Happy Hanukkah!
Jewish | Chanukkah lamp (menorah), with birds |end 18th cent. | Image and original data provided by Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Arts Archives/ART RESOURCE, N.Y.; artres.com
Happy Hanukkah! The eight-day festival that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness begins on the eve of the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev. Artstor offers many resources to mark the holiday.
Among the traditions surrounding the festival, possibly the most striking is the nightly lighting of the menorah. And indeed, a search for menorah leads to more than 100 magnificent images, such as photographs of the holy necropolis Beth She’arim in Israel from Sites and Photos, which includes a carved menorah from the Byzantine era, and dozens of images from Art, Archaeology and Architecture (Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Arts Archives), ranging from a coin depicting a menorah from 1st century BCE to dazzling menorahs from the 20th century.
Two coins; left: coin of Antigonus last Hasmonean king of Israel, with menorah; right: coin of John Hyrcanus II, with inscription in wreath | 1st cent. BCE | Image and original data provided by Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Arts Archives/ART RESOURCE, N.Y.; artres.com
Tempel Synagogue, Interior | 1860-62; Image: 1993 | Krakow, Poland | World Monuments Fund; wmf.org
Jewish heritage is also well covered. The World Monuments Fund collection includes dozens of images of synagogues from its watch list, including the Etz Hayim Synagogue in Greece, the Paradesi Synagogue in India, the Ibn Danan Synagogue in Morocco, and the Tempel Synagogue in Poland. The collection also includes the Jewish Cemetery on Lido di Venezia in Italy, and future releases in the Digital Library will include the Mad Synagogue in Hungary, the Vilnius Choral Synagogue in Lithuania, the Pinczow and Renaissance Synagogues in Poland, and the Subotica Synagogue in Serbia.
For more contemporary images, the Magnum Photos collection includes approximately 250 images of Israel, including many pivotal events in the country’s history, important political figures, and everyday life.
Chag Sameach!
Tempel Synagogue, Interior | 1860-62; Image: 1993 | Krakow, Poland | World Monuments Fund; wmf.org