Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Curaçao, N.A.

THE HANUKKIAH

The festival of HANUKKAH is a time for joy and celebration. The kindling of the HANUKKIAH or HANUKKAH MENORAH is attended to in the SNOA by the rabbi, his assistant, and, symbolic of this spirit, by the children. The HANUKKIAH is mounted on the balustrade in front of the HEYCHAL. On successive nights, one light, then two, then three ... are lit until- on the eighth night- all eight lights are aflame. Mikvé Israel’s silver HANUKKIAH was donated to the congregation in 1716, making it sixteen years older than the present Synagogue building. It bears the Hebrew inscription: “In the year ‘beaten for the light’ to kindle an eternal flame, was consecrated by Jacob de Efraim Jesurun Henriquez to the Holy Congregation of Mikvé Israel.” The date is indicated by markings over some of the Hebrew letters in the original words for “beaten for the light”. The numerical equivalent of these letters is 477, referring to the Hebrew year 5477 or 1716 C.E.

The HANUKKIAH was made by Pieter van Hoven, master of two of the Snoa’s crowns and of the BESAMIN box. It has an Amsterdam mark and the letter year “F”, which is indeed 1716. Near the top is a shield cover over which there is a crown with the Hebrew inscription: “For the commandment is a lamp and the law is a light.’’ The eight oil lamps at the bottom are attached to a half crown; there is also a single oil lampunder the cartouche near the top. The cartouche, which is not engraved, helps to act as a reflector for the light from the SHAMASH or helper flame. Since, according to Jewish tradition, we are not permitted to use the light of the lower eight lamps, for example, to read, the reflector behind the upper lamp is therefore not only decorative, but may have a practical religious use as well.

The Maccabees fought against the mighty Assyrian-Greek Empire for religious liberty and won their victory in 165 B.C.E. After they had cleansed the defiled Temple in Jerusalem, they held a rededication ritual, which lasted eight days; thus the reason for the eight lights in the HANUKKIAH. Their struggle for freedom and their victory has been remembered by Jews ever since. So, too, the members of the SNOA are grateful for the years of freedom and religious liberty that they have enjoyed for over three and a half centuries on Curaçao under the enlightened rule of the House of Orange and the successive governments of this country.

If we have been looking back into the history of Mikvé Israel-Emanuel and its SNOA, it is only fitting that at the close, we should direct our gaze to the future of our congregation. Our future is our children and our children are our future. For it is only through their devotion to Judaism, through their loyalty to our congregation, their attachment to their Sephardic heritage, and their love of our SNOA- that we can be sure that this Synagogue, which our forefathers built for us and for all generations to come, shall be bequeathed by them to the generations that follow. As they kindle the lights of rededication on Hanukkah year after year, so too they rekindle the faith that led our founding fathers, when setting foot on Curaçao in 1651, to name their congregation MIKVÉ ISRAEL, “the Hope of Israel.” For it is indeed the children that constitute our MIKVÉ ISRAEL, and “may the Lord ever be with them and with us,” EMANU-EL! (CGC, ALP)

The Thebah | The Heychal | The Banca | Benches and Chairs

Illumination | The Organ | “Levantar” | The Torah | Torah Ornaments

Crowns and Breastplate | Finials | Ceremonial Silver for other Occasions