Sure enough, they did. Have a look at this 18th century German folding menorah. It's perfect for the merchant making many sales miles.
What prompted me to investigate this custom is a beautiful travel Hanukkiah made by the late Josef Fleischmann, father of my friend Rochelle Treister.
Josef Fleischmann hailed from Czechoslovakia, where at the age of 14 he apprenticed as a silversmith. Josef eventually married and began to build a family. The winds of war brought him to Canada in 1939 along with his wife and two sons. Apparently economic considerations forced him to pursue other professional avenues; still, he did not abandon his love for creating beautiful and unusual silver Judaica. So, when Rochelle turned to him to create a travel Hanukkiah after airport security took apart her bag because she had an old, battered long tin Hanukkiah inside, he was more than happy to activate his creative juices and golden hands. This is what he came up with.
On the outside it looks like an elegant pressed powder case from days of yore. Open it up, and voila!
A tidy travel version. No student, sales person or average traveler could ask for more.
So...hmmmm....is there a way that you can make your next craft project a travel Hanukkiah?
Hanukkah Candles Photo Credit
Tami, I hope your readers will follow through on your suggestion to create their own travelling hanukkiyahs so that future generations will have judaica pieces to cherish that reflect the way we live our lives here and now. We all contribute to the living legacy of our families and traditions by the things we choose to do and make. Judaica can be made of any material, not just silver. I would love to see what your readers come up with. Thanks for the inspiration!
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