions (3 X chai!) from throughout the country, with stories spanning the centuries and the world. Some of the submissions included: a Sephardic menorah from the 14th century; the oldest American menorah – made of tin; a menorah by a prize-winning architect; a menorah made to commemorate 9/11; a menorah made entirely from reusable, recycled parts; a menorah honoring religious freedom made by Jewish Day School students from Northern California following their trip to Washington to visit the FDR Memorial; an Art Nouveau menorah made in Paris in the 19th century; a menorah made to look like a row of brightly colored doughnuts; a menorah incorporating the Washington, D.C. skyline; a menorah holding cans of food to donate to the homeless; and several menorahs with incredible stories of how they had been buried or hidden during the Holocaust, survived, and passed down through generations of families.
The Liberty Bell Menorah
The Liberty Bell Menorah, by Manfred Anson, was recommended by Aaron Feingold, who has a collection of some 200 menorahs. The Liberty Bell at Independence Hall in Philadelphia is inscribed with the timeless message from Leviticus (25:10), “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.” This phrase is featured prominently on the menorah and is a strong reminder of the connection between the Hanukkah holiday and the fight for liberty. Each bell holds a candle, and on the rim of each bell is the name, birth date, and year of death of a famous American Jewish patriot who devoted his or her life to fighting for liberty, freedom and the revolutionary cause.
