CITYsights: More than a model menorah

The streets of Jerusalem are aglow with the radiant lights of menorahs during the festival of Hanukka.

By ITRAVELJERUSALEM.COM TEAM
Gold Menorah 311 (photo credit: courtesy/itraveljerusalem)
Gold Menorah 311
(photo credit: courtesy/itraveljerusalem)
Possibly the most breath-taking piece in the vast collection assembled by the Temple Institute in the Old City is the massive solid gold menorah displayed inside a transparent case in the Jewish Quarter, overlooking the stairs that lead down to the Western Wall plaza and the Temple Mount. Not just a model of a menorah, it is made out of 45 kilograms of 24-karat pure gold and is valued at several million dollars. The video shows an interview by the iTravelJerusalem.com team and is the first ever interview inside the cage housing the Menorah.
The menorah was crafted following years of painstaking research by Temple Institute scholars, who combed copious amounts of archaeological evidence, textual sources and more before they arrived at the right formula.
The Temple Institute, based in Jerusalem’s Old City, has created replicas of many of the ritual objects used in the Jewish temple, including many of the vessels, trumpets and priestly vestments, all built, hewn and sewn according to excruciatingly exacting Biblical specifications and prepared to be pressed into service immediately should the need arise.
The menorah is a unique Jewish symbol bringing light into the world. In preparation for the festival of Hanukka, the streets of the Old City are already lined with menorahs that will transform the darkness of the winter with their holy, beautiful, radiant glow.
Stay tuned for more episodes of CITYsights.

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