The picture shows the Lindo Lamp, the earliest known Chanukiya made in Britain. The lamp is considered one of the most important objects of Anglo-Jewish heritage in the collection of the Jewish Museum in London. This silver Chanukiya was made in London in 1709 by the silversmith John Ruslen. It was commissioned to celebrate the wedding of Elias Lindo and Rachel Lopes Ferreira who were married that year at the Bevis Marks Synagogue.
This Chanukiya is intended for use with oil and includes eight little holders for placing the oil and the wick. At the top of the lamp is a larger holder intended for the oil of the shamash — the light used to light all others. The Chanukiya is decorated with a relief image of the biblical story about the Prophet Elijah being fed by ravens:
And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and from the brook did he drink. (Kings I 17, 6)
This choice of decoration is probably a reference to Lindo’s Hebrew first name – Eliyahu (Elijah). Elias Lindo’s family were founder members of the early Sephardi community in London. His father fled the Spanish Inquisition and was one of the earliest Jewish settlers in London in 1670. He became a broker in the Royal Exchange, and the family were very involved at Bevis Marks Synagogue.
The Lindo Lamp was passed down the Lindo family for generations and was on display at the Anglo-Jewish Exhibition of 1887 — the first British exhibition of Judaica at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. The object had been on loan to the Jewish Museum of London since its opening in 1932 and was recently bought by the museum.
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Chanukiya - A Chanukiya (also known as a Menorah) is a lamp that is lit on the eight nights of Chanukah in memory of the miracle that happened at the time of Greek rule in the Land of Israel. The Maccabis led the Jewish people in a revolt against the Greeks and freed the Jewish Temple from idols. They wanted to rededicate the Temple by relighting the Menorah, but there was not enough oil left. A small jar of oil, enough to last for one day, lasted miraculously for eight days, which was enough time to prepare fresh oil. The holiday of Chanukah commemorates this miracle through several traditions, most notably lighting candles (or oil) in a Chanukiya for eight days.
