This menorah belonged to my maternal great grandparents on my grandfather’s side, Ethel Dalinka and George Levy, who both passed away before I was born. Ethel, who was born in Russia, met George when her family moved (from Russia to New Jersey and from New Jersey to New York City, where George was born). The origins of the menorah are unknown, although my grandfather says he remembers it from when he was growing up, making it over 80 years old. The menorah, a seven-branched candelabrum, is one of the oldest symbols of the Jewish faith. A Chanukah menorah, like the one my great grandparents passed down, contains nine-branches because Chanukah celebrates one day’s worth of oil lasting nine days, hence eight days of Chanukah and eight candles (excluding the Shamash). In order to light the menorah with respect to religious customs, one must start with the Shamash—the “attendant” candle—and use that to light the others. One additional candle is lit each night of Chanukah. When the candles are lit, a prayer is recited: “Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik ner Chanukah”. This translates to “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light”. My mother recalls that her grandfather, George, was always the one who lit the menorah until he died in 1985. I can still remember lighting the menorah during my childhood with my mother and grandfather.
Unfortunately, unlike many of my fellow classmates, this was one of the only experiences with culture that I have had. I honestly had trouble completing this assignment both because this menorah is the only significant object I know of that has been passed down through my family, and because the cultural customs surrounding it are almost completely lost on me. Religion serves as a culturing factor and I was not raised in a religious household. While my Jewish mother and Catholic father celebrated the major religious holidays, I was not exposed to any sort of religious education, either from my parents or from religious institutions. Because I do not observe any religion, I can say that while this object has familial significance, it bears me no religious significance. In other words, while I greatly respect the fact that this menorah belonged to my ancestors and will be passed down in my small family until it inevitably reaches me, the soul heir, I will not use it for religious purposes like my family before me. While I remember celebrating Chanukah as a child, the cultural customs surrounding my family’s menorah will unfortunately be lost; however, it will become a symbol, both of my family’s history, and its endurance.
